Derek Jeter: Farewell to a Legend

As many have seen in recent sports headlines, Derek Jeter has played his last game in his prolific Major League career, concluding the end of an amazing era for the New York Yankees as well as Major League Baseball. As a Cleveland Indians fan, nothing got under my skin more than watching Jeter whoop up on my team and then giving that smirky smile while he was doing it. I hated Jeter for his outstanding play for so long, but as I grew older, I began to admire the guy. The way he carried himself on and off the field made Jeter the legend that he is, not to mention his near-flawless and God gifted baseball ability. Every baseball player wants to be like Derek Jeter. It doesn't matter what position you play, you're always trying to make that Jeter-esque play during batting practice. Watching Jeter's final game was a historical event in itself because I can say that I got to watch one of the best players in the history of baseball play. I spent my whole life watching him play, and it will honestly be a little weird not seeing him in a Yankee uniform next year. So thank you Derek Jeter, for all that you've given to baseball in your wonderful career.

"Heroes get remembered, but legends never die."

                                          -The Sandlot

(Photo courtesy of www.people.com)

Balancing Time With the Friends and the Significant Others for Athletes

Being in a long distance relationship in college is far from easy. Being apart from someone you love for days at a time can be rough for most people and can test the durability of the particular relationship. For some reasons or others, many long distance relationships in college don't work out. But, for the ones that do, many times the person in the relationship has to sacrifice his or her time with friends in favor of their significant other. If one is an athlete in a long distance relationship, how is sacrificing all of that time away from teammates helpful to the team?

Many claim that one gets his or her camaraderie from teammates from practices and games. That is true, but to an extent. Most of the bonding comes outside of practices and games, whether that means going to a movie, eating dinner, going to a party, or even just playing video games, teams are bonded through these activities. So how can one bond with his or her team when he or she spends all time away from the team? They can't. Spending time away from the team only hurts that team when the going gets tough. It is imperative to a teams' success to have those team bonding moments and memories, as these can only make a team stronger and a more cohesive unit. Without it, that team is doomed. Players in long distance relationships must balance their time with teammates and their significant other, whether that means spending one night with their teammates and one night with their significant other on the weekends, the equation must balance out in order to have success.

Response

In response to Justin's "Beer Pong with my Mom" blog, playing beer pong or any type of drinking game with your parent sounds like a blast. Unfortunately, my parents and I have a different kind of relationship. Although the thought of playing drinking games with parents sounds awesome to me, I choose not to do it with mine. Now, with other people's parents, it's fair game for me; I'm down to have a good time wherever and whenever, but it always seems so awkward the thought of drinking with my parents. When my dad asks me if I want a beer, and nine times out of ten, I'll decline his offer. But as soon as a friend's parent asks the same question, ten times out of ten my answer is yes. It's not that I'm not close with my parents, I guess I've always lived my life secretly during high school and college when dealing with that topic. My parents don't ask about it so therefore I don't say anything about it. They know I drink and are fine with it, they'd just rather me not do it around them, and I'm completely fine with that too.

NHL 15: Not Your Typical Hockey Game

A couple of weeks ago, EA Sports released its next installment into the NHL series: NHL 15. While many gaming companies rated the game as just average, they don't take into consideration the number one factor in a gamers' experience: entertainment. Entertainment should be the number one thing the critics should be highlighting, but many don't mention it when writing their review. As a college student or student in general, one needs time to take their mind off of schoolwork and extracurricular activities every once in a while. The best way for me? Playing video games with friends. Nothing is more satisfying than whooping up on a friend in a video game, and NHL 15 is the top dog right now in terms of entertainment.

NHL 15 (photo courtesy of operationsports.com)

Sure, many games satisfy my need for entertainment, but none come close to NHL. The hype of each game as you skate around and knock opponents to the ground while scoring goals, and sometimes getting into fist fights, is indescribable. I often find myself sweating after the first period because I'm on edge of my seat the whole time, demanding my players to perform at the highest standard, even when they are in a video game and can't hear me. The best part of the game, however, is the easiness of it. Someone who doesn't have the slightest clue of anything about hockey can pick up a controller and compete in games right off the bat. Not many sports games can make that claim. The ability to play the game and actually be good at it makes the game that much more fun and enjoyable. It you're a competitive gamer or just a student looking to relieve some stress, NHL 15 is definitely worth the time.

Is Rock Music Finally Dead?

As a big time rock fan, it's a shame to see such a prominent and popular genre of the past slowly start to lose its luster. Before the Justin Bieber's and the Taylor Swift's and the Katy Perry's of today, we had raw, emotional, and powerful music that held true meaning. Now that's not to say that today's mainstream music isn't creative or influential, but it shouldn't take 20 songwriters to write a decent song, not to mention the overplaying of the same seven songs on every radio station (If I hear "'cause I'm happyyyyy' one more time on the radio I might freak out).

Yes, it's true, rock music is not as popular as it used to be. Today's economy does nothing for the genre, as no record companies have money to sign new musicians to record deals, thus making it extremely hard to make it in the rock industry. Back in the day, bands relied on record sales. Today, everything is downloaded illegally in some way or another, so no band or artist has a way of bringing in revenue when their music isn't being played on the now scarce rock radio stations. Now, they must rely solely on their live shows to get any notoriety, which is a difficult task for many bands and musicians.

Not many artists have defined a music genre the way that Nirvana did.

(Photo courtesy of radiorock.com)

Where are the Beatles', Rolling Stones', KISS', Nirvana's, Aerosmith's, Black Sabbath's, AC/DC's, and Led Zeppelin's of today? Same thing we're doing. Sitting at home going about their daily lives, not knowing they could be the next big thing in music; not knowing that they could change the music industry altogether. We will probably never see another Beatles or Led Zeppelin again because we as consumers don't give those artists chances anymore. We as a society are satisfied with listening to the mainstream artists of today, who, arguably, will not have a lasting effect on music in the long run. They are popular now, but they will soon fade away. So next time you're listening to another TSwift break-up song, try checking out an artist that made a difference and defined a genre like many of the bands of the past did.

Discrimination on Campus

College campuses act as a blender for young adults, mixing many different types of people all within one location. As students, going from the comfortability of high school with people you've known your whole life to a culturally diverse college campus can be very frightening to some, while others make the transition effortlessly. However, not everyone can make that transition so quickly, and sometimes discrimination arises as a result. Whether it is religion, race, or sexual orientation, the unfortunate truth is that there will always be some sort of discrimination; there will always be that one person who has a problem with you.  

For the most part, Wittenberg has a very inclusive and accepting student body with rare occurrences of discrimination. That does not mean Wittenberg is perfect, either. One year, the n-word was spray painted on the school's fountain, sparking a huge outrage within the students and the faculty of Wittenberg. Some claim a student did it, while others blamed a "townie". No one knows for sure who spray painted the word on the fountain. As the school has moved on from this incident, many of the students are still left with a sour taste in their mouths. They want equality and cohesiveness within everyone on campus, and who could blame them? While there are some issues of discrimination here and there, it is not near as bad as it used to be. The school is trying its best to minimize all discrimination, which may be a tough feat to achieve, but Wittenberg is certainly headed in the right direction.

The NFL: What Is Going Wrong?

The National Football League is making headlines yet again for another accusation made by police officials regarding the Ray Rice case. TMZ finally released the highly anticipated elevator video showing Rice, now the former running back of the Baltimore Ravens and arguably a top 10 running back in the league, throwing a haymaker-type left hook that knocked his fiancé, Janay Palmer, unconscious and then proceeded to drag her out of the elevator immediately after.

Ray Rice formerly of the Baltimore Ravens

Image courtesy of usatoday.com

Prior to the public's access of the video, the NFL suspended Rice a mere two games, sparking some outrage among people across the nation, especially when it suspended wide receiver Josh Gordon for a full year for smoking marijuana and kicker Matt Prater for four games for alcoholism. As a result, many assumed that the NFL's main priority was smoking and drinking and that it is more severe offense than domestic violence, which is completely absurd. Since the announcement of Rice's two game suspension, however, commissioner Roger Goodell has admitted that he got the decision wrong and Rice should've received a bigger punishment. 


After the release of Rice's elevator video, fans were in even more of an outrage. Many wondered how the league could've given Rice such a minor penalty for such a gruesome blow to the head, to his fiancé nonetheless. Feeling the pressure from the public, the Baltimore Ravens immediately decided to release Rice and the NFL suspended him indefinitely, claiming that it was the first time they had seen that video. Today, the police claim that the NFL did see the tape as early as April, when the problem first arose. If that is the case, the NFL could be in some serious trouble. It seems like the NFL has been nothing but drama this year, and we're only in week two of the season.

Cats at Wittenberg: Not as Safe as You Might Think

Wittenberg is known for its many cats around campus, that's no secret. Nothing is more delightful after a stressful day of class than petting a nice fluffy cat and hearing it purr. Not many students can say that cats on campus have a negative connotation, until recently that is. This past year, a student came home to his dorm after a night of partying not with a girl, but with a cute fluffy cat. Too drunk to know what was going on, he proceeded to pet the cat and then itched his left eye immediately after, and finally passed out for the night.

Days and weeks went by. The student went on about his daily routine. Then, he started to notice a change. He began to develop a haze in his eye, but didn't think much of it. Eventually, the student noticed that he had developed a lazy eye as the haze grew more apparent in his vision. Panicked, the student decided to visit an optometrist to see what was going on in his eye.

After the doctor finished the student's eye exam, he determined that the student had cat scratch fever, even though the cat hadn't scratched him. The doctor then informed the student that he would be blind in that eye. The student, a baseball player for Wittenberg, could never play baseball again, as well as perform other tasks, all because he pet a cat one night. So, next time you think about touching a cat on campus, make sure there is nothing wrong with it because your life could be changed forever for the worse.

Response

In response to Brian Raymond's "Not So Failure to Launch," I find myself relating to him in almost every way. This year is a new school year, and many new students are living with and seeing unfamiliar faces for the first time in their lives, which can be very discouraging and uncomfortable. But, as time goes on, finding those people that share common interests and likenesses with you makes living at school much more refreshing. So, school evolves from foreign land to conquered land and that place that you were once uncomfortable with now becomes your home.

The Constant Battle Between Man and His Girlfriend

Labor Days are usually spent mingling with friends, laying around, and ultimately enjoying a much needed day off from the harsh realities of life; Not the case at 1121 N Lowry Ave., where yet another day is spent witnessing a friend argue with his girlfriend. The rosy red cheeks and the piercing eyes of the shouting individuals said it all: this was about to be a s**t show, so grab a seat, a bag of popcorn, and strap in, because it was about to get wild. As the fight progressed and countless pointless arguments were being made, one individual gave up altogether, and simply quit speaking. Instead of dropping the incident and moving on from the fight, the other individual only grew angrier and started arguing more. However, the first individual continued the silent treatment tactic, proving that she truly did not have a worthy rebuttal to the absurd arguments her boyfriend was making. Sensing defeat, the boyfriend did the only thing that he thought he could do at that point- he gave in, proving the true power of the silent treatment. The two then made amends and went about their day as if nothing had happened, but, tomorrow is another day, anything can happen.