Cooperstown: November 2005

Tuesday, November 29, 2005

I Like Bobby Perry

News from my world:

-So I just left the Student Center at school, where today was the grand opening of the new Chick-Fil-A. Upon entering the cafeteria I was stunned to see media, decorations, a podium with a microphone, Lee Todd, and a Chick-Fil-A representative dressed in some very colroful, loud pants. The only thing missing was the Chick-Fil-A cow himself. Now I am not against grand openings for stuff. But was this really needed for the opening of a Chick-Fil-A? In the UK Student Center? I was completely taken aback by the sheer spectacle of it all. You would have thought it was a carnival or something. And it was all for the opening of a fast-food restaraunt. I found it all to be quite too much. Was there really a need for all the show to attract student customers? Absolutely not.

Students are gonna come to the Chick-Fil-A because it is the best option in that pathetic excuse for a food-court. It beats establishments such as The Fourth Quarter grill and Off The Hook seafood joint. It's not like they have a whole lot of competition. I'm noy saying don' advertise. I know you are trying to reach those who eat at Arby's and Q-Doba. I'm just saying cool it with the grand opening festivities. You don't need a keynote speaker. You don't need flash pants. You don't have to entertainme to get me to go to your restaraunt. Just serve me the chicken.

-I saw Bobby Perry in the food-court today. It saw him and thought to myself "You know, I like Bobby Perry". Contrary to John, I like to look at all the positve things he has done for our team. He works very hard, he rebounds, he plays smart. He is not spectacular by any means, but he is a solid role player. I think he will be a key player for our team this year.

And he is a nice guy. Once, when I worked at AllSports, he came in to get a pair of shoes. This is the conversation we had.....

Bobby: Hey, can I get these in a size 13?
Me: Sure, let me check.
(I go back and check)
Me: Sorry man, we're all sold out.
Bobby: Awe man, that's too bad. Well, thanks for checking anyway.

You see, most of the time in that situation the customer says "Man, you all ain't never got my f***ing size." or "You all need to start ordering more of that s***." But not Bobby Perry. You see, he was understanding. And not a chump. He knows that not evrything revolves around his wants and needs. That will take you a long way in life.

-Today's topic in PSY 313: Personality: personality disorders. Psychology is best when something goes wrong. That's pretty much what personality disorders are. The current thinking behind PD's is that it can be measured using the Five Factor Model. Those factors are: openness, agreeableness, concientiousness, extraversion, and neuroticism. When one or more of these factors is extremely high or low, you have a problem.

There are 10 major types of personality disorders. Which one are you?

1) Paranoid: Constant unfounded distrust and suspicion toward others
2) Schizoid: No interest in social relationships.
3) Schizotypal: Pattern of social and interpersonal deficits, reduced capacity for close relationships.
4) Antisocial: Pattern disregard and violation for the rights of others.
5) Borderline: Instability in relationships, self-image, emotion, often resulting in self-harm.
6) Histrionic: Pattern of excessive attention-seeking behavior
7) Narcissistic: Pattern of grandiosity, need for admiration, lack of empathy.
8) Avoidant: Pattern of social inhibition, fear of negative evaluation, judgement, and criticism.
9) Dependant: Excessive need of others to take care of you.
10) Obsessive-Comulsive: Extreme perfectionism. orderliness, need for control.

All of these, of course, must be displayed constantly over a period of time for there to be any real diagnosis. But what is interesting is that we all show symptoms of each of these from time to time. It is only when these patterns of behavior become extreme that they are classied as a personality disorder.

-Congratualtions to Rich Brooks, you just may have picked up your biggest recruit yet in defensive end Micah Johnson. If newspaper reports hold true, Micah has verabally committed to the Cats, choosing UK over schools such as Georgia, Louiville, Michigan, Notre Dame, Tennessee, and Virginia Tech. Johnson, the #1 over-all prospect in Kentucky and the #2 defensive end prospct in the country, has been stated by Scout.com as being "the best big-man athlete in the country". Local reporters are saying that he may be an ever bigger recruiting signing than Tim Couch was. If these reports are true and he comes to UK, that would be HUGE! Let's just hope he doesn't pull an Montrell Jones and reneg.

-Basketball Commentator Bad Pun Attempt of the Day: I watched little bit of the V-Tech/Ohio State basketball game last night. OSU has this player names Terence Dials. I'm sure you can see where this is going. So Dials dribbels into the paint and hits a short jumper, and the commentator (Bill Raftery, I think) says: "When Dials gets into the paint, he really dials in". Come on Bill, was that really necessary?

Thursday, November 24, 2005

Happy Thanksgiving

What an exciting week it has been, mostly due to the fact that there has been so much college basketball on TV. I must confess I have been like a kid in a candy store. It has been, in many ways, like a week of NCAA tournament play, with so many ranked teams beating up on each other. So, after watching many of the top teams play, I thought that I would give my say as to who I was impressed with and who left me me disappointed.

-Let's talk UK basketball first. There has been a lot of talk recently about how UK can't win a national championship this year without Randolph Morris. I say that is a very bold statement to make. Sure, I think UK would benefit from having Morris back. But I think that it is way, WAY too early to say that we can kiss our championship hopes goodbye.

The early season has shown some of UK's problems; transition defense, freethrows, sloppy play. But remember, it is very early in the season and all these things will get much better over time. They always do, and so I am not too worried about them.

And so we come back to the Morris issue. Can UK succeed without him? I think they can. Here are a few reasons why:

1) Strong guard play. UK has arguably the deepest backcourt in the country. They are quick, they have shot well, and they put tons of pressure on the ball.

2) Rekalin Sims. Sims has far exceded my expectations as a JC transfer. He is aggressive, he rebounds, he plays solid defense, he can shoot the 3, he takes charges. And he plays smart. So far he has filled Chuck Hayes' shoes well. He plays well inside and will draw defenders to him, opening up things for others.

3) Jared Carter. I admit I was very skeptical when Tubby signed this kid. But he has impressed me so far, not so much by numbers but by his potential. What seperates him from the other two 7-footers? He can actually catch the ball, he is quicker, and he is very agressive. When was the last time you saw Alleyne or Orbzut score on a mid-air put-back? How bout never. Right now he is playnig like a freshman, but so was Morris at this time last year. He will improve and can be a factor in March. And he doesn't even have to be scoring 10 or 15 a game. He just has to have presence and play solid D, both of which I think he is capable of doing. That is what spreads a defense out for the playmakers to make plays.

4) Fouls. All it takes is for a few quick fouls to equalize the playing field when your opponent has a better inside game.

5) Last year. Keep in mind Morris spent a large portion of time on the bench due to fouls. And we still succeeded.

Other reasons why UK can still be great:

-Scheduling. This year they are getting tested earlier and more often, where as last year they played a fairly soft schedule to start. And hear this, the SEC is going to be a lot better than people say they will. Florida has already beaten teams from the almight ACC and Big East. Arkansas beat Kansas. UK will be tested this year.

-Early loss. Every national champion from recent history lost an early game, much the way UK lsot to Iowa. In '96 UK lost to UMass early on. UConn lost an early one on their way to a championship. UNC lost their opener last year. Losses are teaching tools, and good coaches will use them to their advantage.

-Lowered expectations. All this talk of UK being nothing without Morris has ruffled the feathers of the team. I say let's fly under the radar and then dominate in March. Remember Syracuse in '03? Arizona in '97? 4 seed and 6 seed respectively, had medicore seasons, but got it done in March. That's all that matters.

-The fact that we are a 3 pointer from being 4-0 and in the top 5. Had one more 3 pointer dropped for UK, there would be a lot less talk about how we can't win without Morris.

Bottom line: the Cats will be fine. Tubby is good at playing towards his strengths, whcih is something he will have to do a lot this year. Am I guarenteeing a champoionship? Absolutely not. But is a dangerous thing to say they can't do it without Morris. And more and more it looks like it is going to have to get done without him.

But enough of that. Let's take a look at the other teams I saw in action. NOTE: Keep in mind that I am taking a totally unbiased approach here: I am just stating what I saw. Being biased towards or against anyone does no one any good.

1) Duke. I was not impressed, at least in the fact that this is supposed to be the best team in America. They blew Seton Hall out, but struggled against the other two crappy teams they played. And had it not been for Reddick's 31 points last night, Duke loses to Drexel. The key to beating Duke is simple: get Sheldon Williams in foul trouble (which is very feasible) and containing Reddick. Any good defense with the right gameplan can do this. Duke is a good team, but they are not #1 right now, maybe #5.

2) Texas. They looked like one of those teams, who, of they get hot, they are unbeatable, but when they play abd, they are real bad. They certainly have a lot of talent, but they are still young. I admit I have bashed Texas in the past because they have not done anything to earn their ranking. I still stick by that, but I will let off a little bit. I was mildly impressed, at least with Aldridge. They will be a team to keep an eye on, that is for sure.

3) UConn. This team plays solid defense and has some good playmakers. I would put them as my top team right now after seeing them win the Maui Invitational. My only critcism of them is that they are very sloppy and make some very poor decisions. But Calhoun is a great coach, and they will be tough to beat come March.

4) Michigan State. Poor State, they lost to Hawaii by 22 and then to Gonzaga in triple overtime. But don't count the Spartans out yet. They are young, and they have a ton of talent. I think their biggest problem right now is depth, and that will come back to haunt them down the road.

5) Gonzaga. Gonzaga is weak. Any good defense can shut them down, which is exactly what UConn did. And plus Gonzaga is not going to play another ranked team for 3 months. I forsee another early tourney exit for them.

6) Syracuse. The 'Cuse is done. Go ahead and call it a season.

7) Arizona. Hassan Adams is real, but after that they struggle. And playing in the Pac-10 doesn't help. They may win some games, but they will have a tought time in March.

8) Memphis. Memphis looked real good for a half, then real bad for a half. If it weren't for the inconsitency, I would put them in the top 5. Depth may play a big part in this. If they can become a more stable team, watch out, they can be very good.

9) UCLA. The Bruins are weak, although they did show some fight in the second half of the game against Memphis. Again, playing in the Pac-10 won't help this team at all.

10) Arkansas. Watch out for the Hogs. They can be very dangerous this year. They beat Kansas. Road play will be the key issue with them.

11) Florida. Florida impressed me, especially in beating Wake. But I think the element of surprise (i.e. their lack of a pre-season ranking) helped them a lot. The are a much more physical team then in the past, but that can only get you so far.

12) Iowa. Iowa has a solid team, and I was impressed with them. They beat UK an played Texas to the wire. They will be another team to watch.

13) West Virginia. This is one of those teams that, if you know how to play them, they are no threat. Last year, they caught a lot of people off-guard with thier back-door cuts and their 3-point shooting. However, UK showed that the zone is the way to beat them. However, they did have Texas beat had it not been for 3 missed free-throws, which says a lot.

14) Maryland. Maryland is one of those sleeper teams. They are young now, but will be dangerous come March. I look forward to seeing Duke visit them when conference play starts.

15) Wake Forest. Wake is gonna be up and down this year. They may pull off a big upset down the road, but don't look for them to do much in the tourney.

Well that is my look at the teams I saw in action. It is going to be an intersting season, as there are no real dominant teams like UNC and Illinois were last year.

Hope you all had a fantastic Turkey Day. Let's hope for a football victory this weekend against the Vols.

Sunday, November 20, 2005

When You Don't Have A Date For The Weekend, Stabler and Ice-T WIll Suffice

Thoughts from the week:

-Ok so UK loses big to Georgia, but that was to be expected: we never win two games in a row and Georgia never loses three in a row. But watching the game was not a total waste of time. I heard these two comments from the commentators:

-Guy 1: "Georgia puts tennis balls in their jug machines and fires them at their recievers in order to improve their hands."

-Guy 2: "Yeah, those tennis balls are smaller than footballs."

And of course there were the puns involving UK running back Rafael Little. Jokes such as "His name may be Little, but he's a big part of this offense", or "His name may be little, but he makes some big plays for this team" were made all day long.

Am I the only one who notices these absurdly stupid comments? I honestly feel that I could do these guys' jobs.

-Only one word can sum up why this weekend was the jam: SVU. That's right, 8 episodes of Stabler slappin people around and Ice-T saying rediculous things. Does it get any better?

-Well as the end of the year approaches, I thought it would be good for me to point out the worst movies this year. And, by no coincidence, they are all made-for-TV movies. Keep in mind these judgments were made solely on the TV ads I saw for them: I never watched any of these:

1) Pizza My Heart: After much thought, I finally figured out that this is supposed to be a play on the phrase "piece of my heart." That's stupid.

It's about a guy and a girl whose families own competing pizza businesses. Anyone care to guess what happens? They fall in love, and of course the families both go nuts. I'll pass, thanks.

2) The Poseidon Adventure: This one is about huge boat that sinks. Can anyone say Titanic II? The only difference, from what I gather, is that instead of one end of the boat sinking into the water and the other end protruding high into the air, the Poseidon just turns upside down. Can that eve happen? I doubt it. Maybe when you played with boats in the bathtub when you were a kid. But this is real life. Boats don't jsut flip over. At any rate, why watch it when you know the boat goes under?

3) Category 7: End Of The World: CBS is responsible for this one. It's about a storm that wipes out the world. HERE'S WHAT YOU DID CBS: You went out and saw The Day After Tomorrow. So you decided to remake the movie with bad actors. That's what you did.

4) Spring Break Shark Attack: Boys and girls in skimpy bathing suits partying on a boat get eaten by killer charks. Yawn.

5) Locust: It's about killer locusts that threaten to wipe out the human race. Seems legit to me.

6) Martha Inc.: The Story of Martha Stewart: All I have for you is one line from the movie....whileon a break during the taping of her TV show, a stagehand brings Martha a glass of wine. Martha's response: (screaming and throwing the glass) "What is this? I ASKED FOR MERLOT!!!!!!!!" I almost wish I had watched this one.

7) Snow Wonder: The subtitle/catchphrase for the movie is "Forecast: Love". When I saw the ad for this in the paper I laughed out loud. From the looks of it, a bunch of cure girls fall in love with a bunch of hunky guys. And it has Camryn Manheim in it. Once again, I'll pass.

Again, I never actaully saw any if these movies, so If anyone watched one of them and liked it a) please don't be offended that I ridiculed a movie you liked and b) let me know about it, and I will take back my comments about your movie, as they are all totally based on the previews and past TV movies I have seen.

-I would like to take a moment to address something that has been bothering me ever since last week. Dustin and I, upon gazing at the college bulletin board at church, noticed that it contains, between the two of us, a total of zero Halloween Party pictures with either of us in it. What's the deal? Where is the love? Were our costumes that lame? Todd didn't even wear a costume and he got a picture. And you only got half of Batman in a picture. What's up? Let me get some feedback if you know anything.

-Song of the Week: Feelin' Good by Michael Buble

-Troy Woodyard Quote of the Week: (sees that another episode of SVU is coming on next) "Yes!!!", (pumps his fist, then turns to me) "I'm on painkillers."

-Ice-T Quote of the Week: (to a 14-year old punk) "You know I just wanna slap you right now, don't you?"

-Jason Lamb Quote of the Week:

-Me: Is this Casting Crowns?
-Jason: More like Casting Frowns.

I concur Jason. I concur.

Wednesday, November 16, 2005

Yet Another New Link

We officially have our first high school blog, as Taylor Wherle has started his own blog, which you can reach from the link to the right. Taylor is a 5-star prospect: he has a lot of potential, great vision, and a good knowledge of the game. I expect great things from him, so check out his site.

Sunday, November 13, 2005

The Review Is Back

Let's get it:

-Well UK played their opening basketball game tonight, and while it wasn't the pretiest game ver played they got the job done, beating the South Dakota State Jackrabbits 71-54. Tommorow night: Lipscomb.

-After watching tonight's game, all I could think was......HERE'S WHAT YOU DID SOUTH DAKOTA STATE: You needed a mascot for your school. So you picked the jackrabbit. That's what you did.

-When was the last time we saw a UK basketball and football victory in the same weekend? Enjoy this moment, usually UK football is losing in November. I'm with John in that Rafael Little should be SEC Player of the Week after he put up 370 all-purpose yards against Vandy. Needless to say, without Little, UK is 0-9.

-In other news, the big flag football tournament took place this weekend. Our team lost both of our games, but at least we had fun doing it. In our defense, both of our QB's were unable to play, so we were kind of left in a quandry. I think everyone on our team played QB at some point.

-This question was posed to me this week: if someone were to make a movie about your life, what actor/actress would you want playing your part? An interesting question, no doubt. But after careful deliberation, I decided on 3 possible candidates:

1) Christopher Walken
2) Tom Hanks
3) Denzel Washington

What about you?

-I had the pleasure of hanging out with high schoolers from church tonight, and might I say it was quite refreshing. I even heard that a few high schoolers visit Cooperstown occasionally. So in order to appeal to said high schoolers, I thougt I would share one of my many high school memories:

- One time I was in the library, just gettin' my study on, when I went to go get on the computer for a second. Well instead of walking around the chairs I stepped over them, because I didn't want to walk all the way around them. Turns out the librarian saw me, so she comes over and tries to kick me out of the library. For stepping on a chair. I was all like "What? I just put one foot on the chair, and you are gonna kick me out of the school library for that? " Then I told her that the least amount of distance between two points is a straight line, and that all I was doing was applying the principles of geometry that I had learned, but she wasn't buying it. She made me leave. For stepping on a chair. So I pretty much went outside in the hall for about a minute, then came back in, cause I wasn't gonna let her ruin my education. Librarians are haters.

-The 'Eric Walters Tells It Like It Is" of the Week: So my friend Shelly picks up this candle in the shape of a mug with hot cocoa in it, and.....

Shelly: Is this what I think it is?
Eric: It's a candle.

Needless to say, the boy calls it like he sees it.

-Pray for Eric this week, as he is having brain surgery Tuesday. I tried to convince him to get a computer chip put in his head while they were in there, but he wouldn't have it.

-Song of the Week: Easier Than Love by Switchfoot

-I don't know whats been going on, but I've been getting dissed a lot lately. It all started a few months ago when I went to Cheddar's. As I was going in I opened the door for these two young ladies. Now what normally happens in that situation? They say "Thank you". What really happened? They laughed at me. Laughed at me. I nearly said "Forget you" and shut the door in their face, but I didn't, because I'm a nice guy. Don't let anyone ever tell you that nice guys always win, because it's not true.

Tuesday, November 08, 2005

Lyrical Truths and Hidden Meanings

Most music today seems to mean nothing. Many of the lyrics you here on the radio are mindless and pointless. You know this, so I don't really have to explain it to you. But there is more to the story. The music industry has everyone fooled. Musicians are not who you think they are, and thier music is not what you think it is.

I was watching the Today Show on NBC this morning. One of the anchors was interviewing rap artist 50 Cent, mostly talking about the release of his new movie. Now 50 Cent is one of these guys who is real good at making you think he is something that he really isn't. He would like you to believe that he is a gang-bangin thug ganster who roams the streets shootin people up when he is not rapping. Granted, the man was shot like 42 times and mangaed to survive it. But that is his past. The reporter asked asks him "People are scared of you. Is that really you?" His answer was something to the effect of "You can pick my CD up for $16.99. It's entertainment. It's my job." 50 Cent is a smart man; he knows what people want to hear, what makes money, and thats what he sings about, whether it is true or not. And there are many others out there doing the same thing.

But there are still some songs that actually have meaning. So I thought it would be a good call to point out these songs, and discuss the truths found in the lyrics, as well as any other hidden meaning. That why I am introducing yet another new segment entitled "Lyrical Truths and Hidden Meanings".

Todays songs:

1) Girls and Boys by Good Charlotte-Let me preface this by saying that Good Charlotte is one of the worst bands of all time, and I by no means reccomend that you buy any of their records. I got one for free and I still felt like I got ripped off. At any rate, there was one good song that they put out a couple years ago. Girls and Boys deals with exactly what the title says, but also gives us a good look at why girls like boy and vice versa, as well as an insight to flirtatious behavior. Here is the chorus:

Girls don't like boys, girls like cars and money
Boys will laugh at girls when they're not funny

Profound? You bet. Look at the facts. The guys is always the one driving on the date, so if he doesn't have a nice car, she is gonna look elsewhere for love. And money. Who doesn't like money? Girls sure like it, that's for sure. So it is essential that you have at least of of these. But there is more to the song....

There is the flirting phenomenon that has puzzled me for years: boys will laugh at girls when they're not funny. How true is this? I see guys all the time laugh at girls when they tell funny stories, even when it was a terribly unfunny story. So why do they do it? They want the girl to like them, of course. By laughing at her story or joke, you show interest in her. And that's how it all starts isn't it?

So what do we learn from this song? You have two options as a guy: get some money and a nice car, or laugh at her unfunny stories and jokes. Most of us use the latter method, because there just isn't enough money to go around. And if you have a girlfriend/wife and have no money or nice car, you better start laughing at her funny stories because it won't be long before she gives you the boot.

2) Sweetness by Jimmy Eat World- I know that many of you will agree when I say that this is one of the greatest songs of all time. I bought this CD my freshman year, and I still listen to it. Sweetness was by far the best song on the album; it immediatley caught my attention the first time I heard it. And so now we take a closer look at it:

Are you listening. (Whoa,oh,oh,oh,oh,oh)
Sing it back. (Whoa,oh,oh,oh,oh,oh)
String from your tether unwinds.(string from your tether unwinds, Whoa oh, Whoa oh)
Up and outward to bind (Up and outward to bind, Whoa oh, Whoa oh)

I was spinning free (Whoa,oh,oh,oh,oh,oh)
with a little sweet and simple numbing me

Are you listening? (Whoa,oh,oh,oh,oh,oh)
Sing it back. (Whoa,oh,oh,oh,oh,oh)
So tell me what do I need (tell me what do I need, Whoa oh, Whoa oh)
When words lose their meaning (When words lose their meaning) (Whoa oh, Whoa oh)

I was spinning free (Whoa,oh,oh,oh,oh,oh)
with a little sweet and simple numbing me
Yeah, stumble till you crawl (Whoa,oh,oh,oh,oh,oh)
Sinking into sweet uncertainty

Are you listening? Are you listening?If you're listening (Whoa,oh,oh,oh,oh,oh)
If you're listening, Are you listening?Sing it back (Whoa,oh,oh,oh,oh,oh)
If you're listening, Are you listening?I'm still running away, I'm still running away, whoa oh, whoa oh
Won't play your hide and seek game.

I was spinning free (Whoa,oh,oh,oh,oh,oh)
with a little sweet and simple numbing me.
What a dizzy dance (whoa,oh,oh,oh,oh,oh)
This sweetness will not be concerned with me.
No the sweetness will not be concerned with me.

Many a day and night have I thought about what this song means. What is this "sweetness" that they sing of? It must be good, I mean they wrote a song about it. Well in order to find out what the "sweetness" is, as well as what the song is about, let's break the lyrics down:

Are you listening/Sing it back: this would imply that what the singer is about to say is of the utmost importance, seeing as how he makes sure we are listening, even asking us to sing it back.

String from you tether unwinds, up and outward to bind: he obviously feels held back by some "tether". But what is that tether? A lady perhaps?

I was spinning free, with a little sweet and simple numbing me: alas, there is a happy moment for the singer. Perhaps due to the proverbial "sweetness"?

Are you listening/Sing it back: again making sure we are listening.

So tell me what do I need when words lose their meaning: This guy is obviously trying to say something to someone, but all words have lost meaning, and he wants to know what he needs in order to express his feelings.

I was spinning free, with a little sweet and simple numbing me: again, he's feelin' good.

Stumble to your car, sinking into sweet uncertainty: Hmmmm, things get interesing here. does he stumble to his car perhaps because he finally broke up with his girlfriend who was holding him back (remember the tether), and now there is "sweet uncertainty" as to what will happen next. But that's what he wants: less predictability in his life.

Again we do the whole "Are you listening" thing.

I'm still running away, won't play your hide-and-seek game: here is the breaking point. He is tired of hiding from this girl, so he runs until he knows she won't follow him anymore.

What a dizzy dance, this sweetness will not be concerned with me: he is happy, so he is dancing. There is no more need for concern.

And there you have it. The whole time, he was telling his significant other (not us) to listen, because he was done with her. Of course, there could be other interpretations out there, but this is what I think. So what do we learn? Nothing really, it is just a cool song about a breakup that made him feel good and not bad like most break-ups do. It's irony. And that's what makes it good.

Sunday, November 06, 2005

People

One of my favorite comic strips growing up was The Far Side by Gary Larson. I can't tell you why I liked them so much; they didn't even make sense half of the time. I guess that's what made them funny. They were simple and to the point, with no hidden meaning. One Far Side strip in particular has stuck with me over the years. It has a picture of God in a kitchen with a chef's hat on. In a baking pan on the counter is the Earth, where God is busy at work preparing it. As he finishes making Earth, he takes a container labled "Jerks" and sprinkles it all over Earth, saying "And just to make things interesting....."

While I don't think God created the Earth in an oven or heated it up in the microwave, I don't think this comic strip is too far from the truth. I don't mean that God made put jerks in the world purely for his entertainment. I mean that it is a good representation of how He used several different ingredients when creating the inhabitants of His planet.

I have been noticing a lot lately how great a variety of personality there is in the world. And even more than that, how all these personalities mix and match to make things "interesting". And what is even more intriguing is how all these vastly different people's lives cross, and somehow it all works out in the end.

People are funny. People are interesting. People are different. But what if all people were the same? What if God had, say, only decided he wanted outgoing people on Earth? Or only shy folk? Or how about only neat freaks? Nerds? Jocks? The list goes on and on. But fortunately, there is a good mixture of all of these.

There are the Hagan Yorks, who like to be loud and have fun.
There are the Brad Hughes' who just like to keep to themselves.
There are the Lindsey Wells' who are always smiling.
There are the Dave Blakes, who say things late at night that sometimes just don't make sense.
There are the Smittys, who you watch change over the years, but at heart are still that same old Smitty Smeed you went to Junior Camp with years ago.
There are the Eric Walters', who give us great phrases to use in the future, such as "Look......the phone calls have gotta stop."
There are the Taylor Wherles, who look at the world through a compltely different lens than the rest of us.
There are the Bryce Coopers, who get way too excited about the comments he leaves on blogs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
There are the Erin Thomas', who always know the clever thing to say.
There are the Andy Henards, who can kill a joke even if it wore a bullet-proof vest under a suit of solid-steel armor.
There are the Matt Woodyards, who will always make you a better Halo player.
There are the Brett Rileys, who keep running their mouths even after you beat them soundly at NCAA Football '06
There are the Morgan Fischers, who stop in the hall at school and talk to you for 15 minutes, when most people just say hi and keep walking.
There are the Chris Smiths, who will be the only one to understand when I say "Call Alfred on the BatPhone, Batman got lost on Military Pike."
There are the Josh Judes, who always have a good story to tell.
There are the Sarah Kinneys, whose three major food groups consist of bread, chicken, and strawberries.
There are the Dustin Colemans, who can make you think.
There are the Justin Tapps, who like to yell and scream at the TV. And the XBox. And the toaster. And the coffee pot. And the trach can.
There are the Justin Soks, who don't know how to behave themselves, but who are the best friends you can have.
There are the Rachel Russells, who must have a lot of patience dating fools like the Justin Soks.
There are the Troy Woodyards, who do things like drop cell phones in the toilet. Or who play their guitars real late at night. Or who put a subwoofer in their white Toyota Corolla but don't bother to replace a lost hubcap.

And the list goes on and on, because everyone brings something to the table. I think that is one reason that I chose psychology as a major: to see and understand why people are the way they are and what makes them do what they do. But I don't think that that is something you can ever fully understand.

So what is the point here? There is no point really. Just what I have been thinking about late at night or in class when my thoughts wander. Take from it what you will, but I think the biggest think that I have learned is that people are different for a reason, that they have been brought into my life for a reason, and that I should be thankful that they are there, as well as be thankful that they are not all the same. Because only God himself knows what this world would be like if it were full of Troy Woodyards.

FUTURE POSTS ALERT: Over the next few weeks, you will get to look a little bit more into the lives of those who I had the privelege of calling a roommate throughout my college experience. We will look back at some of the highlights from the old Hagan Hall cell...I mean dorm....as well as the old house on Joshua Circle. We will share some laughs, and a good time will be had by all. So keep an eye out for it.

Saturday, November 05, 2005

Saturday Sports Review

Well I went to the UK game today against my better judgement, mostly because we had our big offensive playmakers back from injuries. And as usual I left at half time. On the outside it would seem like the same old song and dance. But it wasn't. For those who couldn't see the game, here's what went down:

-UK scores first, and although they gave up a TD quickly after that, they appeared as if they had come to play today, which doesn't occur often. Flash forward to the second quarter, where Auburn is up 14-10 on the 50 yard line, 2nd and 10. Brandon Cox launches a deep, sky-high jump ball down the sideline, where the Auburn reciever has no chance to make a play because the UK cornerback managed to force him to the sideline and out of bounds. But wait....just after the reciever goes out of bounds, he steps back in bounds, makes the catch, and runs into the endzone for the TD. Well the general consensus. even among Auburn fans, was that the play would be ruled as incomplete. But wait...to the horror of the 60,000 expectant stands in the stadium, the officials rule that the UK conerback pushed the reciever out of bounds, and the pass is ruled complete and the TD stands.

-Instant replay CLEARLY shows that the Auburn reciever not only stepped out of bounds, but actually pushed the UK cornerback aside so as to get to the ball. So to sum it all up: UK cornerback plays good defense, forces reciever out of bounds without touching him. Auburn reciever commits offensive pass interference, goes out of bounds, comes back inbounds, catches ball, runs in for TD. UK player: nice legal play, no penaly committed, 7 points for the other team. Auburn player: 2 penalties committed, 7 points for his team. And here's the kick: the play can't be reviewed.

- Then the real fun begins. For the first time ever, Rich Brooks (and Mike Archer) shows that he actually gives a rip about the outcome of the game by getting in a very heated argument with the officials, which resulted in two sideline encroachment penalties, allowing Auburn to kick-off from the UK 35 yard-line. Fans boo and scream murder for 10 minutes. They throw things on the field. When Auburn finally kicks off, the ball sails into the stands, and the fans take it and throw it ouf the stadium. At halftime, the officials are again greeted with boos and are ushered off the field by several security gaurds. It was almost like Ernie Flethcer had showed up at the game again.

-So here is the fallout: UK ends up losing anyway. So why should I care? That's a good question. My thoughts on the matter.

1) I don't have as much of a problem with the officials missing a call as I do them not being able to review the play. For some reason beyond my realm of knowledge, plays such as these are not reviewable, which brings me to my big question: why bother with instant replay when almost everything is not-reviewable. Honestly, the only plays I have seen reviewed have been those where: a) a fumble occured and the officials need to see if the players knee was down or not b) whether a pass was complete or incomplete (i.e. traps, possession, one foot inbounds, etc.) But wait.....wasn't play a question of whether or not the pass was complete? I am going to guess that the reason it was not reviewed is because a "penalty" was involved. But no penalty flag was thrown that I saw. And even if there was, why shouldn't you be able to review a special case like this, where a reciever RAN OUT OF BOUNDS and then came back in? That at least should have been reviewed, then it would have been evident that it was the Auburn reciever who committed the penalty. And would it be so wrong to be able to review some penalties? I am not saying that we should review things like holding or offsides. But major penalties like pass interference and personal foul calls, where the penalty makes a huge difference on the outcome of the play, shouldn't we at least consider reviewing some of these? And for those who would say that it would slow the game down too much because so many plays would be reviewed, I say this: why not let the coaches have 3 challenges like in the NFL, thus reducing the number of reviews in a game? Isn't it better to get the call right? The idea behind using instant replay is that it is able to see things that the officials can't. Remember a year or two ago when the Tennessee player pushed the Florida player, and the Florida player punched him in the helmet? Both were at fault, but only the UF player was penalized. The penalty kept the drive alive, and Tennessee won. Now what if that was reviewable? What would have the outcome be had they made the right call?

It just seems to me that we have this replay to get things right but we don't ever use them when it is really needed.......

2) On the other hand, it made me happy to see Rich Brooks get fired up. I still disagree with his play calls, his coaching methods, etc., but I was gald to see him show a little excitement. It reminded me of the time when Guy Morriss punched a wall in the locker room during half-time of a game, breaking his hand. (By the way, UK came out fired up and won.)

3) Bottom line: did it really change the outcome of the game? Probably not. Howver it came at a time when UK was very much in the game; had the pass been incomplete it would have been 3rd and 10, and there could have been a nice defensice stop made. But more than that, UK made a great play on the ball and got called for a bogus penalty. It was demoralizing, and it's effects carried over throughout the rest of the game. John Wiley, who was sitting next to me during the whole debacle, put it well: WE CAN'T CATCH A BREAK. And it's true. We get injured like no other team I have ever seen. We make a big play, but it is called back for a petty penalty. And then there are occurences like today.

I'm not blaming the UK loss on the refs. They lost the game because they gave up over 300 yards on the ground. Like I said earlier, it probably wouldn't have changed the outcome of the game that much; it's the principle of the matter.

I feel bad for the players. I feel bad for the fans. Heck, I even feel bad for the coaches for once. The officials got this call dead wrong: replay showed it, and even unbiased ESPN writers who recapped the game admitted that it was a terrible call. But it "couldn't be reviewed", and there is a chance that the outcome could have been different. That's why I am upset.

-In other sports news, Philadelphia Eagles suspended Terrell Owens indefinitley. In other words, the Philadelphia Eagles told their little kid to go to his room and think about what he did untill they say that it is alright for him to go back outside and play.

-Well Tapp was right: Vince Young did not run for 267 yards against Baylor. Instead he threw for 300. And the Horns won 62-0.

Friday, November 04, 2005

New Record!

These are Thursday's final statistics for Cooperstown:

VISITS

Total
5, 376

Average Per Day
60

Average Visit Length
4:33

Last Hour
7

Today
78

This Week
417

PAGE VIEWS

Total
7,269

Average Per Day
251

Average Per Visit
4.2

Last Hour
34

Today
330

This Week
1,754

This is a new record for the weblog, give yourselves a pat on the back. However I just realized how much of a dork I am for posting weblog stats, so it kind of ruined the moment for me.

Wednesday, November 02, 2005

CELEBRITY LOOK-A-LIKE!!!!!

I recently took a quiz online that was supposed to tell me who my "celebrity twin" was. I thought it would be fun and that I would have a twin who I could identify with and say "Hey, I really am like him/her". Well apparently my celebrity twin is the one and only Ashlee Simpson. I have only one thing to say about those results: that's proposterous. I have nothing in common with Ashlee Simpson: I am not a hooch, I am not a faker, I don't get booed of stage at the Super Bowl, and I certainly don't ride on the coat tails of my siblings success.

Well in light of this travesty, this sham, this mockery, this traveshamockery, I have decided to restore order and set things straight. That's why I am adding a new segment here at Cooperstown "CELEBRITY LOOK-A-LIKE". That's right, another new segment that will only enhance the Cooperstown experience. In this segment we look at the people we know and see everyday and point out the celebrities they look like. I know many of you out there have friends who like like famous people, but you don't want to say anything. Well now is your chance. And I might note there that if your picture is out there on the internet somewhere (i.e. Facebook) you are fair game....

Tonight we look at a few of my friends who have uncanny resemblances to celebrities.

LOOK-A-LIKES #1:

Water's Edge Drummer David Waters and NBA Superstar Tim Duncan

This one is just bizarre!!!! I mean yes, Dave is white and Tim is black, but other than that they are like twins.

LOOK-A-LIKES #2

Lindsey Wells and Olympic Gold-Medal Figure Skater Nancy Kerrigan

It's true!!!! Can you see the similarites??? I know Lindsey protested this years ago, but hopefully she will agree now. Actually, she'll probably kill me for this.

LOOK-A-LIKES #3:

Bryce Cooper and Napoleon Dynamite

Do they look alike? HECK YES!!!!!

LOOK-A-LIKES #4:

Connor Sears and P.Chase Sears

Ok, so neither are really celebrities, but they look a lot a like.

LOOK-A-LIKES #5:

Colby Adams and former UK basketball star Gerald Fitch

Now if only Colby had game........

So what do you think? What are your opinions of these comparison? Do you agree or disgaree.

If you know someone who looks like a celebrity, or if you think you look like one, let me know. We'll put it to the test by letting the people decide.

Tuesday, November 01, 2005

My Thanksgiving Dilemma

Well I just finished an exam on personality and personality assessment. It was an interesting topic of study, becuase personality is a very abstract subject and it is hard to define, measure, and assess. Basically the popular belief today is that personality is the combination of a variety of biological, social, and environmental factors. In many ways we have a certain genetic "tempermant" that allows us to respond a certain way in various situations, but by no means limits expression. To get a good measure of ones personality, you must look at all the factors that affect a person's life. But that's not what you came to here about right? Right.

What I Know: A lot of people in Christian cirlces today want to look at the field of psychology as a total disregard for God's involvement in our lives.

What I Think: I think it is a crying shame that so many say this. Psychology, when looked at correctly, is not about replacing God with science. Now there are many out there in the field of psychology studying the subject without taking God into account. But if you study psychology while taking God into account you will look at it with a whole new perspective. Let's look at personality, for example. There is the ongoing "nature vs. nurture" debate: do our genes determine who we are, or do outside influences? There are holes in both sides of the argument. But when you add God into the equation, he fills those holes, and it all makes sense. God makes us who we are, a unique person with a specific genetic make-up: "nature" as some would call it. Yet we are still flawed by sin from birth. This our personality, who we are, how we behave, and it can vary due to environmental and social influences. Of course God can change out personality through a relationship with Him. When you step back and look at how God is in control of all, and how He uses certain events, people, situations ("nurture") you begin to see that it all makes sense. But the pyschologist who doesn't account for God does not see this: he/she only sees genetics and social influence, and so he/she cannot explain these thngs. The best they can do is to say that both play a part, but there is a missing link between the two. That link is God, but many fail to recognize it.

What I Know: I gave out candy to trick or treaters at my house last night.

What I Think: Costumes are a lot cooler now than when I was a kid. Or at least more original. Many kids liked to mix and match their costumes, using certain pieces from each one to create the ultimate Halloween costume, which ends up looking pretty rediculous. But in their minds it it the greatest costume ever. And that's all that really matters.

What I Know: Yesterday I bought the new album from Michael Bublé entitled It's Time.

What I Think: When you finish reading this post, put your jacket on, get in your car, and drive to Best Buy and pick this CD up, because it might possibly be the best CD all year. If you like Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, or any of the Rat Pack guys, you'll love Michael Bublé.

What I Know: With Halloween come and gone, it is now time for us to turn our attention to Thanksgiving.

What I Think: Well I have two options from Thanksgiving this year:

Option #1: Thanksgiving with Jerry's family in Louisville, where the following will take place:
- I will get good eats.
-I will get to see dear and beloved family members that I don't get to see often.
-Several relatives will comment on how much I look like Jerry.
-Several relatives will say how tall I look, and ask how much I have grown, and I will have to explain that I actaully stopped growing senior year of high school, and I am no taller now than the last time they saw me.
-My uncle will ask me if I have a girlfriend.
-Several relatives will ask me what my major in college is.
-Some will ask why I am a UK fan and not a UL fan.

Option #2: Thanksgiving with Mindy's family here in LexVegas, where the following will take place:
- I will get good eats.
-I will get to see many more dear and beloved family members that I don't get to see often.
-Several relatives will comment on how much I look like Mindy.
-Again, I will have to explain that I am the same height and that I haven't grown since last Thanksgiving.
-My little 7 year-old cousin Robby will run around saying things that don't make sense, thus keeping everyone amused.
-Several relatives will again ask me about college.

I hope it doesn't sound like I don't like my extended family: I really do. They are good people. I just think it is funny that I can accurately predict what is going to occur each time I visit. So what should I do? That's where Option #3 comes in: hit up both Thanksgivings . That's right, it may cost a little extra gas money, but two dinners is worth it. Here's my plan: drive to Louisville around lunch time, visit with family, eat until I am full, return to Lexington for dinner #2, by which that time I will be hungry again. I want to visit both families, and I want two meals, so this seems like the best choice of action for me. However, I don't think this plan will fly with Mindy and Jerry. They usually pick one or the other, so I may be out of luck.

Cooperstown