Barnstormers Overcome Long Delay to Grab First Home Win

While high winds, hail and tornadoes bustled around Central Iowa, the Iowa Barnstormers created their own storm by defeating the Arizona Rattlers 56-54 on Saturday night.

However, there was a stoppage in play at the 7:15 mark in the second quarter as a severe  thunderstorm rushed through downtown Des Moines. Fans were advised to evacuate, but the offensive star of the game was worried about one of the fans in the stands.

When the Emergency Alert System went off, Jesse Schmidt had one thing on his mind and it wasn't defeating the Rattlers. Schmidt's little sister, Jacqulyn Stewart, is nine months pregant and just like any brother does for a sibling, her safety was top priority at that moment.

"I ripped off my shoulder pads, went up into the stands, and told her 'No, you're not going anywhere in this weather,' and on top of that, my daughter and mom were in my apartment, so I was very worried," said Schmidt. "Family definintely came first in that situation."

All members of the Schmidt crew were safe as well as all 7,921 who braved the elements.

While that was going on, General Manager John Pettit and Director of Events Ryan Ziegler were trying to coordinate a plan during the delay.
"It's really not uncommon for something like this to go off," said Ziegler. "I thought our entire staff did an amazing job."

Pettit has also seen something like this, but not in Arena Football.

"I've been in the sports business for 30 years, so I've pretty much have seen everything," said Pettit. "However, this was a crazy, but I've seen crazier."

Even team president Jeff Lamberti tweeted this during the delay (@stormerone): "What other sport but arena football can u have a power outage, emergency to evacuate, and still see a hell of a game!! Love ArenaBall!!"

Iowa played with a little more maturity as the team is starting to learn more about themselves day-by-day.

"We had a feeling all week," said Head Coach Mike Hohensee. "We fell in love wit hour gameplan, and we convinced our players that we can step out of the dark and enter that light. That was a great win for a young football team."

The team knew that they needed this win badly.

"We lost in overtime last time at home and kinda let one go against Utah, and we could easily be sitting with an even better record than what we have," said Hohensee.

"We're a talented team, and I sure hope people realize that," said defensive leader Jason Simpson. "We didn't make as many mistakes tonight, and we forced turnovers. We got to (Nick) Davila."

Not only did the defense play well, the offense was clicking as well.

QB J.J. Raterink threw seven touchdowns on the night while six of those were caught by Schmidt. Schmidt didn't reach his personal game high of seven, which he got most recently on April 16 of last year when Brad Banks was then-quarterback.

"It was what was working," Schmidt said. "A big for us against a great team. I'm proud to be a Barnstormer tonight."

Raterink realizes however that winning to Schmidt means more than building up his stat line.

"Last week was one of the few times Jesse didn't catch a TD pass, but he was so happy to get the win, and that rubbed off on the team," Raterink said. "That's the type of person he is. He never complained about it, but we definitely do have a little similar mindset going for us."

What does this win mean to a team who is now 3-2 on the season?

"Beating a team like that is certainly beneficial to our psyche," said Raterink, who ended up with 256 yards passing.

Kicker Chris Camay had some troubles by missing a couple point-after-attempts in in the beginning three quarters, but when Camay came up to attempt the PAT late in the fourth, the ball was placed perfectly down the middle.

"That was the biggest weight off my shoulder all year," said Camay. "I struggled today, no question. But all the guys left me alone and let me do my thing."

Camay felt the pressure leading up to the kick.

"I knew I had to make that last one," he said.

Even though the rain, wind and hail brought a delay to the game, Schmidt points out that there was something brewing afterwards.

"There was a black storm outside, but there was a black storm inside as well."

Every 15 Minutes

In 15 minutes from now, you’ll be finished reading this piece of this edition and move on with your day. In 15 minutes from now, you’ll still be thinking about this piece.

In 15 minutes from now, another high school-aged teenager will tragically die due to a car accident via a drunk driver or texting while driving.

On Thursday afternoon, Carlisle High School students received a rude awakening as the “Every 15 Minutes” program came into the Warren County town and touched a lot of hearts.

The Every 15 Minutes program is a national coalition designed to bring awareness to high school students that drinking or texting while being behind the wheel could bring severe consequences.

Take Carlisle senior Corbin Clark for example.

His plans are to attend Simpson College next year, major in accounting and play on the football team.

Instead, he played the role of operating a car while intoxicated and killed two young girls.

Clark’s morning was a normal one. His afternoon – anything but ordinary.

After being the one who “killed” the two girls, he was arrested and taken into custody. After that, he was transported to the Warren County Courthouse in Indianola where he was booked, had his fair trial, and sentenced to 50 years in prison.

Luckily, this was all fake, but the emotions shown from the student body and others impacted made it all seemed like it was happening for real.

And, sadly, it does happen for real. However, an event like this, can allow for prevention like this to happen.

“We want to make sure something like this never happens,” said Carlisle Principal Mike Anthony. “The timeliness of this event is huge with prom coming up this week.”

Every 15 Minutes is a year-round project, but the most impact is brought onto during the most important weeks of a school year – homecoming and prom.

Those two events are the prime events for high school students to go out and party. Whether alcohol is involved or not, students do stupid things. Those stupid things lead to bad results, and those bad results could change lives of those forever.

Seeing the stunned look on all faces from freshmen to seniors resounded all over the crowd as they stood behind the police tape. Tears were shed as some saw their best friends being put onto a body board, taken into ambulances and even one being put in handcuffs escorted by police into an official car.

The students, however, had no idea that the crash was going to be part of the day.

They thought there was going to be an assembly at the end of the day honoring all those students who were pulled out of classes representing the every 15 minutes a student dies in a car accident. Some took that concept seriously, too.

As a police officer walks into a classroom representing as the Grim Reaper, another Carlisle officer, or a chaplain within the department, announce a random name in the classroom representing he or she has passed.

For example, Turner Maryfield was one of the very last to be taken by the Grim Reaper. He was only 17, and as students heard his obituary, written by his parents prior to the afternoon, tears filled some faces as disbelief ran across the others, including Turner’s himself.

“I don’t know what to say,” he said as he walked away from his peers by the police. “I didn’t think I would get chosen.”

He wasn’t the only one who got selected. As each one of them were taken away from classes, shock hit their faces just as a car would collide with another in a crash.

Students stay at the school overnight as they are “dead” and cannot have contact with the outside world for 24 hours.

The event swept intense emotions among Wildcat students throughout the day.

Carlisle student Tyler Millard summed it up very well: “Because of this event, I will never drink or text while driving ever again. I won’t even think twice about it.”

What if White Stayed?

Every basketball fan in the state of Iowa knew this was coming. Royce White had too much talent not to pass up the offer to the NBA. He has all the upside in the world to work with. However, what if he would have stayed?

Iowa State exceeded many expectations this year by defeating the defending national champion in the first round, and for that matter, even making it to the first round. Fans and pundits alike believed this year was going to either be a year with many leaps and bounds or one which was going to have more downfalls. Lucky for all, Iowa State put themselves right back on near the top of the basketball world.

White was a huge contributor to that. He was the only player in the nation (in Division I) to lead his team in points, rebounds, blocks, steals and assists. It seemed like this guy did it all. While that may bot be completely true, what is true is that if White were still in Minnesota, the Cyclones would not have gotten as far, and wouldn't have come close to winning those big games that led ISU to the NCAA Tournament.

White made the right decision in leaving Ames for bigger aspirations. If he had waited around, there were many risks -- most dominantly to prevent injury. White is slated to be a late pick in the "lottery" round where he can contribute with almost any uniform he puts on. If he can develop a high post game and enhance his mid-range jumper, White will be a force to be reckoned with in the Big Show.

However, what if White had stayed in Ames for one more go-round?

Iowa State would have the firepower to make a long run to the Sweet 16 or even Elite Eight and would have new guys in Kenny Luscious coming in to help things out. Iowa State would instantly become one of the favorites to challenge Kansas for the Big 12 title and would join the class with Baylor and Missouri as top in the Big 12.

Nonetheless, White is off to the NBA and Iowa State will be just fine. The stake has been placed once again. The Cyclones are once again the leader of college basketball of the Hawkeye State. Even though that's a small accomplishment, there's plenty more to come for ISU.

Simpson Storm Coaches Show with Ben Blake

Here is the latest edition of the Simpson Storm Coaches Show featuring Head Baseball Coach Ben Blake:

Day-and-Night-Tona Frenzy

It took six hours to complete the race, but it took two days for the Great American Race to finally starting to ending. It just took a couple of detours along the way.

First, it was the weather. The rain that pummeled East Central Florida throughout the weekend caused the race to be postponed for the first time in the race's history by Mother Nature. That was supposed to be the craziest storyline of the weekend.Weather wasn't supposed to ruin the greatest spectacle in racing. Nothing, in NASCAR's eyes, could get in the way of a good Sunday race. For the first time, Monday would have to wait.

Then the waiting game spilled over into Monday night. The race finally began at 7:02 Eastern time Monday night under the lights; some compared it to being FOX's version of Monday Night Football, only with racing, of course.

Not even a lap in, the racer who has built his own dynasty in the sport had to bow out due to a wreck. By a woman.

Danica Patrick probably realized in the back of her mind that this race was going her one chance to shut up all the critics, and fire up the gender in sports conversations once again. She started out the weekend crashing not once, but twice in Nationwide and in qualifying. Three appearances, and to show for it, three wrecks. 

Her critics had a ball this weekend targeting her, which in fairness, if a driver wants to make it big, one cannot wreck three separate times on the biggest weekend of that sport. Instead of starting the season on a strong note, Patrick is sitting at the back of the pack where she has been her entire career...at least in America.

At least Patrick did not hit a jet dryer, though.

Juan Pablo Montoya wanted to catch up with the rest of the field during a caution flag when he seemingly didn't see one of the jet dryer trucks and either lost control or tried to make sure he avoided it. Well, he failed on either one of those attempts. Watch here:

 No one has ever seen anything like this, and through everything NASCAR does to ensure safety, I know we will never see this type of phenomenon ever again. It should not have happened in the first place, but through Montoya trying to play catch-up, the race fell back into a two hour delay. Everyone involved was not badly injured in this wreck with the exception of the track.

There was also a social media first during this two hour chaos. Due to Montoya blowing up Turn 3, the cars were halted and the red flag was out. The drivers were stuck in their cars, and to pass the time, one of the drivers believed it was a good idea to pull his phone out and update what was happening from his vantage point.

Brad Keselowski had his iPhone sitting in its special compartment during the red flag. As any Twitter user would probably do, he pulled it out and sent a picture of the fiery mess from his car's view. This started a frenzy within itself.

 Keselowski (@Keselowski) went on to tweet with fans updating them about what NASCAR was saying about the wreck and why he felt he needed to carry his iPhone with him in-race. Because of it, he made social media history, but I'm sure NASCAR will have something to say about this, too. It is a law that texting (and tweeting) is prohibited while driving on roads - maybe that will spill out onto the racetrack as well.

Finally, at 12:52 Daytona time this morning, Matt Kenseth captured the most coveted flag of the Sprint Cup Series - the one at Daytona. Kenseth also won in 2009 in a less-chaotic race. That race back in '09 lasted a little less than three hours; this one took almost two full days to complete.

Posey Not Blocking the Plate

Last season, one of the most painful-to-watch injuries to watch occured with a play at the plate involving San Francisco Giants phenom Buster Posey and now Miami Marlins' Scott Cousins. Watch below.

Now that Buster is back on the horse as he has reported to spring training, Giants manager Bruce Bochy has told his most valuable possession outside of Tim Lincecum to not block the plate in order to prevent a sequel to the above.

Wishful thinking. Collisions between baserunners and catchers are getting more and more violent as days go by. Major League Baseball hasn't commented on improving safety precautions as the NFL has to its quarterbacks, because Buster Posey to baseball is no where close to what Tom Brady is to football.

The league may need to come forward to address this issue before someone's career ends no thanks to a hard collision. If the NFL can soften up their game, why can't baseball? Sure, it decreases the value of the game, but who wants to see back-ups play in lieu of the superstars?

This is not 2011 anymore, this is 2012. Maybe things will be different, and catchers will continue to remember in the back of their minds

Too bad Buster has too much competitiveness to let opponents to just simply touch the plate. He's going to stand on the train tracks even if it means risking injury once again. He will refuse a runner to get an easy lane to the plate. One run can mean anything over the course of a season, not just a game. Just ask the Giants that the night Buster went down, or with more importance, ask the Tampa Bay Rays what a run means to them and their 2011 campaign.

Posey has had thoughts of moving to another position in wake of him losing his season to a broken leg. He says he would like to play a little first base (which he will), but he also realizes, he's needed behind the plate.

Eli Whiteside, San Francisco's other catcher, doesn't have the tools needed to play everyday back there. Sure, Whiteside does have plenty of MLB experience, but not enough to endure calling balls and strikes every time out. Let him start 50-70 games. Most Giants fans would be okay with that.

The Giants need Posey in order to stay in contention for a National League West division pennant. San Francisco has the defense and the pitching, but if Posey falls again to another injury, there goes another chance for the Giants to add another championship to their resume. Posey runs this team. Just keep him out of the way when someone comes barreling.

Road to Des Moines Runs Through Denver

Des Moines has always been known for hosting premier events, especially in the sports world. Come next month, Des Moines will have something new to add to its already impressive resume.

On March 24 and 26, Des Moines and Wells Fargo Arena will have the privilege in hosting third and fourth rounds of the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Tournament. In other words, the road to Denver and the Final Four will go through Des Moines.

“This is a huge deal to the city of Des Moines,” said Greg Edwards, president of the Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau. “We’ve worked hard to catch more NCAA-related events. It’s another step in the right direction.”

The national committee who selected Des Moines to host NCAA Regional Semifinals and Final thought the capitol of Iowa was very active and had a very convenient location.

“Des Moines has a very active sports commission and we have had a good working relationship with them as there has been another championship,” said Michelle Perry, director of women’s basketball for the NCAA. “Des Moines is also a great geographical location for us, and there is some great women’s basketball in the state of Iowa. It just makes sense for us to look at Des Moines and Ames as sites to host year in and year out.”

Ames and Iowa State will be hosting the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament March 17 and 19 at Hilton Coliseum. Next year, the first two rounds of the tournament return to Iowa City.

“It’s simply a nice place to play women’s college basketball,” Perry said.

As always in the NCAA Tournament, there is a host school at each neutral site. Northern Iowa will serve as host school when Sweet 16 and Elite Eight rounds come to Wells Fargo Arena.

According to Perry, since Iowa State is hosting first and second rounds in Ames the week before, if they make a heroic run into the NCAA Tournament and advance to the Sweet 16, they would not be allowed to be identified as a host school.

“Northern Iowa was willing to step up and partner with the sports commission,” Perry said.

Iowa Events Center President Chris Connolly believes that hosting this regional will serve as an audition for other major events, including the Men’s NCAA Tournament.

“We have to be able to prove that we can host such a prestigious event,” he said. “It will take a lot in order for that to happen in the days leading up to the event, but we’re excited to do so.”

Connolly hopes the community will also be excited when March Madness rolls into his building.

“We’ll have four quality teams come in here and play for a right to go to the Final Four,” Connolly said. How cool is that? Everyone around here is very excited to showcase what we have.”

Also, with this being the first time Des Moines has the ability to host, that has Connolly pumped up.

“We’ve never done this kind of thing. That in itself gets us excited.”

One of the tasks Connolly and Edwards have in front of them is to promote the Tournament to the community.

“We hope the community comes through and plays a big role, Edwards said. “One thing we really need to prove is not only put on a huge event, but for our community to also support them.”

Connolly believes marketing the event will not be difficult.

“It’s always easier to sell something when it meets people’s expectations,” he said. “We will have a huge banner placed on the southeast side of building as well as all over town. We want people to know about it.”

And if they know about it, people will come.

“Our goal is to fill the arena,” Connolly said.

For Edwards, his main goal through the CVB is to attract Des Moines to the rest of the country.

We as a visitor’s bureau want to put on class events that the rest of country can see so they may consider DSM as their next venue,” Edwards said.

Downtown Des Moines was also a big factor in landing such an event.

“When we were in Des Moines on our site visit, we realized Des Moines had all the ingredients,” Perry said.

This is not the first time Des Moines has hosted an NCAA Tournament. In 2008, Wells Fargo Arena hosted the first and second round games, and from that experience, Perry knew what Des Moines was capable of.

Perry’s most important goal as a committee is to give students the best experience possible.

“Part of doing that is putting fans in the stands,” Perry said. “We want our student-athletes to showcase their talents in front of a full crowd. We’ve been working with people at the arena and at the sports commission as well as Northern Iowa to make sure when the lights go on March 24 that we have a full house.”

Once the winner cuts down the nets, the team then moves on to Denver, who is hosting the Final Four for the first time.

“They have a history of hosting major NCAA events,” Perry said. “They are feverishly putting on some final touches, and we are expecting to put on an extraordinary event to end the women’s college basketball season.”

Wells Fargo Arena will have quite the full house in terms of a sports spectrum in the next coming weeks. Currently, the state high school wrestling tournament is going on, and state basketball for both boys and girls will start in two weeks.

For Edwards, none of the following events have precedence over another.

“Wrestling and basketball are very important, so we never want to take those events for granted,” he said. “NCAA Tournaments may be more prestigious, but we never want to treat our high school events like they’re second fiddle. These are good events; I compare them to the State Fair. They mean so much to the community. We want to keep them here.”

Des Moines will make its starting push with girls’ state basketball starting Feb. 27, kicking off a month of basketball madness from the preps to the collegiate level.

From Overcommercialization to a "Swift" Crush

I'm a hopeless romantic, yet, I have no reason to celebrate Valentine's Day. In the celebration of the over-commercialized holiday, here are two columns I've written in the past pertaining to love. One has to do with why today is so overrated, and the second is turning in my man card to proclaim my celebrity crush. Enjoy. The first one you can also read here.

Women always seem to find Valentine’s Day as a way for us guys to buy flowers, chocolates, and/or jewelry. It’s supposedly written somewhere that gifts are supposed to be a token of our affection and appreciation toward our significant other. There’s something wrong with this.

Where in the “rulebook of love” does it say that a guy (or a girl) has to splurge money to show love? It may be in fine print, but let’s just delete it altogether.

Sure, the thought of giving is always a gesture which all should practice, but there are other ways in which a lover in a relationship can show affection.

In a study done by two University of Georgia professors in 2008 entitled, “A Holiday Loved and Loathed: A Consumer Perspective of Valentine’s Day,” Angeline Close and Greg Zinkhan argues that materialism of this holiday has gone too far.

They found that marketing this holiday to those who are in a romantic relationship have gone too far. 

Those who advertise on Valentine’s Day like to make it known that without purchasing a diamond ring or a dozen of flowers which will die, the relationship has a chance of dying. Without going out and pampering your better half, the marketing gurus high above the chain make those who don’t go out and buy something feel obsolete.

Does the phrase “I love you” not work anymore? Is it not enough just to scheme out an inexpensive date night consisting of just maybe dinner and a bottle of wine (if you’re of age)? Whose idea was it that buying a $3,000 ring is the choice of giving?

Saying “I love you” should be enough. To all the men out there, take the ladyfriend to a nice restaurant (of her choice, of course) and maybe get her a SMALL gift. To the ladies, just appreciate what your better half gets you. I’m sure he worked hard and went out of his comfort zone to Chocolate is a safe bet.  

In the survey done by the Univ. of Georgia, it even states that physical affection can go a long way. And of course, it doesn’t cost a thing to ask for a kiss or for a little bit more around the bases. Physical affection can go a little ways, but from experience, it doesn’t complete the entire package. Go a little more beyond than that, fellas. Sure, getting her to bed may give you a happy ending to a good holiday, but back up and show some definite affection by doing it with other actions first.

On that same token, why should Valentine’s Day be the only day that guys (and gals, too) are permitted to show their love? It goes back to the marketing thing again.

Christmas and Valentine’s Day are the two worst holidays in which showing appreciation is shown. Leading up to each holiday, commercials are run on television and print advertising things that men and women assumingly want. It’s just a way for the money flow to increase and for the economy to show that it’s not as stagnant as the weather we’ve been having lately.

I understand that for the economy to be flowing smoothly, people need to go out and purchase something. Even I can interpret that. However, it does not mean that spending an arm and a leg

There are 364 other days in which love can be shown, and in very similar ways. Show it through small but meaningful gestures. Maybe it’s taking your partner to a concert, or cleaning each others’ room or even sending a little message showing that you still care for one another. It’s easy to show affection every day of the year. Not just on February 14.

Valentine’s Day is just an overrated holiday. It’s one that boosts the economy, sure, but last I checked, money doesn’t buy love. 

(Now here's column #2.) This is one I wrote back in February 2009 as part of the Blue & White staff at Montezuma.

Everybody has had a crush.

Whether it was realistic or fantasy, you idolize and admire somebody of the opposite gender. Maybe it was watching countless videos of him or her, studying their smallest moves or even memorizing every small little fact about your crush.

My current crush isn’t that heavy, because I’m too busy to worry about what this person’s certain favorite color is.

Anyway, Taylor Swift is so gorgeous!!

She is amazingly talented and the best thing, we are the same age (almost)! Swift is one of those young girls that can be an inspiration to any youth that has a dream. This Pennsylvania girl went all the way to Nashville to take her dream head on. Most young girls’ dreams get shot down by something else that runs into their life. Swift ran over any speed bump that came her way and now she’s writing any song that can put any boy into fear.

That’s what I love about Taylor, too. She has a way to write something that teens can relate to. I try to relate my community into my writing so I think two good writers can make powerful songs, columns, or whatever. She has a high sense of knowing what she wants, which is what all young teens should have, no matter if they’re a singer, engineer, or nurse.

        

    With knowing what she wants brings much success along with it. She won the Horizon Award her “rookie” year and has skyrocketed since she sang about how Tim McGraw reminded her of her first love. That’s the kind of girl that I want. Through hard work, determination and a little bit of luck, success can bring much in life. She’s only 19. She has lots to look forward to as she belts the high notes.

         

   Waking up to reality gives me a sense Taylor Swift may not be realistic, but she has shown me what kind of girl I want for later in life. I want a girl that has a dream, wants to pursue it and has a desire to be successful. Granted, there are other morals that are on my “list,” but with the girl I proudly love right now, I think I’m on the right track.

            

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Iowa State: Dancing in March?

Adventureland Park is an amusement park in the Des Moines metro area which serves as one of the leading attractions in central Iowa. At Adventureland, there are plenty of roller coasters which people experience during their visit. The Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball team's season is just like a roller coaster. Right now, however, they are at an all-time high.

For what it's worth, the Cyclones have too many things going right for them based on recent history. Iowa State fans barely remember this type of success, back when it was prevalent in the late 90's and very early 00's. Now, the Hilton Magic is back in full force.

Iowa State is now 29th in the ESPN/USA Today poll. With wins against Kansas, Kansas State, and Oklahoma State inside Hilton Coliseum as well as  nice road win inside Oklahoma for the first time since moving into the Big 8. ISU is making themselves into a nice team who can make a deep run through the Big 12 and even possibly the NCAA Tournament.

Some do not think the Cyclones should even be considered for postseason play, because of their inconsistent play.

ISU's worst loss happens to be against a school just down the road from them on Highway 69, the Drake Bulldogs. Now, Drake helped boost their status by defeating Missouri Valley leader Wichita State.

Since that point, Iowa State is 16-5 since losing to the Bulldogs. Inconsistent? Not that much.

Because of the play from Royce White, the Cyclones have become one of the top teams in the Midwest. In fact, not only has the team gotten better, so has White.

White, who came to Iowa State as a transfer from Minnesota (because he got into a little bit of trouble), is becoming one of the toughest forwards to guard in the entire country. Kansas State Frank Martin said of White that he reminded him of Michael Beasley, who played his college ball under Martin.

White is the only player in the nation to lead his team in all five major categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals and minutes. That's some productivity.

The Cyclones have eight games remaining. How many of these are winnable? I'll say six. The schedule is evenly split: four at home and four on the road. The four at home: Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Baylor and Texas Tech. All four of these games are actually winnable. Going by the "chain reaction," if Kansas can beat Baylor, and Iowa State can beat Kansas at home, why can't the Cyclones defeat the Bears?

The two losses that Iowa State will succumb to are at Baylor and at Missouri.

Because of White and his supporting cast, Iowa State is well on its way to becoming the first NCAA Tournament team in quite some time in Ames. Just hang on for the ride.

Super Bowl Media Day Circus

Turn on your Internet to NFL.com if you want to see a circus unfolding.

Super Bowl Media Day is currently going on, with the AFC going first and the NFC following behind. The Patriots are an interesting bunch.

You've got Tom Brady for the Patriots, who seems easy to talk to and is willing to take a question from any journalist. He loves talking with the media, or does a very good job acting like he does.

One Patriot who could care less about speaking with the media is Head Coach Bill Belichick. Like he usually does, he swept answers to questions under the rug, and gave out more vanilla-esque answers than a fugitive who has been caught. The only way he'll truly open up is if he opens up the scoreboard on the New York Giants.

The most interesting interview of the morning session was between Chad Ochocinco and Deion Sanders. As of post time, I could not find a video to post (check back in the afternoon), but what the conversation revolved around was the lack of production Ochocinco was bringing to the team.

Ocho only has 15 receptions on the season for 273 yards and a lone touchdown. That's it. He hasn't done anything, and according to him, the ride has been worth it. Figured he would say that.

What else is he supposed to say? "I've had a terrible season, and none of this has been worth it." Maybe he's grown up a little, or been listening to Media Relations more intently this season.

The quote of the morning session comes from New England Offensive Coordinator Bill O'Brien: "Belichick is just the cook in the kitchen, we're just the dishwashers."

Check back for reaction of the afternoon session.

Leave the Miscues Alone

For what it's worth, as long as sports are being contested, as long as men and women compete to their fullest ability, mistakes will be made. Some will be worse than others, but making a blunder here and there will always present itself. This year, it seems like the mistakes being made out on the football field are trumping who actually wins the games.

Football in both the NFL and the college ranks have seen many last-minute spoofs, whether it be a missed field goal or be a botched punt. Both of those happened this past weekend on Championship Sunday and fans of the teams who those unfortunate events happened to are taking their losses a bit too seriously.

Fans of the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers are experincing this firsthand after fellow Iowa native Billy Cundiff missed a last-second field goal and 49er kick return specialist botched not one, but two punts late in the New York Giants upset over San Francisco.

Both mistakes proved to be costly, and for what it's worth, if there was a finger to be pointed at, it would be at them. Let's just leave it at that.

However, fans don't want to.

I guess it is written somewhere that fans somehow have the right to threaten these athletes with snide remarks and even death threats. That is a deplorable thing for a human to wish on another, and I can't even imagine what Cundiff and Williams have received in the past 36 hours.

Fans, I know you're angry over the outcome. I was on Sunday night, too. However, I kept my emotions in check (alcohol helped with that, too) and kept my thoughts to myself, even though I will never wish death among another human being. Fans, a) think before you write/speak, b) it's just a game. Leave it alone. Life goes on.

If fans can get that angry over the outcome of a game, they are not a fan. They shouldn't be able to wear their team's color in spirit or attend a game at the stadium. In the Bay Area, there have even incidents of fans stabbing one another in the parking lot after the games in Oakland.

Emotions can get the best of us at times, and I understand that. But, as the ESPN Monday Night Football crew says before each game: C'mon, man! Enjoy the games, don't make it serious. Sports are supposed to be an outlet, not an obsession.

My Start in Journalism

Sports are a part of what keeps me going. For those of you who know me well, it's the one hobby I always enjoy talking about, and it's not always about football or basketball.

In the Fall of 2008, I made the commitment to become a sports journalist as a vocation, not just a career. I wanted to enroll in my journalism class at my high school, Montezuma High School, but it was available as a one-time offer to students. That meant I had to wait until my senior year to do so.

I knew what I wanted my first piece to be about ever since I became a high school student. I knew it would grab the attention of my peers (even though they've heard my life story) and hopefully those in my community and the state. That was a longshot goal for me. Thankfully, even a "Hail Mary" works every now and then.

This is the piece which got me my Iowa High School Press Association Columnist of the Year in 2009. I take pride in this piece, and to this day, I still believe it is my best work. Enjoy. 

Sept. 29, 2008, Montezuma Blue & White: Trails, hills and blessings, "Open Mind on an Open Trail"

Since this cross country season has begun, I have started to believe in blessings in disguise. Also, as a senior, I wanted to leave my mark as a “parting shot” as all seniors do in any activity that we participate in. Leave Montezuma on a good note. 

Things don’t also go out as planned, which is something else that I already knew, but never took to heart until this season. I wanted this season to be perfect. Run in every race and not have to worry about anything, such as injuries. I have gone through injury after injury to my hamstrings.

As this summer has turned to fall, my hamstrings have failed me to stay healthy. Since they can’t stay healthy due to problems that I had in my early childhood, I have had to be careful and sometimes sit out races. This season, unfortunately, brings the same injury problems. The same problems I have had to deal with my entire life. You see, I have cerebral palsy. 

I used to go to physical therapy every now and then to see if some of the pain could be alleviated. The pain went away, only for a temporary period of time, however. The therapist that I worked with kept telling me that I shouldn’t be running anymore. What she kept telling me all that time inspired me to run with the pain. I didn’t want to at first, but there were signs that were telling me I knew that I had to. Running is my life. 

Should I be running today? No, probably not, but it’s the sport itself that drives me to go forward. It is the only sport in high school athletics that you are not only facing another opponent, but you are facing yourself, too. Fighting through the painful hills, the weather and every other element makes the sport unique and special to me. Cross country is my favorite sport, because it lets me show who I am as a person and lets me display my character. 

I wanted to leave my mark by making SICL All-Conference. I did not meet that goal as a couple of my teammates have, but I’m just fine with where I’m at. I would love the reward of being one of the best runners in the area. I have won my battle already. I don’t need the glamour of being named one of the best. To me, I have beaten the odds and really have won. 

I could be in a wheelchair or be in a worse situation. I’m glad I’m not. 

You know what else I’m glad about? 

There are blessings in disguise even in the littlest things.