Why Is Kirk Ferentz Such A Good Coach?

So, recently the Iowa Hawkeyes played their spring league game. This is the game when fans and coaches get to see a rough preview of what to expect the coming fall. This game got me thinking more and more about football, and how beastly the Iowa Hawkeye football team will be this fall. But this shouldn't come as a surprise. It seems like year after year the Iowa Hawkeyes are good in football. And who should get the credit for all the success? Well, that would have to be head coach, Kirk Ferentz. Sure the players help, but great talent doesn't win ballgames, great coaching does.

Why is Ferentz so good? Well, this is a complex question, but I think there are some answers. He is a great recruiter for one. Year after year he brings in great recruits. Now, I don't mean great recruits as in the most talented guys, I mean great recruits that fit the system and win ballgames. Secondly, he is a disciplined coach. When all these Iowa football players were getting in trouble a couple of years ago, Kirk didn't let it slide, he dealt with it directly. This takes a lot of courage, I think, but it was definitely the right thing to do and made the team better.

Coming into Iowa he might not have seemed like that great of a coach. Sure he assisted Hayden Frye, sure he was a D-1 player, but would he be a good D-1 coach? Well, as it turns out, he isn't a good D-1 coach, he is a great one. And if you don't believe me, believe the various NFL teams who have been interested these past few years in hiring Ferentz as their coach, because of how great of a coach he is. And what does he do time and time again? He turns them down, because he loves it at Iowa and I wouldn't blame him. This is another one of the many reasons I feel Ferentz is a great coach.

"Above: Iowa Football Coach, Kirk Ferentz, http://blogs.creativeloafing.com"

Blackhawks Win Game 1

Well, as you all may know, or probably don't know, the Chicago Blackhawks are playing the San Jose Sharks in the NHL Playoffs. You may be thinking, why would he be writing about hockey? No one except Canadians care about hockey, right? Well, you would be mistaken.

Before this year, I was along with the majority of people. I didn't really get why hockey was that interesting. Because of my belief that hockey was boring, I never really watched any games or payed any attention to hockey. Besides going to the occasional local hockey games at the ice arena, I never really watched any games. But, for some reason, this year I decided to start paying attention to hockey. And I found out that it is very interesting. I have even learned the rules and have formed favorite teams, the San Jose Sharks and the Chicago Blackhawks. So when I learned that my two favorite hockey teams would be facing off in the playoffs, I was excited. It should be a great series between two great teams.

What made me kind of disappointed this year was the fact that the Capitals, with stud player, Alex Ovechkin, lost already. I was really looking forward to seeing him in the playoffs, but I didn't get a chance to with their early exit. Now I guess I'll just have to play with him on NHL 10 for the Xbox360, which is a great game, by the way. It is really realistic and is fun to play. But, that is a topic for later discussion. Now, back to the Blackhawks series.

In the first game the Blackhawks won. I think they are a great team and should be tough to beat. But the Sharks won't go down without a fight. I'm excited to watch this unfold as this should be a very entertaining series.

"Above: Blackhawks logo, http://chicagonow.com"

Why Are All Songs Now Remixed For Dances?

Recently it has occurred to me that songs are being ruined. Not by bad singers, but by bad dance remixes. Instead of the original beats and singing, all songs are now being changed into dance songs with heavy beats and autotuned vocals, more than before. This is just so these songs are easy to dance to for people at various clubs and parties around the country. I, for one, don't like this. I think it ruins the majority of good songs. These songs sound great the way they were made. If they sounded best as a dance mix, they would've been made as a dance mix. But I guess that is just my opinion.

There are some songs that sound good when they are dance-mixified, but the majority of songs don't. Even though I'm not a very good dancer, I still am able to dance to original songs. In fact, I enjoy dancing to them because they sound great. When they are changed into dance mixes, they lose a certain something that comes with an original song. I am kind of curious to what these artists think of their remade songs. Even though they probably just appreciate the fact that clubs are playing their songs, they can't like how they sound.

Maybe it is just the fact that I don't like dance mixes. They all sound pretty similar, in my opinion, and aren't that great to listen to. Besides being easy to dance to, these songs don't have very many pros. But I guess this is just my opinion.

Fantasy Baseball

So, if you didn't know already, I am a big fantasy sports fan. I loved fantasy football in the fall, I loved fantasy basketball in the winter, and now I love fantasy baseball. At first glance you may think it sounds kind of dumb. Especially if you think baseball is a boring sport, so if you are doing fantasy baseball, which is simply in-depth baseball, you will like it even less. But for those of you who actually enjoy the awesome sport of baseball, give fantasy baseball a shot.

It is a lot of fun to play, because, throughout the course of the season, you have to check up on your team and make sure you have the best team you are able to get. I especially like doing different trades, picking up a no name who ends up being your best player, and seeing who are the big busts of the year. This may come across as nerdy to a lot of people, but, for me, I think this is very exciting. Right now I am really disappointed in the play of my first baseman, Carlos Pena. He has started off really slow and is kind of hurting me right now. But I have to hope that he turns it around because he is a main part of my team.

This is the kind of thinking that I like to do in fantasy baseball and makes it very enjoyable. Now all I need is for Carlos Pena to start hitting like he was supposed to so I can win as well.

What Is Wrong With Country Music?

Over the past few years I have heard a lot about how people hate country music. I have even heard people say that they like all kinds of music except county music. Yet, whenever someone has to explain why they don't like it, their answers aren't very concrete. I, for one, think country music is great.

I'll be the first to admit that I used to be in the same boat as a lot of people. I didn't really like country music for some reason, and I guess I never really knew why. But lately I have been listening to more country music and I kind of like it. They are catchy tunes and have meaningful lyrics. Sure it doesn't sound like most of the mainstream stuff on the radio, but that doesn't make it bad. Some of the greatest artists of our generation are country musicians such as: Carrie Underwood, don't laugh because you secretly enjoy her music you're just afraid to admit it, and Toby Keith to name a couple. Along with Carrie Underwood, some other country musicians have managed to get their songs on the mainstream radio stations. The one that comes to mind right away is the group Lady Antebellum with their song "Need You Now". That is a great song in my opinion and shows just how good country music can be.

So next time you turn on your radio to listen to Gangsta Chick Part Three, think about changing the station to country. You never know, you could be surprised and actually like what you hear.

LeBron Lost Already?

As you may know, LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers lost to the Boston Celtics in six games in the second round of the NBA Playoffs. This was extremely surprising to me and the rest of the NBA world, as Cleveland was one of the favorites this year to win the whole thing. So the fact that they didn't even make it to the conference championship is a major blowup.

What makes this early exit even more surprising is the fact that they lost to the Boston Celtics, who were thought to be too old to win another championship. I guess the critics were wrong. Boston is looking great and I wouldn't be surprised if they make it all the way to the NBA Finals. Cleveland, on the other hand, looked terrible that whole series, even when they had a 2-1 series lead. They were playing terrible defense, not very surprising for the NBA, for one. And to make this even worse for the Cavs, they shot bad too. LeBron James looked uncomfortable all series and couldn't get anything going. This was very disappointing because I really wanted the Cavs and LeBron to win it all this year. But, I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Let's just say that Cleveland sports teams haven't done the greatest in the playoffs in the last few years, and I guess this year wasn't any different.

Now that the Cavaliers and LeBron James are out of the playoffs, rumors about where he will land if he becomes a free agent have appeared. Some say Chicago, some New York, some New Jersey, and some even think he will stay put. Let me narrow this down to two teams. First of all, there is no way LeBron will leave a championship-contending Cavaliers team for a rebuilding New York Knicks team, so the Knicks are eliminated. Secondly, the New Jersey Nets are not going to get LeBron James, because they are terrible and easily the worst team in the NBA. Who cares if part-owner and rapper Jay-Z is friends with James. This alone will not get him to come to New Jersey. And, the saddest thing is, this is the best argument they can make for James. I think he will come back to Cleveland, in my opinion. They have been doing great as a team, minus the playoffs, and one of these years, I think, they will break through to the NBA Finals.

But for now, all LeBron can do is sit on his 100,000 dollar couch and watch the playoffs at home, because, for the second straight year, they blew it.

"Above: LeBron James, http://lebrownstown.com"

I Love AP Tests

So, last week and this week I'm have been taking three different AP tests, AP Chemistry, AP US History, and AP Language & Composition. They are really boring to take, and I'm dreading the fact that I still have one more to go.

This is the feeling that many students have. "AP tests suck, I'm going to fail, I'd rather be watching baseball (or in the case of McGriddle, watching a carrot dry)". I, also, have some of those same feelings. But, the more that I think about it, the better these AP tests seem.

First of all, sure they are hard, but, of course, they are hard because they are college-level classes. If you don't want to study hard, don't take hard classes. Secondly, people complain about the tests being eighty dollars. Even though this is a lot of money to be paying for a stupid test, it is nothing compared to the money you save in college if you pass these tests by studying hard. I know I may sound like a hippocratic person, as I don't study much, but you can't argue with the logic. If you feel differently, let me know, but I have a feeling you feel the same way I do. So, if you have another test like me, study hard and get that four you really want, even if I'm sitting at the computer typing a blog the night before my last AP Test.

"Above: AP Language & Composition book, http://coverbrowser.com"

 

Pitcher, Braden, Throws Perfect Game

Today, one of the greatest feats in all of sports occurred, as the Oakland Athletics defeated the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 4-0. No, winning four to zero was not the feat. The amazing feat was a perfect game, thrown by Oakland Athletics' pitcher, Dallas Braden.

For those of you who don't know, a perfect game is when zero batters from the opposing team reach base in an entire game. In other words, Braden faced 27 batters and retired 27 batters. This is extremely uncommon and it is a huge deal when a pitcher does this. Just how uncommon is it? Well, today was only the 19th time in the history of the MLB for a pitcher to throw a perfect game.

Even though I didn't watch the game, except for the last out, I know some of the things that Braden must have done really well on his way to this amazing feat. He must have had great control, a bit of luck, and his "stuff" must have been on. It is especially impressive that he accomplished this feat against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, one of the hottest teams in baseball right now, and a team that is full of great hitters.

As a lot of baseball players know, when a pitcher is still throwing a perfect game or a no-hitter through the 6th or 7th inning you don't bring up what is occurring because it is bad luck. So I'm pretty sure it was very quiet around Braden the last few innings to make sure they didn't screw it up for him.

When the last batter for the Rays got up, excitement was filling the stadium. Braden brought the count to three balls and one strike. Walk the batter and the perfect game is over. But, lucky for him, on the next pitch the batter grounded out to the shortstop, who I am positive was shaking on his boots, hoping not to make a mistake and ruin the perfect game. But, he didn't screw up and Braden threw the 19th perfect game in MLB history. Congrats!

"Above: Oakland Athletics' pitcher, Dallas Braden, http://latimes.com"

Life At Wrigley Field

So last weekend I took a trip to Chicago with my dad to watch a Cubs game. They were playing the Diamondbacks. I was very excited because I don't get to see that many Cubs' games live. And this time the trip, like always, didn't disappoint.

I am a huge baseball fan, and I love to watch games on television every chance I get. A lot of people say that baseball is boring to watch, but I guess you just have to be dedicated to the sport if you are going to watch every pitch of a nine-inning game. Sure I love to watch games on TV, but nothing compares to actually being there.

Usually when we go to the Cubs' games we take the L, a subway train that takes us from downtown Chicago to Wrigley Field. But, this time, we were running late. We arrived at our hotel at a quarter to twelve. Game time was at twelve. So we figured, "O well, we will just miss the first innng or so." Then something amazing happens; we got, perhaps, the fastest cab driver to ever walk the earth. When we got in the cab, it was five 'till. Usually it is a thirty minute drive from the hotel. But the driver, who we told that we will probably be late to the game, drove like the cops were on his tail. He made some illegal turns, did some supposed street racing, and got us to Wrigley in a whopping fifteen minutes! But this was just the start of a very interesting day at Wrigley.

Most of the time when we go to Cubs' games, our family sits in the right field bleachers. They are general admission seats and are very fun to sit in. But, this time, we changed it up. We actually got really good seats about ten rows up from the field, and we were behind home plate. But, more interesting than our seat change were the people around us, who I wished would have changed seats. Behind us was a fat, drunk Blackhawk/Cubs fan. He would yell sayings like, "Sammy the Sprinkler", which didn't make much sense. Some of his sayings were sort of funny, but the problem was that he said them a million times. He also said, "Cut his head off" whenever an umpire had a questionable call that didn't go in the Cubs favor. We also sat behind a drunk, 20-year-old who frequently called Wrigley Field, Chicago Field. Really man? How can you call yourself a Cubs fan, and not know the name of the stadium? But that wasn't all. Next to this bozo was a girl who, instead of pulling her hair back into a ponytail like regular people, decided to just let it all hang out. And what did it end up hanging out into? My soda that I refused to finish because Hair Dew is not one of my favorite sodas.

But, besides this crazy fans, the game was a blast. The Cubs won and we had great seats. From now on I definately want to sit in those seats everytime, and I can't wait until my next trip to Wrigley Field.

"Above: Wrigley Field, http://kaybee.mlblogs.com"

Word of the Day

So I was really bored last night and decided to find a random word and see what it means. You all know you have done that before. Well, probably not but, anyways, the word was:

.................


.................



..................



Drumroll Please

tatatatatatatatatatatatatatatatatatatatatatatatatat

waterlogged: so filled or flooded with water as to be heavy or unmanageable. (Dictionary.com)

Well, that was interesting wasn't it? You know it was. Ok, so maybe it wasn't, but at the very least you now know another word, unless you already knew this before, which, in that case, you just wasted a couple minutes of your day reading this blog post.

New B.o.B. Album Review

So one of my favorite new artists just released a new album this past week. B.o.B., a rapper/musician that can sing, rap, and play instruments, released a new album, The Adventures of Bobby Ray. I think it is a great CD by a great artist.

"Don't Let Me Fall" 9/10. This is a great song to open up an album. It has a catchy chorus with message-filled verses. The rhythm and melody are catchy and I had this song on repeat a few times on my IPOD.

"Nothing on You" 10/10. The second song is awesome. He features Bruno Mars in this song. Right now it is played on the radio a lot and is really catchy. I love the song and always turn it up in my car whenever it appears on the radio.

"Past My Shades" 8/10. In this song B.o.B features rapper Lupe Fiasco. It is catchy and has a nice melody. At times it can be kind of repetitive, but other than that it is a great song featuring two great artists.

"Airplanes" 10/10. This song features Haley Williams of Paramore. This pretty much makes the song great because she is awesome. The chorus of this song is awesome and solely features her. Then, to make the song even better, B.o.B adds greatly-timed raps. This combination makes for a very entertaining song.

"Bet I" 6.5/10. In this song, he features T.I. I think T.I. is awesome, so I immediately wanted to listen to the song. I was expecting another hit, and was left kind of hanging. It was good, but not great. It seems like B.o.B. got away from what was working in the rest of the album having a nice balance of singing and rapping. This was mostly rap and didn't stand out like most of his other songs. Overall, it's a pretty good song though.

"Ghost In The Machine" 10/10. This is probably the second catchiest song on the album, next to nothing on you. It's melody is awesome and spot on. The extra sound effects and music make it seem like a song you could hear on Ghostbusters or some Casper movie. Awesome, awesome, awesome song.

"The Kids" 9.5/10. This song is a little less upbeat than the previous songs, but still is awesome. The melody, like many of his other songs, is great. He features a really talented girl whose bone-chilling solo at the end alone makes the song.

"Magic" 8.5/10. This is a cool song. I can't say it's one of my favorites, but it is another good song. The chorus with Rivers Cuomo is catchy and has a nice beat to it. It sounds a little like it could be on Disney Channel. But all cons aside, it's pretty good and a nice song to listen to.

"Fame" 9/10. I like the way he starts off this song like it's an old song, and then busts it out into a nice rap song. This song has one of those choruses that get stuck in your head, and, in this case, that is a great thing.

"Lovelier Than You" 10/10. Just when you think you are getting the gist of this album, B.o.B throws a curveball. This is a much more musical song with some great singing. The lyrics are nice and happy, and overall it is a very uplifting song, and shows that B.o.B isn't just a rapper, he is a musician and a singer too.

"5th Dimension" 8.5/10. This may seem like a broken record, but this song, yet again, is very catchy with great raps and a cool beat. His falsetto in the chorus is awesome and shows his range as a singer. This song also features Ricco Barrino who adds some nice raps to this song.

"Airplanes pt. 2" 10/10. To end this great album, B.o.B does pt. 2 to his hit song "Airplanes". Haley Williams is still in it, and, as if the song wasn't good enough already, Eminem raps in this song, but reader beware that there is some bad swear words in Eminem's rap. So if you solely like children's music and Disney music this isn't the CD for you. First of all why would you be listening to this in the first place, and second of all this song is much better with the swear words in it.

Overall, this is a great album that I recommend to all. Not just rap lovers, but music lovers. It is an awesome CD that cleverly mixes singing and rapping, showing just how much of a musician B.o.B is. Now go out and buy the CD and listen for yourself.

"Above: B.o.B album cover for, "The Adventures of Bobby Ray", http://deadstarsco.com"

2010 NFL Draft

This past weekend was the NFL Draft. This is the time when teams are made. Where you find your franchise quarterback, running back, or wide receiver. Usually these are chosen in the first couple of rounds, but, in some special circumstances, they can be found in later rounds. Take New England Patriots's quarterback Tom Brady, who was chosen in the sixth round. Coming out of college no one expected him to be the star that he his today, and that's what makes the draft so great. The various surprises and draft day shockers that define a draft, and this year was no exception.

Some of the obvious surprises were C.J. Spiller getting picked ninth overall, Florida quarterback Tim Tebow getting picked in the first round by the Broncos, and Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Claussen falling to the middle of the second round. C.J. Spiller wasn't expected to go that high. Tim Tebow had many question marks about his form and whether he could make it as an NFL quarterback, which made it really shocking to see him picked in the first round. And then Notre Dame quarterback, Jimmy Claussen. Many thought he was the most NFL ready quarterback in the draft. They also thought he should go in the first round, so seeing him drop to the middle of the second round was very surprising to see.

The Minnesota Vikings did very well in the draft this year, even without a first round pick. In the second round they picked Chris Cook, cornerback from Virginia, and Toby Gerhart, running back from Stanford and Heisman Trophy runner up. Chris Cook is very talented and athletic and should be a nice addition to an already stellar Vikings' defense. Toby Gerhart was a great pick. He is an awesome running back and should be a nice backup to Adrian Peterson in the future. In the fourth round they picked a talented defensive end from USC. In the sixth round they picked an extremely athletic quarterback/wide receiver from UAB who should be a playmaker at the next level, not that the Vikings need anymore playmakers.

Another great thing about this year's draft was the fact that six University of Iowa players were drafted. Offensive guard Brian Bulaga in the first round, linebacker Pat Angerer in the second round, defensive back Amari Spivey and tight end Tony Moeaki in the third round, linebacker A.J. Edds in the fourth round, and lineman Chris Calloway in the seventh round. This was great and shows that the NFL is finally getting the conclusion that Iowa players will be good players at the next level.

Overall this was a great draft and I can't wait until this fall to see how these rookies will play.

"Above: NFL Draft 2010 logo, http://nflnr.com"

Cubs Season Off To A Shaky Start

The 2010 MLB Regular Season has finally kicked off, and the Cubs are starting off the year playing the way they did last year. As all Cubs fans know, last year was a very disappointing year to be a Cubs fan. We were coming off a year when we had the third best record in the MLB and followed that great year of 97 wins with 83 wins. And to make matters even worse last year, the Cubs were out of the pennant race for much of the season. We all came in to this year hoping for a lot more from our Cubbies. And I sure hope they pull through.

This hope could soon go down the drain, though, as the Cubs are already 3-4. I know it's early in the season, and they have only played one home game, but I also know they need to play a little better if they want to be pennant contenders this year after what really amounted to a year off. On the bright side, they have hit a lot of homers and have shown they have power, but I'm hoping for more consistency by the pitchers. They have given up a lot of runs this year already, just look at ESPN, and need to wake up and start pitching better. They are good pitchers, but are just underperforming at the moment. I'm hopeful this can change, and expect nothing less out of the Cubs. They have a good team that, I feel, could make a run in the playoffs. But they need to get there first, and in order to get there they have to play better ball and win more ballgames.

It has been well-documented that the Cubs haven't won the World Series in over 100 years. I, myself, have heard it about a million times, give or take a few, and I'm tired of hearing it. But the only way to stop the comments is to win a World Series. I hope, for the team and for my sanity, that they can pull it off this year, and I'm trying to be as optimistic as possible. Let's go Cubbies!

"Above, Chicago Cubs logo, http://shagball.com"

A Not So Great Ending To A Great Tournament

On Monday, another great NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament came to a close. This is very disappointing that it is actually over already. It seemed like it just started. But now I must wait until next year to see any more exciting upsets, or bone-chilling last-second shots. Out of all of the NCAA Tournaments, I think this was one of the greatest ones of all time, unless you made a bracket and got most of your picks wrong, as I did this year.

First of all, this tournament was great because Northern Iowa beat number one seed Kansas. This was a huge accomplishment and could have made the tournament by itself. Northern Iowa, a mid-major conference member, knocked off number one seed Kansas, who was a favorite to win the whole tournament. Also, Northern Iowa is from Iowa, and, since the University of Iowa Men's Basketball Team could have been beat by a bunch of blind monkeys this year, I was forced to cheer for the only good team in the state of Iowa, Northern Iowa. No one picked Northern Iowa to win, but that didn't bother the Panthers. They played great defense, shot the ball well, didn't turn the ball over, and ended up knocking off the mighty J-Hawks. But the tournament got even better.

Butler came into the tournament this year a five seed, and on a twenty game winning streak. Even though they were on this winning streak, many people picked Butler to lose in the first or second round. They were a bunch of nobodies from a small conference. But instead of an early exit in this year's tournament, the Bulldogs defeated number one seed Syracuse, Michigan State, and then number two seed Kansas State on their way to their first ever NCAA Championship Game. This was awesome, because I love to see the underdogs win, so Butler making it to the championship was one of the greatest underdogs ever, besides perhaps George Mason making it to the Final Four a few years ago. I have to admit, I did become somewhat of a Butler fan and was crushed when they were beat by the Duke Blue Devils. I mean, no one likes Duke. Butler should have won. This would have capped off a near perfect tournament, in my opinion, and would have been one of the greatest sports accomplishments ever. But they lost, and now stupid Duke won another title. I guess I should give them my congratulations. They played a great tournament and deserved to win this year. I still wish Butler would have won, though.

But I guess I have a whole year to vent my frustration, as that is how long I have to wait until next year's tournament. Anyways, next year Iowa will be in the tournament again and will be a Northern Iowa type of story. At least that's what I'm hoping for.

"Above: Butler logo, http://cfpitiming.com"

Hawks Get New Basketball Coach

Well the Hawkeyes, as everyone knows, did terrible this year. The once well respected program won a total of 10 games this year. That is not acceptable for a Big Ten school. This is why it wasn't too much of a surprise when the Hawkeyes announced they would be firing head coach Todd Licklighter after three consecutive losing seasons at Iowa. Now don't get me wrong. Licklighter is a great coach, he was national coach of the year in 2007 at Butler, he just wasn't a good fit at Iowa. His tempo was too slow which resulted in dwindling attendance at Iowa home games last year and prompted AD Gary Barta to make a move in firing Licklighter.

And who did Iowa hire as Licklighter's replacement? They went out and hired Siena head coach Fran McCaffery. I, along with a lot of Iowa fans, had never heard of him before and were very stunned when word became known that he would be the next mens head basketball coach at Iowa. But after doing some research on him, I found out that he should be a good fit at Iowa. He, unlike his predecessor Licklighter, will bring an uptempo offense and defense with him along with gaining athletic recruits. This will be a great change for the Iowa basketball program, because it will bring more fans and will revamp the team into a more interesting team to watch. What is even more impressive about McCaffery is the fact that the is a proven winner. These last three years at Siena he had taken them to three straight NCAA Tournaments and I hope he will continue this tradition at Iowa.

This, I feel, will be a much different basketball tam and wi,, be more interesting too watch. I sincerely hope he has success at Iowa and I have a good feeling that he will. Watch out 2011, here comes the Iowa Hawkeyes!

"Above, Iowa Mens Basketball Coach, Fran McCaffery, http://images box.com"

March Madness Is Here!

Well, it's that time of year again. The birds are chirping, my dad is whistling, and the temperature is starting to warm up. What time is it? It is the spring, at least almost. And what comes with spring? March Madness, or, in other words, the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. The greatest sports event ever, in my opinion is this tournament, because it's one and your done, and it includes sixty-four teams that have a chance to win the national championship. Ok, maybe all but a couple, such as the sixteen seed Arkansas-Pine Bluff, not to take away from their season, but I find it very (times 10) unlikely that they will make it to the national championship, let alone win it. But the mere idea of a grand tournament, sudden death with chances for thrilling upsets along the way, make the NCCA Men's Basketball Tournament.

The tournament is great for the players, but it might be even better for the viewers. Whether it's watching various rounds on the edge of your seat, hoping that finally Northern Iowa will win a tournament game, or just for the mere excitement of watching two teams duke it out mono on mono, or should I say 5-on-5.

Another enjoyable thing that fans such as myself do before the tournament gets underway, is making a bracket and predicting the winners of every game. Just the brackets themselves are fun, but even more excitement, joy, nervousness, and other various emotions come when you have money on the line. I mean, everyone loves money and don't try to deny it. This year I'm doing a bracket with my brother and my dad for a grand total of 15 dollars, winner takes all. And this year that money is definitely mine. I feel really good about my picks this year and I feel I have the perfect amount of upsets and in the right spots. This year I'm going with a shocker for one of my national championship contenders, one of the four seeds out of the Big Ten Conference, the Wisconsin Badgers. They have a strong team this year, and you can't pick against a Metro-area alumni, Jason Bohannan, senior guard for the Wisconsin Badgers. The other team I picked to be in the championship is the Kansas J-Hawks. They are amazing this year, and it's hard for me to find a weakness when I watch them play. I'm picking Kansas to win it all this year, as I feel they are the best team in the tournament this year.

My team, the Iowa Hawkeyes, didn't make the tournament. This is old news for any Iowa fan. They had a terrible year, and aren't even going to be playing in the NIT, the consolation tournament. Even though it is more fun to watch the NCAA Tournament when the Hawks are playing, it will still be great fun to watch, and I'm looking forward to another great year of March Madness. GO KANSAS!!!!!!!!!!!

"Above, 2010 Final Four NCAA Tournament logo, http://www.cowboyspridenews.net"

Saints Win the Super Bowl

Sunday night was the biggest game of the NFL season. As you already know, either because you have been reading my blog or you follow football, the New Orleans Saints of the NFC took on the Indianapolis Colts of the AFC. A lot of experts picked this game to be a high scoring affair with most people takinig the Colts to win. I, for one, was with the experts on this because I thought the Colts were a better team. Both teams had great offenses as well as terrible defenses. But I was dead wrong, about the Saints losing at least.

The Saints won the Super Bowl 31-17 thanks to an interception returned for a touchdown in the fourth quarter that made it 31-17 and pretty much put the game away. This was a surprise to me because I thought the Colts were the much better team. But, I guess, the better team doesn't always win. Just ask the Minnesota Vikings. But I've already complained enough about that. The Super Bowl is a happy time, and I plan to put on my happy face and give my congratulations to the Saints.

They played a great game and looked like a Super Bowl champion. They won the turnover battle and looked very good on both sides of the ball. I thought the Colts could move the ball up and down the field on the Saints defense, but I was wrong. The Saints played great and deserved to win the game. But the play of the game was the pick-six by the Saints that put the game out of reach and secured the Saints their first Super Bowl title in their franchise's first Super Bowl appearance. All I have to say is bravo! Great job and a great season.

One thing I found very funny was when the NFL presented the Saints with the Lombardi Trophy. First they said the trophy was for the city, second it was for the fans, and THIRD it was for the team! Are you kidding me? The team deserves it the most. They played the game and they are the ones that one the Super Bowl, not the city. Sure the city deserved to have something great come to their city, BUT the trophy should first be for the team, secondly for the fans, and third for the city. But, other than that, it was great to see the trophy presentation and see Saints quarterback, Drew Brees with an eyeful of tears and his little kid after the final whistle was blown. A great way to end a great season! Hopefully it's even better next season.

"Above: New Orleans Saints quarterback, Drew Brees, after the Super Bowl, http://toronto.ctv.ca"

How Do You Choose the Right College?

In the Spring of 2011 I will graduate high school and go on to college. The problem is, I don't know how to start looking at different ones. Do I want to go to a big or a small college? I don't know, I think I would like both. Do I want to be in the city or out of the city? I don't really know, because I like the hustle and bustle of the city, but I like that calmness that comes with being outside the city. I think this indecisiveness is a trait of mine. I don't have that strong of an opinion on issues and I feel this will have to change in the next year before I choose my college choice.

So far I have only visited one college, Luther, and liked it a lot. It is a small college, and has a nice atmosphere to it. My backup plan right now is Iowa, but I'm not sure if I want to go to a big school or not. This spring I'm going to visit more colleges like Luther with my dad and hopefully narrow down my college choice.

There is just so much to think about. All the colleges that are out there make you really have to look around to find the best one for you. I just wish there was some quiz you could take that would tell you the exact college that is right for you, and make this whole decision process easier. I know I want to do something with science so a college that offers a science major and has a good science program is a must. But I'm not sure that narrows down my choices any more. I know the college has to be bigger than my high school. I also want to be on the smarter side of the student body not one of the dumber ones in a smart college or one of the smartest in a dumb college. Not saying that there are some dumb colleges out there. Just not as selective as the higher-tier colleges. But, I guess, time will tell which school I will choose and I know I will make the right decision.

"Above: Luther College logo, http://scandinst.luther.edu"

Hawks Look Good But Lose, Again

If you are a fan of the Iowa Hawkeyes Men's Basketball team like me, you know what the issue is this year for the team. They are very young, with only one senior and two juniors on the team, click here for the roster, and don't yet know how to finish games. They are very talented and will be great in a couple of years, but for now we are forced to sit back and watch them lose game after game. It is getting kind of hard to watch, even though they are starting to play better as a team. It seems like all the pieces are in place for this team, they just haven't put it all together yet.

By now, it is no surprise that the Hawkeyes will not make the NCAA Tournament at the end of the year. I'm not even sure they can finish the year with a winning record. Right now, all I'm hoping for is a possible NIT Tournament appearance for the Hawks, even though that is highly unlikely as well.

I do like how the team is set up. They have an abundance of shooters and are starting to get aggresive and bigger inside to contest for rebounds and inside shots. There is one thing the Hawkeyes are doing that I don't like. That is playing John Licklighter, coach Tom Licklighter's son. He looks like a 14-year-old and cannot run the point at the Big Ten level. I feel they should let freshman pointguard, Cully Payne, play most of the game, and then allow Bawwinkel and Gatens to help at the pointguard spot when he has to come out. I know he has to play a little more than was previously planned because of bonehead pointguard, Anthony Tucker, who got arrested two years in a row with the same offense. He is a talented player, but he needs to get his act together before he ruins his career. But, for now, all Hawkeye fans can hope is that he comes back soon because Licklighter is terrible with a capital T.

I am excited to see how this team will grow in the near future, and will try to suffer through this difficult season by thinking positively. Let's just hope the Hawks play a little better then they did previously the last few games of the season.

NFC Loses Again

It seems like every year, the outcome of the Pro Bowl ends the same way, in a NFC loss. I don't know if this is because the talent on the AFC side is better, but I don't think it is. There's just something about this game that causes the NFC to lose.

This year I think the trouble for both sides was defense. Neither side could stop the other as the offenses went up and down the field. You might be thinking who cares? It is just an exhibition, right? Well, in that respect you would be right, but the game does mean a little bit for both sides. The winning team gets to be home team in the next year's Super Bowl. Sure, the game is at a neutral site, but this can have an effect on the outcome of a game. For instance, you get to choose the side of the coin on the coin toss, and if the game goes into overtime this could be a big difference maker.

But back to the game. I, personally, couldn't care less about this game. It is not that fun to watch. In fact, I find it hard to watch the whole game without getting bored. This is very suprising because I can usually watch any football game, arena football included. But what really ticked me off was the lack of carries that Adrian Peterson got in the game. I know it was an all-star game, but he is the best running back in the NFL. Guess how many carries he got. 10? 5? No he got a measly TWO carries. TWO carries. That is ridiculous. You should let him participate a little more than that. This is terrible for the Vikings fans such as myself that wanted to see one of our favorite players run some people over. He had a great year and made it to his second straight Pro Bowl. He deserved to participate more in the offense, and who knows, maybe he could have been the difference for the NFC in this game.

But other than that I didn't really care for this game. It was fun to see the best players in the NFL duke it out, but it just wasn't as interesting as a regular game, although it sure made me extremely excited for next year when I can see my Vikings play again, hopefully with one quarterback with the number four.

"Above: Minnesota Vikings running back, Adrian Peterson, http://dailypilot.com"