So it goes: Saying goodbye to the Wynnewood, Pa, Borders Books and Music

Think what you want, but I will always remember the soon-to-be-closed Borders Books and Music franchise in Wynnewood, PA, fondly. And whereas the store is preparing to close its doors for good in September, according to a store employee, I'm in the midst of a very real grieving process.

You see, I would take a train home from school each day. I loved trains and rush hour traffic is dreadful in these parts, so the whole bit made perfect sense. The best part was that the train, SEPTA's R5 city-bound line, would leave me off at a lovely little train station in Wynnewood, PA. 

There was a Borders directly across the street from the train station. I would wander that Borders for hours upon hours every week, especially during the snowy winter months when sidewalks were clogged with damn, dirty snow and I needed a ride home from Mom. 

And herein lies my affinity for the Wynnewood Borders franchise. 

Back in the glory days of compact discs, Borders was the place I'd get my music. Later, when movies began to matter to me, I went to Borders knowing they'd have the DVD and Blu-Ray titles I sought. As far as books were concerned, I didn't find an author/writer I could relate to until seventh grade. Once I discovered Kurt Vonnegut, though, Borders was the place I'd go to purchase his books. And then I'd purchase the same Vonnegut books again when they were re-released with new, colorful cover art.

After Vonnegut died in spring 2007, I'd always go to his section of the store, but knew I'd come away disappointed. Two volumes of selections of Vonnegut's short stories were released posthumously and I purchased both at Borders.

Borders is now bankrupt. though. All stores have been ordered to sell-out their products at heavily discounted rates. Considering that I'm wrapping up a summer internship at a newspaper and that I'll be heading back to Ohio State for football season shortly thereafter, my trip to Borders last night was likely my last one ever. 

I found the store in a ramshackle state — truly a shell of its former self. And it was sad. Local consumers have descended on the store like swarms of locusts in recent weeks and taken the place apart — literally. 

Talk about "everything must go" — the store is advertising the sale of office supplies, entire book shelves, in-store furniture — everything, all of it. And then there's the more conventional items like books, CD's, DVD's and Blu-Ray, which have also been lifted by the locusts, err, locals. 

All the good stuff was picked over when I arrived on the scene last night. However, I can tell you that a good many copies of "Moby Dick" still remain. There's also a healthy stack of Sarah Palin's "America By Heart" available.

You know, just in case you're interested.

After a quick survey of the store, I dutifully scavenged about in search of items that needed rescuing from the decaying Borders. I was disturbed by the sights during my rescue mission, though — CD cases that had been ripped open and robbed of the discs. Classic novels tossed into bargain bins. And again, enough copies of "Moby Dick" to match the weight of an actual whale. 

Needless to say, I found very little that was worthy of rescuing. I deemed only two items worthy of purchase: Futurama: Season 1, and a re-release of "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee. 

That was it. 

I came upon the worst casualty of my mission when I trudged over to the Vonnegut section and saw that it was all but gone. There were a couple copies of "Cat's Cradle," but that was it.

My Heart ached.

I frantically searched all the neighboring shelves and sections but found nothing. What had previously been my most convenient and comprehensive supply of Kurt Vonnegut books had bled dry during the fall of this Borders franchise.

I really hope the Vonnegut titles were bought by happy people that will realize and enjoy the humor of the books.

Anyway, once I saw that the Vonnegut was gone, I knew I needed to leave. That, or stay and admire what was surely the largest and most impressive collection of identical-looking copies of "Moby Dick" the world has ever seen. 

I'll never again set foot in that Borders. I spent a considerable portion of my life reading, studying and, really, just being happy there, so it stings a bit to see it go. The colors on the walls of the store were warm, the selection of things to read in-store or buy was expansive and I have many fond memories of the place. 

Vonnegut had a saying about death which was popularized after his book, "Slaughterhouse-Five," achieved commercial success. The saying was a callous yet hilariously realistic remark on the passage of time, as well as death. The saying is: "So it goes," and Vonnegut would have spoken it to me if he had accompanied me to Borders last night.

So it goes, indeed. 

-PB 

(I'm tired of typing, I'll edit typographical errors later)       

Old friends find a way

There isn't sufficient time to retrace every element of the now-simmering rivalry between the Philadelphia Phillies and the defending World Series champion San Francisco Giants. We all remember the bench-clearing brawl that took place in the sixth and decisive game of October's National League Championship Series.

You didn't think the rivalry would end on that brisk, October night when the Giants ended the Phillies' championship hopes and triumphantly marched out of Citizens Bank Park, Warren C. Giles Trophy in-hand, did you?

Suffice it to say that the feud between these "old friends" has been reignited over the last two weeks. And suffice it also to say that everyone, from the players and coaches on the field to the general managers sitting behind mahogany desks, has helped light the fuse.

In fact, the pressure cooker began to burst again during last night's Phillies-Giants game.

Cliff Lee pitched Philadelphia to a 3-0 win against San Francisco on Thursday and the Phillies routed the Giants, 9-2, in the game 2 of this weekend's four-game series.

The action on the field last night may not have been competitive, but there was a sequence of events that provided excitement. That sequence came about in the sixth inning, which produced events that fans from both cities will liken to a prior, err, "conflict" dating back to October's Phillies-Giants playoff series. 

With an 8-2 lead and two outs in the top of the sixth inning last night, Philadelphia center fielder Shane Victorino was hit by a pitch, and he didn't wait until after the game to voice his displeasure.

After being struck by the Ramon Ramirez's pitch, Victorino flipped his bat in disgust and began to move toward the mound. Within seconds, a bench-clearing fracas ensued. 

Giants' catcher Eli Whiteside stepped in front of Victorino whilst bouncing about like a boxer preparing for the opening bell of a title fight. 

Given his demeanor, it was no surprise when the grey-haired Whiteside's child-like excitement got the better of him, and he tackled Phillies' third baseman Placido Polanco to the ground. 

Players from both teams then pushed and shoved each other, though it is unclear if any punches were thrown. Suspensions will almost surely be assessed to the main antagonists of the fight in the coming days. 

More excitement could surface in the remaining two games of the series but regardless of what happens, the Friday brawl is only the most recent indicator of an increasingly fierce Phillies-Giants rivalry. 

San Francisco visited Philadelphia for a three-game series on July 26-28, and won it in convincing fashion, taking 2-of-3 games thanks to dominant pitching performances from Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain. The series loss served to remind Phillies fans that San Francisco remains the defending world champion.

Recently, the general managers of the Phillies and Giants were engaged in a baseball version of a cold war that has added fuel to the Phillies-Giants inferno, as well. 

The Giants struck the first blow of the arms race, acquiring former New York Mets center fielder Carlos Beltran. The transaction was actually completed during the Giants' stay in the City of Brotherly Love. Beltran, of course, has spent recent years embroiled in a separate rivalry with the Phillies as a member of the Metropolitans — his presence on the Giants' roster adds familiar yet fresh spice and appeal to the Phillies-Giants rivalry. 

The Phillies had second-strike capability, though.

After being beaten by both San Fransisco's players and its general manager,  Phillies' general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. struck a deal that brought former Houston Astros' outfielder Hunter Pence to Philadelphia.

Pence has had a handful of timely hits in his short time in Philadelphia. No doubt the most appropriate of Pence's hits with the Phillies were home runs he hit in each of the first two games of the current Giants' series.

Since acquiring Pence, the Phillies have tallied an eight-game winning streak, amassed a 73-39 record and an 8.5 game lead in the NL East. San Francisco (62-51) maintains a slim, .5 game lead in the NL West, having lost seven of its last 10 games.

Current records and head-to-head match-ups aside, there is plenty of baseball remaining in the 2011 regular season. Fans should expect the two teams to keep tabs on each other between now and the beginning of the playoffs.

Yes, both will be glancing at the out-of-town scoreboards in stadia across the country to see how their rival is fairing. Maybe they'll even check newspaper box scores, too. 

You know, just a check up — old friends will sometimes engage in these types of activities. 

After the final out of Sunday's game is recorded at AT&T Park, not only will the Phillies-Giants series have concluded, but the two teams won't be scheduled to meet again in 2011.

But as old friends often do, the Phillies and Giants could arrange a future meeting. They'll have to compare date-books but I think they're both free the second week of October.  

Below is an interesting hypothetical that allows for a comparison of the Phillies, Giants and other top, NL clubs: 

Had Major League Baseball realigned its leagues and eliminated divisional play for the 2011 season, the Phillies would be the National League leaders. The Giants would be No. 4 in the league and trail Philadelphia by 11.5 games. The top-five in a realigned National League would look like this:
         TEAM        RECORD    GB
1. Philadelphia — 73-39     —  —
2. ATL             — 65-48     —  8.5
3. Milwaukee   — 63-50     — 10.5
4. SF               — 62-51     — 11.5
5. AZ               — 61-51     — 12.0


(statistics based on game results through Aug. 5).

— Pat Brennan
This work was published by me, independent of any media outlet that I am formally associated with and/or employed by. 

Real Salt Lake = American Pride

An American soccer team from Major League Soccer — Real Salt Lake — will be competing against Monterrey of the Mexican Primera Division in the first game of a home-and-away series to decide the winner of the 2010-11 CONCACAF Champions League.

Real Salt Lake has already made history by becoming the first MLS team to advance to the Champions League final. But they want more, they've stated that since February — they want to win. I want more and I want them to win — I'm stating that right now. 

And you should want them to win too.

Let me first remind you that, as soccer becomes increasingly popular in America, European teams are coming to our country during the summer months for pre-season training. They play "friendly" games against MLS teams. Though these are practice games for the European teams, the games mean everything to the American teams and their fans. Massive stadiums fill to the brim with frenzied American fans who wish to see the world-reknowned giants of European football take on American teams. The gulf in talent between European and America clubs, though shrinking, is usually evident throughout these practice games.

Now let me explain the purpose of the CONCACAF Champions League. 

CONCACAF is a "soccer region" of the world as determined by FIFA. CONCACAF countries come from North and Central America, as well as the Caribbean. Another FIFA "soccer region" that you're probably more familiar with is UEFA, the confederation of footballing nations in Europe.

Every soccer region's Champions League tournament is fed by domestic league and cup winners. So, Real Salt Lake has been competing in this edition of the Champions League by virtue of being MLS champs in 2009. Seattle Sounders FC, another American team that competed in the CONCACAF Champions League but was eliminated a while ago, qualified by winning the United State Open Cup. Most countries also have an "open" cup tournament that, like the name suggests, is open to almost every organized professional, semiprofessional, or amateur team. Eventually, the smaller teams get massacred by the pro clubs but its a charming idea that, in theory, a team comprised of part-time construction workers and school teachers with enough skill and luck could play against a pro team. Anyway, there's many ways to get into the Champions League in THIS region.

UEFA's Champions League is the most popular sporting tournament in the world and is sometimes viewed as an end in itself by European clubs. By that I mean that while there is technically a higher tournament to reach and win, winning the UEFA Champions League would satisfy most European players and their fans. For a generation. 

But the higher tournament of which I speak — the highest tournament of them all — is called the FIFA Club World Cup. The Club World Cup is fed by each soccer region's Champions League tournament winner.

Real Salt Lake will begin its CONCACAF Champions League Final tonight against Monterrey at the intimidating Estadium Tecnologico with a berth in the FIFA Club World Cup at stake. After tonight's game, RSL will return to Sandy, UT, on April 27, for the second and final game of the championship series. The team the best combined score in the two games will hoist the winner's trophy in Utah (in the event of a tie-breaker, the team that scored more goals as the road team is the winner. If that too is tied, they'll take penalty kicks to decide the winner, if I'm not mistaken.

I'll give you a second to think about the various things I've said in the post and how they connect...

If you can't make the connections, then allow me to help. 

In short, no American club team has ever played against meaningful European competition. Ever. If RSL  defeats Monterrey to advance to the Club World Cup... haha... well the rest of the world would be forced to call an American soccer club one of the best in the world. 

And the thing about the rest of the world, especially England, snubbing its collective nose at American soccer clubs is that they are protected from a losing their self-proclaimed reputation as "the best footballing nations" because, well, they don't play American clubs in meaningful games where trophies are on the line. 

Tonight's game in Monterrey is the yet another step in RSL's head-turning journey through the CONCACAF Champions League. Some pundits suggest that, since Monterrey has hit a run of low form lately, RSL may be able to leave Estadio Tecnologica with a draw, or dare I suggest a win. 

If RSL wins the Champions League.... who knows, we could be watching an American club competing against the likes of Manchester United or FC Barcelona for a trophy. 

And this is getting way ahead of myself...but suppose RSL rips a trophy out of the hands of one of the European giants and brings it home to the States? 

The 2011 FIFA Club World Cup will be staged in Japan. That's a long way from Estadio Tecnologico. The path for an American club to join the party has never been more clear though. 

"Tear it Down"

These were the famous words of 80s hair/metal band Def Leppard — "tear it down, there's gotta be a better way..."

("...all night long...")

The parenthetical portion of the lyrics to this song aren't relevant.

What is relevant is that I'm thinking about just buying up this domain name and shutting the site down for a while. I want the domain name, its a great name, I plan on using it in the future.

I'm not attacking this blog in a professional manner. First of all, its a waste of time. This blog isn't an accredited media outlet, I can't get press passes to go cover sports and post my writings on this blog. So, what the hell am I really doing? The unedited ramblings I've been posting do not serve me in a positive way. Speaking strictly for myself and not you necessarily, the whole practice of maintaining a blog like this is detracting from the brand/image I'm trying to construct of myself.

This could be the last post for this awful blog. Dan Cat from The Lantern once told me that blogs like these are "a useful exercise," and I agree. But only under the right supervision or coupled with the right intentions. For me, I can only do damage to my personal brand, whatever that is brand is.

Pat Out.

Let it be known

I want to go on record about this amazing stream of consciousness that was just birthed in my head.

Today's date is March 19. I'm not sure exactly what time it is because I set all my clocks 15-20 minutes fast so that I get to class on time. It's roughly 4:45 a.m. though.

I just had a dream about the Ohio State men's basketball team winning the national championship.

That's all. I just wanted to let the record show that I may have known that was coming all along.

Good Morning

There are more people walking about on the Oval at 4 a.m. than you'd probably think.

I found that out this morning while walking home from my good friend's apartment flat-style dorm room after five hours of studying for a final we'll be taking later today.

It was a pleasant walk. Not too cold, birds were chirping. The papers hadn't been delivered to the Lantern paper boxes around campus yet. I took stock of how many lighted windows appeared in the dormitories as I passed them on Woodruff. There were a good many lit windows.

They were probably lit for the same reason that I was walking down a deserted street at 4 a.m.

My friend and I, we didn't come close to making good use of the five hours of studying. To be fair, it should have been six hours of studying but all the coffee houses were full or closing (it was late) and we spent a good chunk of time meandering on High Street.

When we finally got to studying back at his place, we frequently digressed with conversations that had nothing to do with our work. It was fun though. Anything to distract from the anxiety of finals week.

Some day I will hold a degree in my hand and that will be a joyous moment in my life. But even on that day —and perhaps that day more than any other— you or any person will be hard-pressed to convince me of the logic and value of a traditional collegiate examination/final. So much emphasis is placed on a single two-hour period of your life and I don't get it. I realized the madness of finals week as my friend and I neared his dormitory and we stressed about how the result of today's final will impact the rest of our lives.

The thing is, regardless of how my friend and I do on our final later today, I think it should have very little to do with the rest of our lives.

True, tests and classes and quizzes and group projects — these are all ways of measuring a person's ability. Some companies won't ever consider a prospective employee who didn't attend a certain school, take certain classes, and achieve certain grades. And that is fine. Companies like that have probably achieved success in their field by using that hiring formula for many decades. I'm just not sold on how a single mark in a single class can have so much impact.

Maybe I'm being an apologist for me and people like me who may have not always tested well. But come now, think about all the stress you feel during finals week. Think about your roommate freshman year who was crying in the corner of your dorm room because of finals week. Think about how you drank to excess after finals week was over to free yourself from the stress. Think about the all-nighters you pulled to get the job done during finals week so that Mom and Dad would still pay for your books the next quarter.

Is that "real life?"Are those the experiences employers want their prospective employees to have coming out of college?

Maybe that is the expectation.

Either way, I guess we'll all have those experiences to speak of (or suppress deep in our minds) during job interviews. After all, finals week is here again. And here I am, studying whilst birds sing and the sun rises. And this will remain the norm during this and every other finals week from now until I'm clutching that diploma in my hand.

Let's all wish each other luck this week.

The Day I met Jantel Lavender

Sports writing, and writing for The Lantern in general, has become more systematic for me lately. I have much work and improving still to accomplish, I think I always need to say that. But I think the first step in my journey to "improving" has come in the last two weeks as I've been writing greater quantities of articles with less and less stress. That's a good feeling.

It isn't up to me to decide if the content I produce is "good" or not but my personal feeling about some work I did on Wednesday was that it was a clutch performance in terms of collecting quotes. Even better, I got my work done early and was able to enjoy some free time today.  


You do not appreciate life's precious gifts, like free time, until they are violently ripped from your unsuspecting hands. Work from my three classes has been overwhelming at times. You might say I've been flooded with work in the same way that water floods yours lungs when you're drowning in the middle of the ocean and sinking to the sea floor.

Not to exaggerate or anything.

Aside from a lack of free time this quarter, something else we ripped from my hand today – my hand itself.


So I was at Women's basketball interviews today. It was a joyous thing because there was a lot of buzz because they're starting their postseason. I had the privilege of talking to senior center Jantel Lavender. 


By the time I got to talk to Jantel, practice must have been over for roughly 30 minutes. So there wasn't even a hint of competitive basketball taking place in the gym or anything... but I think she thought she was scrimmaging me during the interview because she swatted my recording device.

Thats right — in a display of super-human strength, Jantel Lavender swatted my recorder out of my hand.

I went back to listen to the interview later and the impact of her paw on my recorder could most closely be compared to the sound of a meteorite striking the face of the Earth.

It was an awkward moment, for sure. We kind of stared at each other and I just said it was fine and we continued on. I decided not to bend down and pick up my arm, which had been detached from my body as a result of the force of her blow, until after the interview. And that was fine, she helped me out to my car and stuff.

We threw my arm in my hatchback.

Jantel is a very animated person though, seriously. Do read my Q&A with her, Brittany Johnson and Sarah Schulze in today's paper. Women's Big Ten Tournament begins this weekend. I'll be in Indy reporting.

Wish me safe travels as I'm almost certain my license has been suspended due to a passed-due speeding ticket

The original moving violation dates back to November was received while covering men's soccer for The Lantern. Pat Brennan is the author or zero books and one horrendous blog.

Bieber Fever

The Justin Bieber thing is weird.

Seriously.

Get off it already. Don't you see what we're doing? All the undue attention and idolizing... We're just setting the kid up for a horrific, drug-induced crash like Lindsey Lohan or something. The expectations that have been created for the kid, whatever they are, will NEVER be met. He's an A-list, mega-star celebrity at age 17.

Speaking of which, why does anyone know or care that his 17th birthday is today? 

I truly, truly hope Biebs is surrounded by people that care about him, and good family and parents and shit. If not, he's probably already cracked out like Drew Barrymore was at his age.

Please, let's not ruin this human being like we have done with every young celeb before him.

Whatever happened to Haley Joe Osmen? The kid from Sixth Sense, remember? He must have made it out alive.

sad night

Tonight is a sad night.

Sporting Pi Kapp's season, once filled with great promise, came crashing down tonight. We lost our first round intramural soccer game to The Bombsquad, 3-2.

I'm truly disappointed about the result. I grew very attached to this team throughout the season because our games gave me something to look forward to at the end of every long, hard week.

Intramural soccer was my "carrot" to look forward to throughout this quarter. 

Academics can be overwhelming. Me being the space cadet that I am, I can become especially overwhelmed at times. And there was just something about the way this quarter started too... It's probably related to the Forbidden Trip to the Sugar Bowl that I took (parents still don't know I went). That, along with the horrible car crash I witnessed on an Alabama highway. It was really, like, the worst start to a marking period you could imagine actually. But I always had Friday night and intramural soccer to look forward to.

There were many light-hearted moments and that list of moments begins and ends with goals. I can honestly say that I made the most of the chances I took during the season and I scored a couple marvelous goals. I tried to, as the Brazilians say, "play with joy in my heart." I think that by scoring some nice goals and enjoying the hell out of my goal celebrations, I brought the joy. 


Best of all was that the team won.

Sporting Pi Kapp finished the regular season with a 2-0-2 record. I guess our final record would stand at 2-1-2. But we went undefeated in our group and even though we only finished in second place in the group, we emerged with the higher seed of the team that was ahead of us. We ended up being No. 3-seed in the playoffs... the team that won our group was 8 or 9 seed. Something dumb. We really killed it though.

Intramural soccer was a perfect diversion for me this quarter.

I just took a one hour+ break to play FIFA, my new diversion. I'll need to resume this stream of consciousness later.

NBA All-Star Game v. NFL Pro Bowl

I couldn't bring myself to watch the NBA All-Star game after watching the Rookies v. Sophomores game on Friday night.

The pathetic attempt at defense that was on display reminded me just how sad the actual All-Star game is.

Now, in the NFL Pro Bowl, at least they're still bangin' pads. 


I distinctly remember Wes Welker being legitimately embarrassed and flustered after he got the ball stripped from him during this past Pro Bowl. At least in the Pro Bowl, there are hints of emotion and, I don't know, caring about the game.

People rail on the Pro Bowl like it is an abomination. But the NBA, with the myriad problems it is facing (labor talks, exaggerated parody, lack of distribution of talent, overall quality) puts on the three-ring circus it calls an All-Star game and people watch! They're content with it! They love the stupid circus dunks and bouncing the ball off the scoreboard. They should really institute a five-point shot from now on. Who the hell cares anymore? It is a joke.

Maybe I generalize too much though.

Maybe people aren't wholly content with the NBA All-Star game. But in all fairness, that game deserves to be railed on as hard as the NFL gets hit with Pro Bowl complaints. I don't see Jim Rome or other pundit/losers bashing on the NBA All-Star game.

It's just...I can't even watch. Regular season NBA basketball is harsh enough as it is. And then the All-Star game and John Wall's dancing...I just can't. I can't do it anymore.

I give up.

Thoughts on Sport

Did you see the Islanders vs Penguins game on the island last night?

Spectacular. The NHL needs at least one fight-filled game per year because the on-ice riots get major play in the media. Last night certainly helped fill that quota. The Isles and Pens totaled 346 penalty minutes, the only game in history with more penalties and penalty minutes was Flyers/Senators a couple years ago. They had 400+ penalty minutes dished-out.

Wild.

I see that College Game Day set up shop at Villanova University's Pavilion for the game today. Right in the heart of Philadelphia's Main Line, The Pavilion is one of the underrated basketball barns in the country. Nova has a contract to play most of their high-profile games at the Wells Fargo Center, regular season home of the 76ers and Flyers. That is pretty much on-par with the rest of the Big East- they all play in NBA-style arenas, if not actual NBA arenas. I think it is really great that they still manage to play half their home games at the Pavilion because all their history is there. Ed Pinckney and what not, Kerry Kittles. Their national championship team played their entire regular season there back in the day. And it is a unique set up as far as arenas go. Hard to describe without showing you a picture or being there in person, check out the telecast today though. It is a very cool place.

And the big news from last night was that the Cavaliers ended their losing streak. That truly is something everyone can be happy about. The Cavaliers are a very sympathetic team in the NBA and no one wants to see them stay down for too long, considering the very personal and public disruption they suffered last summer with the whole Lebron saga. I think the owner is wacked out of his damn mind, I think he was a fool to let both Lebron and Mike Brown leave in the same off-season. Not to mention that way he slandered Lebron for making a perfectly reasonable, professional decision He needs to get immense blame for the current state of the team. The Cavs are going to be a team that people pay attention to for the foreseeable future, Lebron's presence in the franchise made them an NBA mainstay. Even with Lebron gone, people watch the team intently. And I think everyone wants to see them rebound from this bad year.

Well, it looks like the Buckeyes are going to suffer their first loss of the season. Wisconsin just pulled down a big board with 2 minutes and change left. Disappointing obviously, especially to have another undefeated, No. 1-ranked OSU team go to Madison, Wisconsin, and come home with a loss. Maddeningly frustrating considering the sizable lead that was built up in the second half- they lead by 15 at one point. The Kohl Center is a tough barn to play in though. Can't say this is a total shocker. The goal for this season isn't to beat No. 14-ranked Wisconsin though, our objectives can still be achieved come March. Stay up, Buckeye Nation.

Most Tortured Sports Franchise/City- take your pick!

SportsNation's FB page sparked an interesting debate tonight. 

Obviously, the much-maligned city of Cleveland is now in mourning over the Cavaliers' 25-game losing streak. That, coupled with the departure of Lebron James and the general state of pro sports in Cleveland has those poor people feeling pretty bad for themselves. 

Pat Brennan is a man of the people, and I'm with you guys. I was in the same position... until 2008 when the Phillies made me a winner again. I sympathize though.

The Cavaliers-inspired debate had people nominating the most unfortunate and unlucky sports teams/cities. I scrolled through a good many posts and you had some obvious picks- Detroit Lions, the city of Buffalo, the New York Islanders, and of course the Chicago Cubs. The list went on for a while.

There were also a few creative and funny picks for most tortured sports franchise/city. Personally, I was a fan of the yahoo that said the Washington Generals. Someone pointed out the Pittsburgh Pirates, which hasn't made baseball's playoffs in 15 years. 

My personal favorite...well, I'll just let you read it:

"Mets r always losing, phillies r always winning."

Yes, I think that person makes a strong, albeit grammatically incorrect argument that the New York Mets are the most unfortunate professional sports team. After suffering the greatest collapse in baseball history back in 2007, Mets ownership is now being sued for $1 billion for alleged involvement in the Barnard Madolf ponzi scheme. 

Not good for business. 

For all the posts and wild arguments people were making, I did not see one person argue that the Kansas City Royals are the most tortured team in American sports right now. 

Do you know how I know its the Kansas City Royals? Because as soon as I brought them up, you all were like "damn I should be checkin' my facebook right now," or "mmhmm I need to pay those online bills." You switched gears, you took a mental holiday. 

You see, nobody wants to talk about the Royals because they are depressing. When you see a Royals highlight come onto Sportscenter, you lose interest. You can't change the channel fast enough. You see their empty stadium and sea of vacant, blue seats and the whole thing just makes you want to gag. They don't have good players and when they do manage to stumble onto someone they could structure their franchise around, like Zack Greinke, they trade him away. Just today on ESPN, someone wrote an article saying "the Royals did what they had to do by selling Greinke away."

Really? 

What happens when you've traded every decent prospect the team has had in the last 10-15 years? They are perpetually selling-off their top talent to "reload" their farm system- a farm where talent does not grow in great enough quantities. 

The Royals haven't had a sniff of the playoffs since 1985 (though they did win the World Series that year). They haven't had a winning season since 2003, and they have a whopping total of 3 winning seasons sine 1990. They've also lost 85+ games in a season 16 times since 1990. 


Enough said. The Royals stink. It can't get any worse. 

Pat Brennan fans STAY UP

I sure do hate to gush about the joys of writing for a second straight post. So I won't, but I feel obliged to celebrate the first pieces of positive feedback I have gotten from people, regarding both my work for The Lantern and this blog. To be truthful, the feedback is starkly contrasted to the grade I probably have in Comm423 right now (Lantern Practicum, writing for The Lantern). Shout out to the girl from the party last night that said she reads my blog, and my good, old friend from Reading, PA who has been enjoying updates about the Ohio State wrestling team from his dorm room at Albright College. I've protected their anonymity just incase I ever blow up,  for real.

I promised myself that this would be the best "sports year" of my life. I want to knock some of the "once in a lifetime" events off my personal list. We're off to a solid start following my trip to see the Buckeyes win the Sugar Bowl in Louisiana. I should mention that the memory of that trip was tarnished due to the horrific car crash that took place on an Alabama highway during the drive home. But the post-traumatic nightmares and panic attacks have ceased for a while now, so I'm just gonna dust off my shoulder.  Just wipe the dirt, flying debris, blood, and shards of glass that accumulated on my shoulder during the crash. 

- swipe swipe-  

Yeah, just like that. 

I'm also optimistic that I'll get to cross another "once in a lifetime" event off my list come March. The Ohio State bball team is lookin' pretty fine these days, aren't they? I think yes. Could mean a trip to Houston, TX for the Final Four. Fingers crossed.

I think it will be tough for the Buckeyes to stay undefeated. However, I do think they are capable of finishing the regular season without a loss. After that, I firmly believe that they'll win the Big Ten, be a #1 seed in the NCAA tournament. That's about as much as you can guarantee in March.

I was very impressed by Jared Sullinger's performance at Illinois on Saturday. For OSU to have a true freshman step up and almost singlehandedly win the game for them speaks volumes about the depth and mental toughness of the team. It also proves that the Buckeyes are mature up and down their bench- they'll need to overcome adverse situations if they want to win in March. Saturday also showed us that the Bucks have both a shooter (Diebler) and a big man (Sullinger) who can take over a game on any given night. 

And did you see Dallas Lauderdale's finish off Buford's missed shot in the first half? That was insane. 

This team is deep. They will make Buckeye Nation proud this year.

Life as a Journalist

After producing an article on the Major League Soccer SuperDraft late last week, and easing into a routine as a Lantern reporter, I feel like a real journalist.

It was quite a thrill to finish my piece on the draft selections of Konrad Warzycha and Matt Gold into MLS (by Sporting KC and Toronto FC, respectively).  I streamed the first three rounds of the draft at my home work space, and after debating skipping Comm 423 for the purpose of having a close beat on the story, headed for campus. I continued to check up on the draft throughout class and saw that Matt Gold had been taken in the third round by TFC. I flipped out and headed across the hall to the newsroom. I tried to call Matt but I had taken his cell number down incorrectly and now had no way to contact him or Konrad.

I stuck around after class and finally tracked Konrad down. Talking to an athlete after a big moment in their career... its a feeling of accomplishment as a sports writer, to say the least. If you manage to get in touch with that athlete, its like reaching an island oasis or something- you know that you're in the place, right where you need to be, and that's all! You're golden. Konrad and Matt are both class acts, aside from being great value as third-round picks for their new clubs. They've both been of a professional mindset since their freshman year when they played in the College Cup finale and I really believe that they could have promising professional careers in front of them.

I think I'm going to send everyone involved in the story a fruit basket, including Alissa Clendenon, the men's soccer Sports Information Director. Never again will I ever hunt down a story like this and find friendly, trusting people at every turn like I did with Konrad, Matt, and Alissa. Konrad gave me Matt's phone number and I went ahead and called the Canada-bound boy. If I were to say that Konrad was friendly and professional during my talks with him, than I'd have to say that Matt was damn near the nicest guy ever. So I got quotes from him and two hours after the draft had ended, my story was up on the The Lantern's website.

As an interesting side-note, I also talked to Devin Barclay for this article. Barclay was the place-kicker for the Ohio State football team, and is a former MLS man. He played for the Tampa Bay Mutiny, or something haha.

It was a good experience but reassuring for me since I hadn't had anything published for weeks. I bided my time and that was a good decision. Worth the wait.

Stack'em up- Big Ten vs. The World

Remembering the Big Ten's 2010 bowl season
College football bowl season is a special time of year. Conference pride is on the line and fans from bitter rivalries unite, if only for a day. I remember watching Northwestern's bowl game exactly one year ago yesterday from outside Rose Bowl stadium. Ohio State fans were cheering hard for Northwestern to pick up an unexpected win for the Big Ten. Camaraderie, ho! It was a warm and fuzzy moment.

Sadly, there was nothing to cheer about for Big Ten fans yesterday. Michigan, Michigan St., Northwestern, Penn State and most notably, Wisconsin, combined for an 0-5 record in their respective bowl games. The five losses guaranteed a losing bowl season for the conference, which fell to 2-5 on the year. Only Ohio State's Sugar Bowl matchup against Arkansas remains.

Ghastly business.

So, what do we make of the strength of the Big Ten conference? Eight teams made bowl appearances- that is very impressive. Some of the weaker of the bowl-bound teams, namely Iowa and Illinois, surprised with victories against #12 Missouri and Baylor, respectively. This speaks to the competitive depth of the Big Ten. Big Ten co-champs Michigan State lost to Alabama, 49-7. Sure, everyone knew that Michigan State's 11-1 regular season record was a direct result of their mostly unimpressive schedule but there's no excuses for a 42-point loss- very poor showing. Wisconsin, another member of the co-champion triumvirate, had a solid Rose Bowl against the impressive TCU Horned Frogs. TCU batted-down a Wisconsin two-point conversation with two minutes remaining in regulation and that was the difference for the Badgers, who lost 21-19. Keep in mind that TCU was the favorite in this game and Wisconsin kept it close despite the Horned Frogs' stifling defense. The game counts as a loss for the conference, but really wasn't a bad showing.

As for everyone else, the Nittany Lions of Penn State were competitive in their Outback Bowl loss to Florida yesterday. Florida put the game away with a pick-six late in the fourth quarter. Northwestern lost a tight affair as well, fighting back in the second half before falling to Texas Tech, 45-38. Michigan also lost a laugher to Mississippi State in the Gator Bowl. Perhaps the Wolverines reached a bit beyond themselves when they accepted a bid to the traditionally respectable and competitive Gator Bowl, a New Year's Day mainstay. In any event, Rich Rodriguez's boys were drubbed.

Summary of Big Ten's 2010 bowl season
Despite five members of the conference losing bragging right to individual teams in their bowl losses yesterday, the Big Ten collective maintained it's position one of the top conferences.

Now for some fun, let's compare the Big Ten to other power conferences....

Big Ten v. Big East
Just kidding, the Big East sucks.

Big Ten v. ACC
How did Miami end up? They lost to ND in the WHAT bowl? Ouch- never heard of it. Well, the ACC actually went 4-3 in bowls this year. Not bad. But anytime your conference champ is practically irrelevant on the national landscape and doomed in their BCS game (see UConn, Big East), there is no comparison. It is a down year for the ACC, that isn't Earth-shattering news. Big Ten > ACC.

Big Ten v. Big VII/12
This one is serious. The Big 12 sent eight teams to bowl games this year and have a 3-4 record with Texas A&M's Cotton Bowl clash against LSU still to come. As previously mentioned, Iowa and Illinois thwacked Missouri and Baylor. Northwestern did lose to Texas Tech, so the head-to-head is a 2-1 win for the Big Ten. Your mid-level teams need to produce in the post-season to be top dog amongst the power conferences, and the Big 12 didn't get that production this year. #14 Oklahoma State beat on Arizona, but Kansas dropped the Pinstripe Bowl against 'Cuse at New Yankee Stadium and #18 Nebraska lost to Washington in the Holiday Bowl, also their final game as Big 12 participants.  Oklahoma won a BCS game, but it came against unranked UConn (see UConn, Big East). This is an OK conference, however, I don't think there is any question that the Big Ten up-ends the Big 12 in a head-to-head comparison.


Big Ten v. SEC
Now, lets compare the Big Ten to their main detractors- the South Eastern Conference. The SEC sent ten teams to bowl games this year, including the maximum allotment of BCS participants (2- Arkansas and Auburn). So far, the SEC is 3-3 in their bowls and swept the Big Ten on New Year's Day, knocking off Michigan, Michigan State, and Penn State. However, their three losses are not pretty- Tennessee lost to UNC, Georgie lost to UCF, 10-6, and recent conference championship game participant South Carolina lost to Florida State. A lot of the Big Ten's national perception and ability to argue "top-conference-status" will hinge on an Ohio State Buckeyes victory- not just a solid performance- against Arkansas in the Sugar Bowl on Tuesday. And of course, the jury will be out on the SEC until LSU plays A&M in the Cotton Bowl, and #1 Auburn faces #2 Oregon for the national championship. Oh, and six-loss Kentucky plays Pitt next Saturday- the world awaits. I do not await, however. I'm going to forego waiting to see how the remaining bowls play out and declare the SEC the best conference in America by a wide margin. The SEC is murderer's row, people. Auburn alone is an incredible talent- they're being led into the national championship as favorites by their Heisman Trophy winner, Cam Newton. After Auburn, you have Arkansas, then LSU which is 10-2 and doesn't get a sniff of the BCS this year. Alabama is the 4th-best team in the conference and they murdered Sparty yesterday- that is mind-boggling. SEC takes the cake, hands down. No shame for the Big Ten though, unless we loose to Arkansas and go 0-4 against them in bowls. Then there is shame.