Sports Illustrated is going soft

I can't even find the link for the article on their website, but in this weeks' print edition of Sports Illustrated there is an article titled "Pom-poms and Circumstance". Subtitle: "Cheer leading has become a 'serious' sport. Think sweat, blood, drugs."

I think the purpose of the article is to drive home the widespread use of performance enhancing drugs in college and professional sports, but I simply can't get past some of the assertions the writer makes. Case(s) in point: "...fascination with cheerleaders goes beyond the superficial." and my personal favorite, "...cheer leading has become as real as any sport out there".

Can we truthfully say that cheer leading is to sport what marching band is to music? I think not. Marching band members are muscians and cheerleaders are, well, cheer leaders.

In a perfect world

Ahhhh! Ref, you are crazy! Hansbrough DID NOT charge Curry. The only way the mighty Carolina Tarheels lose to this cinderella is through BAD CALLS.
Get ready for it Roy. The Wildcats of the Southern Conference might be on your dance card.

The Year of the SoCon

The SoCon rules the football world and the SoCon is finally gaining respect on the hardwood. When will the country start giving props to us, the "little" mid-majors who have Roy quaking in his boots?

Sloppy Spring Practice

Mr. 3.75 million Miles is a bit upset with the lack of motivation he's finding with his team in spring practice/scrimage.

Is it possible that the Tigers are caught in the same denial trap the Wolverines experienced?

Signs of new life

A light exists in spring

Not present on the year

At any other period.

When March is scarcely here

A color stands abroad

On solitary hills

That silence cannot overtake,

But human nature feels.

It waits upon the lawn;

It shows the furthest tree

Upon the furthest slope we know;

It almost speaks to me.

Then, as horizons step,

Or noons report away,

Without the formula of sound,

It passes, and we stay:

A quality of loss

Affecting our content,

As trade had suddenly encroached

Upon a sacrament.

- Emily Dickinson

May/September and the double standard

I was having brunch today with my friend M at quasi-nouveau restaurant here in town. While waiting for our food, an attractive woman in her late 50's and a young man (I immediately noticed the perky pecs and tight biceps) in his mid 20's walk in and are seated behind us. Casual observation (their physical closeness, the shoulder caresses, the tone of their conversation, etc...) told me this was definitely NOT a mother and son Sunday afternoon outing, unless of course this guy's name was Oedipus. Immediately I think...SHE"S PAYING FOR IT! In my mind she deserves a "You go girl! You got you a boy toy!", some kind of pity or something in between the two. I never even entertained the thought that I would have had if the situation were reversed and there was a late 50 something man and a younger woman. Funny, when it's the reverse situation, I either don't think anything of it, think it's sweet that two people have found each other despite their age differences or think the man feels he needs a trophy.

This all reminded me of a former neighbor I had when I lived off Polo Road in my first townhouse.

The good, the not so bad and the ugly

The Good:

Much is looking fine for many 2007 Championship seniors, according to David Coulson, FCS Executive Director at The Sports Network. (CK and Guinea Pig: click on that link; there is LOVE for former SoCon foe - MARSHALL and, current SoCon worthy opponent - FURMAN.)

For much of the week, Appalachian State wide receiver Dexter Jackson was the talk of the town with a 40-yard dash time that was reported at 4.27 seconds by some hand-held stopwatches. His electronic time of 4.37 was tied for third- best, among all receivers and tied for 10th best overall.
Not ironically, Jackson is one of those track guys. He was the 200-meter champion last year in the Southern Conference, and represented the Mountaineers at the NCAA track and field championships.
Jackson, who also showed well in a number of other drills, went from being graded as a preferred free agent before the season to now being an almost sure pick in the top three rounds, maybe even a first-rounder. Among the players not invited to the combine that could hear their names called on draft weekend are Appalachian State guard Kerry Brown (fifth-round projection), tackle Thaddeus Coleman of Mississippi Valley State (sixth or seventh round), defensive ends Bryan Johnston of Gardner-Webb (sixth or seventh round), Rudolph Hardie of Howard (seventh round), linebacker Joe Mays of North Dakota State (seventh round) and safety Corey Lynch of Appalachian State

The not so bad:

Yesterday's event which caused a lock down at Middle Georgia College turns out to be rather benign.

There was a similar scare in Georgia earlier yesterday. Police questioned a man who carried a gun into Middle Georgia College in Cochran, about 120 miles south of Atlanta. The college was placed on lock down as authorities searched the campus. It was lifted about noon, and classes resumed, college President Mary Ellen Wilson said.
The man realized that he had a handgun in his vehicle when he went to exchange cars with his brother, a cafeteria worker at the school, and stuck it in his waistband, Cochran Police Chief Jon Thrower said. A student then reported seeing a man with a gun.

The ugly- with a silver lining:

The campus lock down at ASU was a hoax. While it is comforting to know that the administration has an effective and viable plan in place that the Campus Police and the Boone PD are expertly capable of enforcing, it is somewhat disconcerting to know that a student would weave such a tale for the sole purpose of relieving himself of monetary obligations to his landlord. Who knows what his situation is and why he did that. Personally, I think his penalty should be harsh. I feel like the Great State of North Carolina's judicial system should boot him out of the state and force him to finish his education at Georgia Southern.

Sometimes the MEDIA sucks

I have to wonder...

If the media had not sensationalized the tragic story from Virginia Tech, would we still have to deal with, and be subject to, "copy cat" incidents at Northern Illinois and Ferrum College? Today we have 2 similar events - both near and dear to me. The most disturbing to me comes from points south where my youngest nephew attends school at Middle Georgia College. Fortunately everything appears OK there and my baby is safe. After speaking with him and feeling like all is right in the world, I hear this news regarding ASU.

I'll spare you my rant on More Guns=Less Crime.

SoCon Tournament Time

It looks like we have a bad draw but hopefully the Mountaineers will take the tournament court loaded for bear. (that sounds very mountaineer-ish - Daniel Boone with his musket loaded and ready to kill him a bare.) Bears, Spartans, what's the difference?

I find some comfort in knowing that the AP and others have finally acknowledged Davidson as a powerhouse. #25 ain't half bad for a SoCon team.

The argument could be made that Davidson is to Division 1 basketball what Appalachian State is to Division 1 football.