2009 Braves Baseball

            I am a big Atlanta Braves baseball fan and I have been looking forward to baseball season all year.  I enjoy coming home on a summer evening and watching a good baseball game and when you are a fan of a team, the game is even more enjoyable to watch.

            This year the Braves looked good in their spring training, going 23-12 in the Grapefruit League down in Florida.  I was hoping they would carry that momentum into the regular season and get off to a strong start.  They did at first, going 5-1 in their first 6 games, taking 2 of 3 from the defending champion Phillies and sweeping the Nationals in a 3 game series.  At 5-1 they had a share of the lead in the NL East, but had to face the Marlins, who they were tied with at 5-1 in the NL East.  It was a 3 game home stand, so although I was worried a little, I still thought we would take 2 games.  I was way off!  Our batters stopped hitting for 3 games and the Marlins swept us, giving us a 5-4 record.  Our next series was in Pittsburgh against the Pirates.  I thought this was the series to get back into winning because the Pirates don’t usually have a strong team.  Again, our batters went cold and we lost 3-0 in the first game and 10-0 in Game 2.  At that point we had lost 5 straight games and our record was 5-6.  I hate being under .500.  Finally today (Sunday) our batters woke up and we beat the Pirates 11-1.

            We are back at .500 at 6-6, which is fine for now, but in the future our batters need to step it up in the big games as well as our pitchers.  We can’t afford to have 5 game slumps, especially in the NL East where the Mets, Marlins, Phillies, and Braves could potentially win the division.  The NL East is probably the strongest division in the MLB and the Braves need to start playing like they belong in the NL East.  If our batters stay consistent and injury-free and our pitchers keep the games close, we could be there in the end.

            Starting Monday we have 3 games in Washington, D.C. against the Nationals, who are 1-10, but we have to be careful.  The Marlins already have a 5 game lead on us and the Mets (we are tied for 2^nd with the Mets) and are on the verge of running away with the division.  We can’t let the Marlins get too far ahead or we may not be able catch up.  Looking forward to an exciting 2009! Go Braves!

National Champions

            We are the Division 1 NCAA Basketball National Champions!  The Tar Heels had an outstanding basketball season and finished it the best way possible, winning the National Championship by dominating the Michigan State Spartans the entire 40 minutes (for the second time this year) and winning the game 89-72.  The Heels won all 6 games in the NCAA Tournament by at least 12 points and only trailed for a total of 10 minutes out of the 240 minutes of game time in the tournament.  Our basketball team gave all of us a great college experience that we will never forget and we have to remember how lucky we are.  How many college students have the opportunity to watch their school win a National Championship in any sport?

            At the beginning of the season, all the experts were picking us to, not only win the National Championship, but to go undefeated.  They said that our basketball team could be the best college basketball team ever assembled.  We looked good when we started off the season 13-0, but then we had to play ACC opponents.  Or first two ACC games we lost to Boston College 85-78 and Wake Forest 92-89.  After those two games, I thought we had no chance of winning the National Championship or even the ACC.  After starting off 0-2 in the ACC we finished 13-1 to win the ACC regular season.  After losing to Florida State in the ACC Tournament, I was worried about the NCAA Tournament.  We did not play well against FSU and I was worried that Lawson would not be able to contribute in the tournament, but after Lawson lead us to a victory against LSU (a game I attended), I knew our team was ready to win it all.

            After I saw Michigan State beat Louisville and Connecticut, I was scared.  They looked really strong against two very good Big East teams.  I never expected to play MSU because I thought they were way over rated, I even had them losing in the Sweet 16 in my bracket.  The day of the Championship I had a bad feeling.  I knew the game was in Detroit and I had heard that MSU would have 60,000 fans at Ford Field.  MSU was playing on a lot of emotion because of their underdog status and the economic situation of the state of Michigan.  It was a perfect storybook set-up for MSU to win the Title.  Even many of the sports analysts on ESPN and CBS were picking MSU to win.  I was glad when the game started and within the first 5 minutes I knew we were going to win.

            I am thankful that I can say I witnessed my school win a National Championship.  I remember my dad telling me about his experience at Duke: in 1978 Duke made it to the National Championship, but lost to Kentucky.  My dad never got to see a National Championship while he was at Duke.  Remember, there are 347 schools in Division 1 basketball.  Only 65 make it to the NCAA Tournament and only 1 can win the Title.  We are lucky to have the opportunity to witness the 2008-2009 UNC basketball team as students.

Freshman Year at UNC

We are about to begin the home stretch of this school year; I think we have about 5 weeks left.  I thought it would be a good time to reflect on my freshman year here at UNC-Chapel Hill: my expectations before I came, my new friends, what I did, and what I wish I would have done.

I found out I was going to UNC on Friday May 2, 2008.  I applied to Carolina in December of 2008 (not early decision).  It was my first choice, but I didn’t get in and was put on the waiting list.  I had other choices because I got into Clemson, Arizona State, South Florida, Virginia Tech, and UNC-Greensboro.  I am from North Carolina, but I seriously considered going somewhere far away to get a new experience.  Of those schools, Clemson and VT were my top choices, but my family and I decided that out-of-state tuition was way too much to pay for an education.  Ultimately, I decided on UNC-Greensboro.  I had talked to the Cross Country coach and was planning on running for their team, and possibly receive a partial scholarship.  It all changed on Friday May 2.  I got home from school and received a call on my cell phone from UNC telling me I had been accepted.  I knew UNC was where I wanted to go.

Seven in my graduating class came to UNC, but I wasn’t close to most of them and I didn’t know my roommate, so I knew I would have to make new friends.  Unlike most freshmen, who live on South campus, I was assigned Everett Residence Hall in Old Campus Lower Quad (North campus).  I quickly made friends with the guys on my hall and in the dorms around me, but it was different than what most freshmen experience.  All of my new friends were sophomores.  I only knew a few freshmen, I guess because very few live on North campus.  I really learned a lot quickly about UNC from my experienced friends (one was actually an OL at CTOPS), and me being a year younger had no effect on our friendships.

Because I love Cross Country and turned down the chance to run for UNC-G, I decided to run for the UNC Club Cross Country team.  That was a good experience because it allowed me run on a team and be competitive.  We even went to the club national championships at Penn State and came in 5^th.

I wish I would have been involved with the Newman Center, which is the Catholic Organization on campus.  Most of my friends are involved in Intervarsity or Cornerstone, which are Protestant organizations where they go to Bible study one night and a large group assembly another night in order to talk about and strengthen their faith.  I would feel left out because I am Catholic and didn’t feel the same connection with the two organizations.  I should have gone to the Newman Center where other Catholics at UNC meet, do activities, and projects.  I probably would have made more friends.  I will try to get involved with Newman next year.

Overall, I really enjoyed my freshmen year.  I have a great group of friends that share many of the same interests as me.  I have made good grades in all my classes without any major problems.  I am looking forward to next year and the rest of my time here at UNC.

March Madness

            As a sports fan March is the most exciting time of the year for me.  College basketball is my favorite sport to watch and the NCAA Tournament brings out the best of college basketball.  The tournament begins with 64 of college basketball’s best teams and is eventually narrowed to one national champion.  There are always upsets, heartbreakers, buzzer beaters, and Cinderella stories.  Every year the tournament is different and it is impossible to predict a perfect a perfect bracket.

            This year’s tournament has been no different.  I was watching SportsCenter on Friday and they said that of the millions of bracket predictions submitted on espn.com, no bracket was perfect after the first round.  That just shows how unpredictable this tournament really is.

            Like many college basketball fans, I filled out several brackets before the tournament.  One was for money and the rest were just for fun.  Each of my brackets is a little different, but I have the same Final Four in all of them.  Overall, my bracket predictions have been accurate (and a lot better than President Obama’s, who went 19-13 in the first round).  In my best bracket, I was 25-7 in the first round, but 3 teams I picked to be in the Sweet 16 (Florida State, West Virginia, Wake Forest) and one team I picked to be in the Elite 8 (West Virginia) lost.  My worst region is the Midwest where I went 4-4 in the first round and picked West Virginia to make it to the Elite 8.  My best region is the West, where I am still perfect, but to stay perfect I need Missouri to make it to the Final 4, which would be a surprise.  I have been very disappointed with the ACC this year as it went 3-4 in the first round and only has UNC and Duke in the Sweet 16.  The ACC is supposed to be the premiere basketball conference, but this year they were a bust in the tournament.  My Final Four picks this year are Louisville vs. Missouri and North Carolina vs. Pittsburgh with UNC playing Louisville in the National Championship.  As any Tar Heel would, I picked UNC to win the National Championship 84-77.

            The first two rounds have been exciting; especially for me because I watched the second round live in the Greensboro Coliseum (UNC vs. LSU and Duke vs. Texas).  I got to watch my two favorite teams, UNC and Duke (my dad went to Duke and I was raised a Duke fan), play in two great games.  I am looking forward to seeing what happens in the rest of the tournament and I am looking forward to a UNC National Championship!

Lent

Last Wednesday was Ashe Wednesday, which is the beginning of the Season of Lent.  Lent is the 40 days before Easter Sunday (excluding Sundays).  It is common practice for Catholics and other Christians to sacrifice or give up something they do often, usually for pleasure, for these 40 days.  This sacrifice is supposed to remind us of when Jesus went into the desert for 40 days in order to fast and pray.  While he was in the desert, he was continuously tempted by Satan, but never fell for Satan’s evil temptations.  Also, during Lent Catholics cannot eat meat on Fridays.  Lent is a time for sacrifice and prayer, which allows us to get closer to God before Easter.

This year I wanted a challenge during Lent.  I have a big sweet tooth and I will eat almost any sweet, candy, or dessert.  If I was not a runner, I would probably be really, really fat. No joke either.  I decided to give up all sweets, candies, and desserts for Lent, but that’s not all.  We all know that Lenoir sucks, but to me their French fries are usually alright, so I would usually get some French fries at most meals.  I decided to give up French fries as well.  The first few days have been tough, especially since I have three boxes of Girl Scout cookies from my sister and three bags of very expensive (and very tasty) chocolate from Valentine’s Day just sitting in my room.  All of this combined with meatless Fridays makes Friday the toughest day of the week.  Last Friday I waited until after midnight to get a cheeseburger from Wendy’s.  It was one of the best cheeseburgers of my life.

To make up for the loss of these unhealthy foods in my diet, I have started to eat a lot more fruit.  I guess the natural sugars in fruit act as a substitute for the sweets.  I also eat raisins for a snack now.  It’s kind of like killing two birds with one stone.  I participate in the religious aspect, but at the same time I am eating healthier.

Lent is a great time to try and become a better person.  You can get closer to God, while at the same time improving a bad habit or pleasure in your life.  Whether you are Christian or not, I think everyone should try to give up some pleasure or habit in his or her life for an extended period of time.  It is a good way to gain more discipline, self-control, and become healthier.

UNC Baseball 2009

Opening Day for Carolina Baseball was Friday against Virginia Military Institute.  It was the first game in the new Boshamer Stadium.  The new stadium is very nice and can hold 5,000.  I was proud to have the opportunity to watch the first game in the new stadium.  My parents came on Saturday to watch the second of three games against VMI this weekend and I went to the game on Sunday as well.  The Tar Heels won all three games this weekend against VMI and demonstrated why they are the number one team in the nation.  It was a good way to start the 2009 UNC Baseball season.

I love to watch baseball.  I am a huge Atlanta Braves fan and now a Tar Heel Baseball fan.  Baseball games are fun to watch, especially if you’re at the stadium where you can hear the ball smack the glove and the crack of the bat.  Today baseball is not as popular as it was 50 years ago because of the popularity of the NFL, NBA, and NCAA basketball.  I hate to hear people talk about how boring baseball is because it is fun to watch if you actually keep up with a team and cheer for them.  I noticed how apathetic the students of UNC were about baseball this weekend.  I was happy with the student turn-out Friday, the Opening Day, when the students filled the student section, but most had left by the 5^th inning.  On Saturday and Sunday the student section was almost empty.

I really don’t care if many students show up to the baseball games.  I was just surprised at the small number that did show up, especially since we are the number one baseball team in the nation.  After the game Sunday, seeing the small amount of student support for a good team, I decided that I am going to try and attend every home baseball game this year (except during Spring Break).  There are 38 home baseball games, but five during Spring Break, so I will be going to 33 baseball games.  I am excited about this baseball season because we are due for a National Championship after losing in the College World Series three years in a row.  If you want to go to a baseball game, the schedule is on tarheelblue.com.  Our next game is Tuesday at 3:00 against Coastal Carolina in the new Boshamer Stadium.  Hope I see you there!

Fairness Doctrine or Censorship Doctrine?

The Fairness Doctrine was a law that required all public air waves (radio and television) to offer equal amount of opposing political ideas.  If a radio station allowed an hour of conservative viewpoints, the same radio station had to allow an hour of liberal viewpoints.  Listeners stopped tuning in to these stations because they wanted to hear only one viewpoint or the other.  Most stations began playing Top 40 music because they couldn’t get enough listeners to tune to political talk shows or enough advertisers to support them.

In 1987, the Fairness Doctrine was abolished under President Reagan and was stopped again under George H.W. Bush when the FCC tried to revive it.  Without the Fairness Doctrine, radio stations could play any political talk show that drew advertisers and made money.  This was the rise of conservative talk radio.  Rush Limbaugh led the way, but today there are many others: Sean Hannity, Mark Levin, Bill O’Reilly, Michael Savage, Glenn Beck, Neal Boortz (libertarian), Laura Ingraham, Bill Cunningham, etc.  Conservative radio is very successful today with millions of listeners daily nationwide, while progressive or liberal talk radio is not successful with a small amount of shows.  One even needs the government to stay afloat (National Public Radio).

Liberal Democrats have always been attacked by conservative talk radio.  Conservative talk radio has revealed many harmful, liberal plans to its audience over the years and talk radio has effectively mobilized voters in every election.  Talk radio has been a thorn in the sides of liberal politicians for years and these liberal politicians have been looking for a way to silence talk radio.  After the recent election, the Democrats may have their chance.  There has been whisperings of the return of the Fairness Doctrine and this could be possible with the large Democrat majority and a Democrat president.  This makes me wonder, is this really a return to fairness? Or is it a return to censorship?

There is no doubt the return of the Fairness Doctrine is really the return of the Censorship Doctrine (term borrowed from Sean Hannity).  Does the government really have the right to tell a private broadcaster what political side he can or can’t represent?  People will stop listening to talk radio and advertisers will back out if these popular shows can’t continue.  Let the free market continue carrying these radio shows.  The attempt to silence these shows is an attempt to silence the voice of a large portion of the American people.  If the Censorship Doctrine is reinstated, the decision would remind me of Nazi Germany, USSR, Cuba, Venezuela, or North Korea.  This is a scary thought and it would be sad to see our country go in this direction.

Catholics and the Election

I have been a Roman Catholic my entire life.  I was baptized as a baby and I received the other sacraments of penance, communion, and confirmation during my life in the church, and I hope that one day, if I’m lucky, I will receive the sacrament of matrimony.  I go to mass every Sunday and on all Holy Days of Obligation.  My faith in God is very strong, I am proud to be a Catholic, and I know that wherever I go in life and whatever happens to me, I will always have the Catholic Church and my Catholic faith to rely on.

Last year, after the elections, I became very disappointed in Catholic Americans, 53 percent of Catholic Americans to be exact.  I was watching the news a day or two after Election Day and learned that 53 percent of Catholics in America voted for Obama!  This may not sound like a big deal to non-Catholics.  You should vote for who you want to without considering your faith, right?  Wrong!  Don’t misunderstand me, I do not really care who you voted for or why, unless you are catholic.

The reason why I am so disappointed with Catholics who voted for Obama is because of a single issue: abortion.  The Catholic Church has taken a worldwide stance against abortion.  Having an abortion or even supporting the idea of abortion goes against the teachings of the Catholic Church whether you are a Catholic in the United States, Italy, China, or anywhere else in the world.  We believe (well, most of us) that life is a sacred gift from God and that it should not be intentionally taken from the innocent.  The Catholic Church took its official anti-abortion stance in the late 19^th century and has been consistent in its belief since.

President Obama supports abortion and has supported it throughout his entire political career.  He even voted against the Infant Protection Act in the Illinois Senate.  The Infant Protection Act protected babies who survived botched abortions from doctors who wanted to “finish the job” (I would just call it murder), and even some of the strong pro-choice Illinois Senators voted for the bill.  It is not like Obama tried to hide his belief in abortion and his stance was made public many times leading up to the election.  This is why I am perplexed about how millions of so-called Catholics could vote for a candidate so clearly pro-choice.

I know that faith and politics should never be mixed, but in the Catholic Church your faith comes first and if there is a candidate that supports an idea that directly contradicts your faith he should not receive your vote.  The rest of Obama’s ideas should not matter to Catholics, but the sole belief of abortion should be the reason why Obama should have received ZERO percent of the Catholic vote.  I am extremely disappointed in 53 percent of the Catholics who voted on Election Day.  They either did not represent their faith or they are pro-choice and have believes that are not consistent with the Church.  I would like to see these “fake Catholics” leave the Church or start taking pride in their faith.

Super Bowl

            Today is Super Bowl Sunday and I thought that a special Super Bowl edition of my blog is necessary.  The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Arizona Cardinals 27-23 in a thrilling game that came down to the last minute.  I thought the Steelers were going to blow the Cardinals out of the water before the game and was expecting a boring game.  It seemed I was going to be wrong as the Cardinals drove down the field and were looking to take the lead as the first half came to a close, but the Cardinals quarterback, Kurt Warner, threw an interception at the goal line to the Steelers’ linebacker, James Harrison, who then returned it 100 yards for a touchdown as time expired, making it 17-7.  I thought it was the beginning of a blowout.  In the second half, the Steelers quickly scored on a field goal and took a 20-7 lead, which was a definite dagger for the Cardinals.  In the fourth quarter the Cardinals scored 16 unanswered points and took a 23-20 with 2:37 left, capping off one of the best comebacks I have ever seen.  The Steelers drove back down the field and Ben Roethlisberger, the Steelers’ quarterback, found Santonio Holmes in the corner of the end zone for the game winning touchdown with 35 seconds left.  The Steelers won 27-23.

            Super Bowl XLIII was one of the best Super Bowls I have ever seen.  It was a close game that came down to the last second.  It had everything one would want in a Super Bowl.  I wish it was the Panthers in the Super Bowl.

            I am a huge Carolina Panther fan and was excited that the Panthers were going into the playoffs with a 12-4 record, as NFC South champions, with home field advantage, and a first round bye.  I thought the Panthers had a great shot at winning the Super Bowl as long as they didn’t screw up.  The Panthers had to play beat the Cardinals in order to play in the NFC Championship.  Carolina was going to do it…until Delhomme, the Panthers’ quarterback, started throwing passes to the wrong team.

            Delhomme finished the game with 5 interceptions and 1 fumble.  The Cardinals won 33-13.  It was possibly the worst display of quarterbacking I have ever seen and proves that the Panthers desperately need a new quarterback.  Delhomme lead the Panthers to a Super Bowl his first year as a starter but has been very average since.  This year’s playoff game was an embarrassment to the franchise and its fans and lays squarely on Delhomme’s shoulders.  Panthers, if you want to stop choking, please get a new quarterback!

Christmas Trees at UNC

The Christmas tree has been used as a Christmas decoration all over the world for centuries.  It has brought warmth and joy to billions over the Christmas season, usually the darkest and coldest time of the year. 

UNC has allowed Christmas trees in its libraries for 30 years.  Suddenly, in 2008, the university decided that somehow these trees were causing problems and banned Christmas displays from all buildings.  What problems were these trees causing?  The head of the libraries decided that there were too many complaints about the religious displays.  I want to know how many people complained about a Christmas tree.  Who would complain, Christian or not, about a tree decorated with lights and ornaments?  It is a beautiful sight!  One of my favorite things to do before Christmas is put up the Christmas tree; and after Christmas, I try to keep my tree up as long as possible.  It is so depressing to take it down.

All I ever hear around UNC is “tolerate this and tolerate that.”  Well, what happened to tolerating a tradition that has been around for centuries?  The university is being hypocritical when they tell us we must tolerate all sorts of ideas while the university itself is set out to destroy the celebration of a holiday.  I know there is supposed to be separation of church and state, but the display of a Christmas tree does not fall under that category.  A Christmas tree does not force someone to believe an idea or practice a religion he does not want to.  It is not even a Christian symbol, like a cross.  The Christmas tree comes from pagan traditions.  The Christmas tree has now become a part of the American culture, as well as a part of other cultures all over the world.  Are we really going to let a few people who hate to see anything associated with religion (whether it truly is associated with religion or not) destroy part of our culture?

If you are one of the ones offended by a Christmas tree, I am sorry, but you are going to have a long, hard life.  If a Christmas tree offends you, what other small, harmless things will offend you?  Are you offended by the nun who walks across the street in front of you going to church?  Are you offended by the church members handing out food to the less fortunate?  Are you offended by the group of young Marines praying as a group before they charge into battle in order to protect your rights and your life?

In recent years there has been an assault on organized religion, and Christianity is the main enemy.  Many universities have become the front lines for the assault and those leading it are the same people who spew the word “tolerance” everyday.

It is sad to see our campus become one of those battlefields.