First of all, truly amazing end to a story I broke last Sunday. Friday afternoon, Robert Wood, Jr. was found near the spot where he was last seen in the North Anna Battlefield Park. This is a shocking piece of great news. If you live in Central Va. you already know that. So many people volunteered and searched and prayed, and now they celebrate. I am interested to see what information comes out next. How this kid survived 6 days on his own in the woods is remarkable, and as far as I know, that's exactly what happened. I'll be working on the story again tomorrow with my colleagues at CBS 6.
I'll admit, I didn't watch all of the World Series, but obviously if you're a fan of baseball, you're a fan of that drama in a 7 game series. Some players definitely made names for themselves this fall. As for my Yankees, the Quest for 28 continues...
It's no secret I couldn't have made it to the college level playing basketball without a serious commitment to working hard every single day. Yesterday I read an interesting story on Dallas Cowboys.com (yes I'm a huge Cowboy fan) about a true underdog story of a guy who is also being praised for his work ethic. That guy is rookie running back Phillip Tanner. Here's a quote I'd like to share from that article.
"You have to go to practice every day as if you’re the starter. You have to take every rep as if you’re going to take every rep in the game and work hard, finish all your runs.” -- Phillip Tanner
If I could share a quote with young athletes out there, this would be near the top of the list. Here's the thing, Tanner was a small school DI back. Obviously, born with a ton of athletic ability. But, he went undrafted this year, and was signed by the Cowboys as a rookie free agent. After a huge preseason, he gave them no choice but to keep him on the roster, and last week, he saw his first action in the backfield, gaining 34 yards on 6 carries and scoring a touchdown. The article praises Tanner for coming in early everyday. He's in as early as 3:30 a.m., and even on his "late" days, he beats most all of the team and staff still (6:45 a.m.). Good for him. Hard work pays off. Even if he wasn't a Cowboy, I'd be happy for him. He's been a great story, and conquered the odds so far. That's motivation.
It feels like December in Richmond right now, and Western Va. got several inches of snow today. The closest snow got to me was about 20 minutes north of the city in Ashland. I always have said, if it's going to be cold, it might as well snow.
Well, time to get to sleep. Working my usual super long Sunday tomorrow, starting at 6am. Stanford and USC are in OT on my TV, should be fun to watch.
Remember, you're blessed to have tomorrow, no matter what happens.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Today was given, and I took it
Look at the place you're in right now. Then, look up at the place you're trying to go. Now ask yourself, how do I get from here to there?
That process has been my biggest focus in recent months, and I'm working hard to take the right steps. I've been ready for what's next, but maybe I've been waiting for it a little too much. Sometimes, you have to go to it.
Today, I got to sit and watch a full Division I women's basketball practice from start to finish. It was my first such opportunity, and I couldn't think of too many ways to better spend my time. Again, looking back at Steve Jobs and the speech I posted on here from him, he says that you should wake up everyday and be able to say that what you do that day is stuff that you want to do. I was happy with how I spent a good amount of my day, and thankful to those who gave me that chance.
Walking out of that today, I couldn't wait for our next practice. Watching other people go to work is inspiring, and I think we will have a good practice on Wednesday. It's another opportunity that has to be maximized.
Outside of basketball, I admit, the old 90's Nickelodeon shows on after midnight are fun to watch. I grew up watching All That, Doug, Hey Dude, and more. I wonder when we can expect to see Salute Your Shorts? How about Rocko's Modern Life? Haha I digress, but still, these shows are classics in my eyes.
Breaking news, I'm finally getting my hair chopped off tomorrow. I appreciate everyone who enjoys the shaggy version, but it's true, I'm getting the ears lowered tomorrow.
I need to visit Matoaca sometime soon. It's been too long since I went back to my alma mater to see how the boys' basketball program is doing and to see old teachers and stuff. I need to make it a point to visit. The last couple times I have visited have been on the opposing sideline in girls soccer. It's always tough to coach against your alma mater, but no that tough. I always will be a Warrior, and I'm the person I am today because of what I learned at Matoaca High School.
Thanks, as always, for reading. Remember to follow me on twitter. Off to bed, excited for what tomorrow brings.
That process has been my biggest focus in recent months, and I'm working hard to take the right steps. I've been ready for what's next, but maybe I've been waiting for it a little too much. Sometimes, you have to go to it.
Today, I got to sit and watch a full Division I women's basketball practice from start to finish. It was my first such opportunity, and I couldn't think of too many ways to better spend my time. Again, looking back at Steve Jobs and the speech I posted on here from him, he says that you should wake up everyday and be able to say that what you do that day is stuff that you want to do. I was happy with how I spent a good amount of my day, and thankful to those who gave me that chance.
Walking out of that today, I couldn't wait for our next practice. Watching other people go to work is inspiring, and I think we will have a good practice on Wednesday. It's another opportunity that has to be maximized.
Outside of basketball, I admit, the old 90's Nickelodeon shows on after midnight are fun to watch. I grew up watching All That, Doug, Hey Dude, and more. I wonder when we can expect to see Salute Your Shorts? How about Rocko's Modern Life? Haha I digress, but still, these shows are classics in my eyes.
Breaking news, I'm finally getting my hair chopped off tomorrow. I appreciate everyone who enjoys the shaggy version, but it's true, I'm getting the ears lowered tomorrow.
I need to visit Matoaca sometime soon. It's been too long since I went back to my alma mater to see how the boys' basketball program is doing and to see old teachers and stuff. I need to make it a point to visit. The last couple times I have visited have been on the opposing sideline in girls soccer. It's always tough to coach against your alma mater, but no that tough. I always will be a Warrior, and I'm the person I am today because of what I learned at Matoaca High School.
Thanks, as always, for reading. Remember to follow me on twitter. Off to bed, excited for what tomorrow brings.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Good is good for a reason
Good is good for a reason.
I had a coach when I was in high school, I believe it was Coach John "Sarge" Siers, who first told me that. As you can tell, it's stuck with me, like a lot of things he taught me over the years.
What does it mean? It's simple, no one or nothing is good on its own, it's good because of the work ethic, attitude, and dedication. Being good takes time, effort, and a special love for something.
I've always felt this way about basketball, and I think that's part of the reason I have such a special relationship and love for the game. It's also another one of those concepts that applies to not only being a player, but also being a coach. This is a message I hope that I can keep sharing with my high school players everyday.
Despite missing all 7 of our juniors for class ring distribution, we had a very productive practice today I thought. As always, preseason practices differ from what we will start doing less than two weeks from now, but I thought we took steps forward today with a group of one senior working with all sophomores and freshmen.
We had another coach from a big time college program at our practice tonight. Having a coach from Georgetown University at our practice, and being able to run a practice in front of someone like that, is a great thing. I'm not phased or jaded by having a big time guest in the house at all. I played in college, it's not new to me. Still it's great to have someone see you work as a coach, just as you were watched as a player. The compliment I received after practice was awesome, but all the credit goes to our girls for putting the work in.
Tomorrow, I get to attend my first college practice since my college playing days. I definitely appreciate the opportunity to just sit in on one and watch a DI women's team work, and I hope I can gain new insight on how to be a better coach, as well as what it takes to be a college coach. I played for more than one coaching staff in college and learned a lot, but I don't think I always noticed the little things they did. So, I look forward to tomorrow and learning more about how to accomplish my goals.
An update to last night's post, the 9 year old autistic boy that went missing Sunday at a battlefield park in Central VA is still missing. I broke the story yesterday, and it has since gained national attention. I can't lie, I wish i was the one you saw on your TV screens reporting on the story today, but I wasn't. It is what it is. This isn't the first time this has happened, where I've broken a story that went national. Maybe one day, it'll all be different. Thoughts and prayers continue to go out to the family, and I pray that Robbie is found safe.
Well, it's off to bed for me. Tomorrow is another busy day of getting better, learning, working at the YMCA, and working out. If you don't already, follow me on twitter, and remember...
Good is good for a reason.
-- TP
I had a coach when I was in high school, I believe it was Coach John "Sarge" Siers, who first told me that. As you can tell, it's stuck with me, like a lot of things he taught me over the years.
What does it mean? It's simple, no one or nothing is good on its own, it's good because of the work ethic, attitude, and dedication. Being good takes time, effort, and a special love for something.
I've always felt this way about basketball, and I think that's part of the reason I have such a special relationship and love for the game. It's also another one of those concepts that applies to not only being a player, but also being a coach. This is a message I hope that I can keep sharing with my high school players everyday.
Despite missing all 7 of our juniors for class ring distribution, we had a very productive practice today I thought. As always, preseason practices differ from what we will start doing less than two weeks from now, but I thought we took steps forward today with a group of one senior working with all sophomores and freshmen.
We had another coach from a big time college program at our practice tonight. Having a coach from Georgetown University at our practice, and being able to run a practice in front of someone like that, is a great thing. I'm not phased or jaded by having a big time guest in the house at all. I played in college, it's not new to me. Still it's great to have someone see you work as a coach, just as you were watched as a player. The compliment I received after practice was awesome, but all the credit goes to our girls for putting the work in.
Tomorrow, I get to attend my first college practice since my college playing days. I definitely appreciate the opportunity to just sit in on one and watch a DI women's team work, and I hope I can gain new insight on how to be a better coach, as well as what it takes to be a college coach. I played for more than one coaching staff in college and learned a lot, but I don't think I always noticed the little things they did. So, I look forward to tomorrow and learning more about how to accomplish my goals.
An update to last night's post, the 9 year old autistic boy that went missing Sunday at a battlefield park in Central VA is still missing. I broke the story yesterday, and it has since gained national attention. I can't lie, I wish i was the one you saw on your TV screens reporting on the story today, but I wasn't. It is what it is. This isn't the first time this has happened, where I've broken a story that went national. Maybe one day, it'll all be different. Thoughts and prayers continue to go out to the family, and I pray that Robbie is found safe.
Well, it's off to bed for me. Tomorrow is another busy day of getting better, learning, working at the YMCA, and working out. If you don't already, follow me on twitter, and remember...
Good is good for a reason.
-- TP
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Breaking huge stories=being on top in this game
Journalism, like basketball, is very competitive in nature. To be successful, you want to be first on the big stories, dominate the coverage of those stories, and deliver the most information in the most unique and entertaining way possible.
In almost two years now in the business, I've worked hard and broken some of the biggest stories Richmond, Va. has seen in that time span. Today, i broke a story about a 9 year old boy who has gone missing at a Civil War Battlefield Park in Hanover County. This boy is autistic and non-verbal, and simply wandered off from his family.
It's never a good idea to let one's personal feelings creep into a story, but hey I'm no longer at work, and this is a personal blog, so I'll be honest. I think this is very sad, obviously, and like several other stories I've reported on, it can get to you a little bit if you let it. Obviously, my thoughts and prayers go out to this boy's family, and I hope this story has a happy ending.
Speaking of competition, and happy endings, Demarco Murray set the Dallas Cowboys team new record for rushing yards in a single game today. The game wasn't televised here, but just following it on the computer, I was honestly amazed that he just kept breaking off one big run after another. I didn't have high hopes for him coming into the game, as the Cowboys have struggled mightily in the running attack the past two seasons, and their already inexperienced offensive line is not experiencing injuries to go along with the growing pains. But wow, Murray was just awesome today. Watching clips of his post game press conference, I was even more impressed, as he thanked God and his teammates, giving all the credit to others. I hope this isn't the last time we hear about a dominating rushing performance from this guy.
Hold on so did the Raiders really throw 6 interceptions today between Kyle Boller and Carson Palmer? Hate to say I told you so, that trade for Palmer was terrible. He did no better or worse than Boller. In his defense, he probably had no business being out there after spending less than a week int he offense and not even playing for almost a year. But still...
I'd be remiss not to mention a true inspiration of mine, Zack Ryder, who went from WWE's chopping block to wrestling on a pay per view for a championship. I know not all of you are wrestling fans, but his story is simple. He wasn't getting opportunities to prove himself, move up in the world, and do what he really loves. His bosses more or less ignored him. Most fans knew hardly anything about him, and even fewer cared. Then, 36 weeks ago, he started his own youtube show, and as he said in this past week's episode, he was either going to get fired, or he was going to get noticed. Zack Ryder took a shot, and it paid off. This is why he's a motivator to a person like me. Taking chances can pay off after all.
Well, that's all I have for tonight. The Walking Dead was great, and as always we are all left with a cliff hanger ending. I was, however, spoiled by the extended episode last week.
And so my weekend begins... Oh wait, I don't have any days off this week...
#Dannngggg
-- TP
In almost two years now in the business, I've worked hard and broken some of the biggest stories Richmond, Va. has seen in that time span. Today, i broke a story about a 9 year old boy who has gone missing at a Civil War Battlefield Park in Hanover County. This boy is autistic and non-verbal, and simply wandered off from his family.
It's never a good idea to let one's personal feelings creep into a story, but hey I'm no longer at work, and this is a personal blog, so I'll be honest. I think this is very sad, obviously, and like several other stories I've reported on, it can get to you a little bit if you let it. Obviously, my thoughts and prayers go out to this boy's family, and I hope this story has a happy ending.
Speaking of competition, and happy endings, Demarco Murray set the Dallas Cowboys team new record for rushing yards in a single game today. The game wasn't televised here, but just following it on the computer, I was honestly amazed that he just kept breaking off one big run after another. I didn't have high hopes for him coming into the game, as the Cowboys have struggled mightily in the running attack the past two seasons, and their already inexperienced offensive line is not experiencing injuries to go along with the growing pains. But wow, Murray was just awesome today. Watching clips of his post game press conference, I was even more impressed, as he thanked God and his teammates, giving all the credit to others. I hope this isn't the last time we hear about a dominating rushing performance from this guy.
Hold on so did the Raiders really throw 6 interceptions today between Kyle Boller and Carson Palmer? Hate to say I told you so, that trade for Palmer was terrible. He did no better or worse than Boller. In his defense, he probably had no business being out there after spending less than a week int he offense and not even playing for almost a year. But still...
I'd be remiss not to mention a true inspiration of mine, Zack Ryder, who went from WWE's chopping block to wrestling on a pay per view for a championship. I know not all of you are wrestling fans, but his story is simple. He wasn't getting opportunities to prove himself, move up in the world, and do what he really loves. His bosses more or less ignored him. Most fans knew hardly anything about him, and even fewer cared. Then, 36 weeks ago, he started his own youtube show, and as he said in this past week's episode, he was either going to get fired, or he was going to get noticed. Zack Ryder took a shot, and it paid off. This is why he's a motivator to a person like me. Taking chances can pay off after all.
Well, that's all I have for tonight. The Walking Dead was great, and as always we are all left with a cliff hanger ending. I was, however, spoiled by the extended episode last week.
And so my weekend begins... Oh wait, I don't have any days off this week...
#Dannngggg
-- TP
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Be grateful, you have the chance to work hard
Needless to say, there's a pretty sizable homeless population here in RVA. Like most people here, I drive passed them on the street corners and what not. I have trouble sometimes with the concept, because there are people out there who not only fake it, but also people who choose to be homeless, and travel from city to city panhandling because they want to live that way. It's a very complex concept to grasp at times, there's a lot to it.
Still, I passed an older man today, panhandling on Broad St. today, and I felt bad for him. Seeing things like this reminds me of how lucky I am. I don't just mean on the surface, you know that I'm lucky to have food, a house, clothes, jobs, etc. But, I realize how lucky I really am to have the chance to work hard today.
I have no idea what the guy's story was that I saw begging, but it still hit me, and definitely motivated. We may not always like some of the things we do, but I think we are lucky, at the same time, to have the chance to do them. Working hard to be a better basketball player is not easy, at least it wasn't for me, and yet everyday I felt blessed to have the chance to work hard anyway. I tell my players, it's easy to not put in the work, but to be successful is hard.
The same can be applied for a work environment. We all grumble, and yet we're grateful. I can honestly say I feel privileged right now, and when I get to the gym this evening, I'll work that much harder. Motivation is always something to be grateful for.Wherever you go today, whatever you do, think about people who legitimately lack the chances you're afforded just to put in the work. And remember, you can always work harder.
Heading to the gym this afternoon. It's always tough on a Saturday after a long shift at the station, but during the colder months, it's part of the routine. Then, one of my producers is having a house warming party in the west end, so I had plans to stop by. That's always a fun crowd.
It's always good to talk to old friends. It always bugs me that I go so long without talking to or hearing from people I used to be close too, but sometimes life works that way. Still, always a good time.
I have to admit, while I had a great time hanging out with my fraternity brother DC last night downtown, there were plenty of wild sights. Neither of us, for instance, understand why girls choose to cut all their hair off, actually shave would be a better word. It's not a good look for a chic. Happy belated birthday to DC by the way, good times as always.
That's all I got. And remember---
Follow me on Twitter- @travisponton
Still, I passed an older man today, panhandling on Broad St. today, and I felt bad for him. Seeing things like this reminds me of how lucky I am. I don't just mean on the surface, you know that I'm lucky to have food, a house, clothes, jobs, etc. But, I realize how lucky I really am to have the chance to work hard today.
I have no idea what the guy's story was that I saw begging, but it still hit me, and definitely motivated. We may not always like some of the things we do, but I think we are lucky, at the same time, to have the chance to do them. Working hard to be a better basketball player is not easy, at least it wasn't for me, and yet everyday I felt blessed to have the chance to work hard anyway. I tell my players, it's easy to not put in the work, but to be successful is hard.
The same can be applied for a work environment. We all grumble, and yet we're grateful. I can honestly say I feel privileged right now, and when I get to the gym this evening, I'll work that much harder. Motivation is always something to be grateful for.Wherever you go today, whatever you do, think about people who legitimately lack the chances you're afforded just to put in the work. And remember, you can always work harder.
Heading to the gym this afternoon. It's always tough on a Saturday after a long shift at the station, but during the colder months, it's part of the routine. Then, one of my producers is having a house warming party in the west end, so I had plans to stop by. That's always a fun crowd.
It's always good to talk to old friends. It always bugs me that I go so long without talking to or hearing from people I used to be close too, but sometimes life works that way. Still, always a good time.
I have to admit, while I had a great time hanging out with my fraternity brother DC last night downtown, there were plenty of wild sights. Neither of us, for instance, understand why girls choose to cut all their hair off, actually shave would be a better word. It's not a good look for a chic. Happy belated birthday to DC by the way, good times as always.
That's all I got. And remember---
Follow me on Twitter- @travisponton
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Looking forward... way forward
Today was a really good day. For starters, I played 3 half court games at about 85% against solid competition today, and came through without any pain in my knee or ankle. This was the first time I had actually played in over a month. Winning a couple games was just a bonus. I'm just glad to be better.
But, what really made today a great one was that for the first time in years, I was able to look far down the road, a few months actually, and see the light at the end of this proverbial "tunnel" I've been stuck in. I can honestly say I haven't felt this good, this positive about what I have ahead of me like this in such a long time.
If you know me, you know I may make goals for the long term, but I don't tend to break out the binoculars and look too far into the future often at all. Maybe that's because up until now, I've been staring some of the same negativity or same routine ahead of me over and over and that's been it. Sure, I'm excited for basketball season to start and stuff like that, maybe a trip down to the beach to see my best bro, one of my brother's weddings, or payday. But for the longest time I've been seeing just another 30 hour weekend of work, mostly stuck behind a desk, more months living at home with my parents, and paying my bills and stuff. Today, I looked past the everyday, every month stuff, and I saw light! I saw future possibilities. I saw that this chapter in my life's book only has a few more blank pages.
For example, I'm planning on taking my first "vacation" this spring, hopefully going to the Women's NCAA D1 Final Four in Denver, Colorado. That's huge. I haven't been on a vacation since I was in college, so it's been a couple years. And, I'm told this is the place to be if....
There are some other positive things going on, but mainly I'm just encouraged to see that soon, very soon, it'll be my time to start a new chapter, and I'm so ready. I know it's still a little ways off, but just to have dates and a near time frame in mind, I don't know I just have a good feeling about this.
There's something exciting about realizing it's almost time for big changes. Until then, though, it's important to continue to take steps, put yourself in the best position to land that big opportunity. I don't know where I'll be going or what I'll be doing, I just know that I'm going to wake up tomorrow to work to get ready.
Chad Ochocinco's new Reebok commercial is pretty tight, but can the Zig Tech's help him learn the New England playbook and/or be a servicable NFL player again?
And if there's one player who is more overrated and disappointing than him this year, it's Plaxico Burress. I never saw him as one of the top WR in the NFL even at the top of his game. At least Chad Johnson was at one point one of the best not too long ago.
Sadly, I was talking fantasy football trading preseason, talking about which player would have a better season. In hindsight, it didn't matter...
That's all I have for tonight. Remember to follow me on twitter- @travisponton
-- TP
But, what really made today a great one was that for the first time in years, I was able to look far down the road, a few months actually, and see the light at the end of this proverbial "tunnel" I've been stuck in. I can honestly say I haven't felt this good, this positive about what I have ahead of me like this in such a long time.
If you know me, you know I may make goals for the long term, but I don't tend to break out the binoculars and look too far into the future often at all. Maybe that's because up until now, I've been staring some of the same negativity or same routine ahead of me over and over and that's been it. Sure, I'm excited for basketball season to start and stuff like that, maybe a trip down to the beach to see my best bro, one of my brother's weddings, or payday. But for the longest time I've been seeing just another 30 hour weekend of work, mostly stuck behind a desk, more months living at home with my parents, and paying my bills and stuff. Today, I looked past the everyday, every month stuff, and I saw light! I saw future possibilities. I saw that this chapter in my life's book only has a few more blank pages.
For example, I'm planning on taking my first "vacation" this spring, hopefully going to the Women's NCAA D1 Final Four in Denver, Colorado. That's huge. I haven't been on a vacation since I was in college, so it's been a couple years. And, I'm told this is the place to be if....
There are some other positive things going on, but mainly I'm just encouraged to see that soon, very soon, it'll be my time to start a new chapter, and I'm so ready. I know it's still a little ways off, but just to have dates and a near time frame in mind, I don't know I just have a good feeling about this.
There's something exciting about realizing it's almost time for big changes. Until then, though, it's important to continue to take steps, put yourself in the best position to land that big opportunity. I don't know where I'll be going or what I'll be doing, I just know that I'm going to wake up tomorrow to work to get ready.
Chad Ochocinco's new Reebok commercial is pretty tight, but can the Zig Tech's help him learn the New England playbook and/or be a servicable NFL player again?
And if there's one player who is more overrated and disappointing than him this year, it's Plaxico Burress. I never saw him as one of the top WR in the NFL even at the top of his game. At least Chad Johnson was at one point one of the best not too long ago.
Sadly, I was talking fantasy football trading preseason, talking about which player would have a better season. In hindsight, it didn't matter...
That's all I have for tonight. Remember to follow me on twitter- @travisponton
-- TP
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Inspiration from Steve Jobs
Those of you that know me know that I'm not the type to be jaded by celebrity. I'm not going to tweet happy birthday or RIP to someone I've never met, or pretend that my opinion matters. More or less, anyone could have put "Steve Jobs RIP" on their facebook last week and gotten likes. That's just not my style.
Still, I think certain people have an affect that transcends their lives on Earth, and he's one of them as I learned today. I saw this clip of him tonight at the YMCA speaking to Stanford grads, and it definitely was motivational stuff.
There's a lot there in a 4 minute clip. My favorite quote? "Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose." I think I share a lot of this philosophy, and Jobs and I would've probably agreed on more than one thing, but sometimes we all need a kick in the ass to remind us that we're living on borrowed time, so make the most of it.
Saw this link about Penn St. students dressing as Virginia Tech shooting victims as Halloween Costumes:
http://ezineblog.org/virginia-tech/penn-state-students-dress-as-virginia-tech-victims-for-halloween-costume/comment-page-3/
I can't even begin to describe how mad this makes me. Obviously, people all over the world are chiming in and angered, but for those of us who like me was close to one of the victims, there's a whole new level of feelings there. I remember finding out that a friend of mine, I guy I went to school with, played ball with and against, and looked up to, Matt Gwaltney, had been killed in that tragedy. I was a freshman at Methodist University at the time. I had just gotten in from an early AM class, and was stopping by my dorm room on the way to the arena to see the trainer for some post season injury rehab. My mom called me and asked me if I had heard what had happened. I turned on the TV and lost it. I had so many friends at VT at the time, people I had know from 5, 10 years. And like so many, I got on facebook and my phone and tried to reach out to them all, one by one. I remember finding out about Matt, and being one of the only people from Virginia down there in NC who understood and was hurt that bad. I made the lonely car trip home that afternoon, and I don't think I stopped crying for 5 minutes on the drive. I'd be offended by this regardless, but if there's a silver lining, I hope everyone that was close to a victim finds motivation in their loss everyday. Miss you Matt.
Moving on, I spent a few hours studying film on one of the big time opponents on our schedule this season at Cosby. One thing I come away with from that is one of my favorite old adages, "Good is good for a reason." One thing that fascinates me right now, is the desire to watch other coaches coach, especially in a practice setting. It's pretty hard to see that kind of thing, so I have to settle for watching game film of those coach's teams play games. We are less than 3 weeks from the first day of try outs/practice, and it couldn't get here soon enough.
In the sports world, the Oakland Raiders grossly overpaid for Carson Palmer. The numbers don't lie, Palmer is NOT an elite QB in the NFL. He's a solid pro, and granted he's played on some bad teams, but he's also played on some playoff teams. I don't think he's worth 2 1st round picks. He may not even be worth 1. Oakland once again will play the goat. Palmer will likely take a while to even get in a game, and how good of shape could he be in right now? Rewind to the last time he played. If he plays at that modest level, is he an upgrade over Kyle Boller? Yes. Does that Carson Palmer make the Raiders a better team? Yes. In a weak division, does he make them a playoff contender? Probably. But is that worth the price of back to back top 15 or top 20 picks? Even if they win an AFC title, I don't think so.
That's all i got for tonight. Thanks for reading
Still, I think certain people have an affect that transcends their lives on Earth, and he's one of them as I learned today. I saw this clip of him tonight at the YMCA speaking to Stanford grads, and it definitely was motivational stuff.
There's a lot there in a 4 minute clip. My favorite quote? "Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose." I think I share a lot of this philosophy, and Jobs and I would've probably agreed on more than one thing, but sometimes we all need a kick in the ass to remind us that we're living on borrowed time, so make the most of it.
Saw this link about Penn St. students dressing as Virginia Tech shooting victims as Halloween Costumes:
http://ezineblog.org/virginia-tech/penn-state-students-dress-as-virginia-tech-victims-for-halloween-costume/comment-page-3/
I can't even begin to describe how mad this makes me. Obviously, people all over the world are chiming in and angered, but for those of us who like me was close to one of the victims, there's a whole new level of feelings there. I remember finding out that a friend of mine, I guy I went to school with, played ball with and against, and looked up to, Matt Gwaltney, had been killed in that tragedy. I was a freshman at Methodist University at the time. I had just gotten in from an early AM class, and was stopping by my dorm room on the way to the arena to see the trainer for some post season injury rehab. My mom called me and asked me if I had heard what had happened. I turned on the TV and lost it. I had so many friends at VT at the time, people I had know from 5, 10 years. And like so many, I got on facebook and my phone and tried to reach out to them all, one by one. I remember finding out about Matt, and being one of the only people from Virginia down there in NC who understood and was hurt that bad. I made the lonely car trip home that afternoon, and I don't think I stopped crying for 5 minutes on the drive. I'd be offended by this regardless, but if there's a silver lining, I hope everyone that was close to a victim finds motivation in their loss everyday. Miss you Matt.
Moving on, I spent a few hours studying film on one of the big time opponents on our schedule this season at Cosby. One thing I come away with from that is one of my favorite old adages, "Good is good for a reason." One thing that fascinates me right now, is the desire to watch other coaches coach, especially in a practice setting. It's pretty hard to see that kind of thing, so I have to settle for watching game film of those coach's teams play games. We are less than 3 weeks from the first day of try outs/practice, and it couldn't get here soon enough.
In the sports world, the Oakland Raiders grossly overpaid for Carson Palmer. The numbers don't lie, Palmer is NOT an elite QB in the NFL. He's a solid pro, and granted he's played on some bad teams, but he's also played on some playoff teams. I don't think he's worth 2 1st round picks. He may not even be worth 1. Oakland once again will play the goat. Palmer will likely take a while to even get in a game, and how good of shape could he be in right now? Rewind to the last time he played. If he plays at that modest level, is he an upgrade over Kyle Boller? Yes. Does that Carson Palmer make the Raiders a better team? Yes. In a weak division, does he make them a playoff contender? Probably. But is that worth the price of back to back top 15 or top 20 picks? Even if they win an AFC title, I don't think so.
That's all i got for tonight. Thanks for reading
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