Friday, January 19, 2007
Happy New Year!!!
When you graduate from college (hopefully you'd have anticipated your graduation and saved up for it), one great piece of advice I can give is to take a vacation before you begin your next job. It's even better if you take a trip to a different country than the one you live in.
And that is what I did. After graduating in December with a bachelors in communications (mass media studies) from Florida State University, I hit the air for London and Paris for a two week break and the aura of it all-- especially being in Paris-- cannot be explained. You have to observe it in person. Everyone needs to go at least once to Paris. Yours truly needs at least one more trip to really capture the aura of Paris.
But I'm back now and there's been so much going on in sports. So much that I can only choose a handful to touch on. Since I'm a tennis enthusiast, I'll kick it off with the emergence of Serena as a powerhouse again. After last night's three-set win against fifth-ranked Nadia Petrova in the Australian Open, Serena proved that not only has she gained a significant part of her fitness back, but she's also gotten her mental toughness back in gear. With the way she played, I expect to see her in the Semis at least.
I was very much disappointed to see the San Diego Chargers lose to the New England Patriots. The team with the league's reigning MVP and the most players on the Pro Bowl team couldn't outlast the team with the most Super Bowl rings in the last six years. Much worse was the after-game conduct of MVP LaDanian Tomlinson who accused Patriot's coach Bill Belichick of being responsible for his players after-game actions. LT, who is usually a class act showed a terrible act of sportsmanship at the wrongest time. Instead of blaming the opposing team's coach, he should have directed any negative comments at his coach, who found a way to lose the game by calling more passing plays than running-- which should've made sense especially since his running back was named MVP on the strength of the running plays.
The past week also saw the Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints, two of the worst franchises in recent past, emerging as potential powerhouses in the years to come. Of course props is due to my favorite college team's alum, University of Miami's Devin Hester, for setting a couple of records in his rookie year; helping his team to the playoffs. Reggie Bush also showed what everyone had been expecting of him in the NFL toward the end of the season and has only gotten better.
And in baseball, Mark McGwire was denied entry into the Hall of Fame on his first attempt. Many people, including Barry Bonds, have come to his aid saying he deserved to be in there. Frankly, it's hard to feel comfortable voting for a guy who knowingly used steroids and shamefully tried to avoid addressing the issue at a national hearing. At least, I wouldn't have if given the opportunity.
So much more is going on in the world of sports, including the transfer of David Beckham from Real Madrid (where he had been benched) to the LA Galaxy of the Major League Soccer for a potential whopping $250 million. But to close of on a light note, the recent revelation that a man has planned to propose via a Super Bowl ad to his girlfriend has everyone talking. Not only is the idea original, but it can set him up for either the biggest embarrassment of the year (just as the Washington Wizards fan who got turned down by his girlfriend on TV) or the best proposal of the year thus far. For those interested in finding out her response, cameras would apparently be covering her response on that day and would immediately make it available to sites such as YouTube. Stay tuned!
And that is what I did. After graduating in December with a bachelors in communications (mass media studies) from Florida State University, I hit the air for London and Paris for a two week break and the aura of it all-- especially being in Paris-- cannot be explained. You have to observe it in person. Everyone needs to go at least once to Paris. Yours truly needs at least one more trip to really capture the aura of Paris.
But I'm back now and there's been so much going on in sports. So much that I can only choose a handful to touch on. Since I'm a tennis enthusiast, I'll kick it off with the emergence of Serena as a powerhouse again. After last night's three-set win against fifth-ranked Nadia Petrova in the Australian Open, Serena proved that not only has she gained a significant part of her fitness back, but she's also gotten her mental toughness back in gear. With the way she played, I expect to see her in the Semis at least.
I was very much disappointed to see the San Diego Chargers lose to the New England Patriots. The team with the league's reigning MVP and the most players on the Pro Bowl team couldn't outlast the team with the most Super Bowl rings in the last six years. Much worse was the after-game conduct of MVP LaDanian Tomlinson who accused Patriot's coach Bill Belichick of being responsible for his players after-game actions. LT, who is usually a class act showed a terrible act of sportsmanship at the wrongest time. Instead of blaming the opposing team's coach, he should have directed any negative comments at his coach, who found a way to lose the game by calling more passing plays than running-- which should've made sense especially since his running back was named MVP on the strength of the running plays.
The past week also saw the Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints, two of the worst franchises in recent past, emerging as potential powerhouses in the years to come. Of course props is due to my favorite college team's alum, University of Miami's Devin Hester, for setting a couple of records in his rookie year; helping his team to the playoffs. Reggie Bush also showed what everyone had been expecting of him in the NFL toward the end of the season and has only gotten better.
And in baseball, Mark McGwire was denied entry into the Hall of Fame on his first attempt. Many people, including Barry Bonds, have come to his aid saying he deserved to be in there. Frankly, it's hard to feel comfortable voting for a guy who knowingly used steroids and shamefully tried to avoid addressing the issue at a national hearing. At least, I wouldn't have if given the opportunity.
So much more is going on in the world of sports, including the transfer of David Beckham from Real Madrid (where he had been benched) to the LA Galaxy of the Major League Soccer for a potential whopping $250 million. But to close of on a light note, the recent revelation that a man has planned to propose via a Super Bowl ad to his girlfriend has everyone talking. Not only is the idea original, but it can set him up for either the biggest embarrassment of the year (just as the Washington Wizards fan who got turned down by his girlfriend on TV) or the best proposal of the year thus far. For those interested in finding out her response, cameras would apparently be covering her response on that day and would immediately make it available to sites such as YouTube. Stay tuned!
