This has been a long time coming…my FIRST blog on this entire trip! I apologize for taking so long to get everyone updated. It’s 1:30 a.m. right now and I’m lying on my bottom bunk talking to my two roommates – Ryan from Colorado who goes to school at University of San Diego and Robyn from Chicago who goes to Butler University. We are part of the “Caribbean Sea,” which is how they separate the halls and decks into each Living Learning Coordinator’s (LLC) section. Omar is our hilarious LLC, who helped lead us to victory today at the Sea Olympics!
Team Blue, the Caribbean Sea, tied for first with Team Green, the Bering Sea, after a day of grueling events that included a pull-up competition, crab soccer, volleyball, tug of war and synchronized swimming (just to name a few). I participated in crab soccer (yes, you crab walk and play soccer – absolutely ridiculous, I got some nice blisters on my hand…) and volleyball (Winners! Beat the Bering Sea by one point!).
Anyway, like I said, we were tied at the end of the competitions, so at the “closing ceremonies” our two seas had a dance off in front of everyone else. We pulled out the overall victory with the brilliant inclusion of two small children who are traveling on the ship with their parents, who busted moves like the worm, the Bernie and the Dougie! So, you are reading the blog of a newly-crowned 2011 Semester at Sea Summer Voyage Sea Olympic Champion!
Here’s a little bit of info to get you all caught up:
There are 676 students (staff, crew, faculty and lifelong learners included, over 1,000 passengers are on the ship) representing 290 universities here. There are six of us from Washington State University, and the majority of people are from somewhere in California. University of Colorado, University of Virginia and a couple other big schools like Ohio State University and University of Texas are also well-represented.
The Bahamas were incredible…I got in with a bunch of people I met on my flight from SFO to Ft. Lauderdale. We took two flights to get to Nassau, and then a shuttle to the Sheraton, which was situated conveniently right on the beach. I spent most of those two days on the beach or in the pool, just trying to meet new people and take it all in. We all went to Senor Frog’s the first night and tore it up for a little bit, which was especially cool because we could see the ship at the port down the block! My roommates in the Sheraton were Tim and Craig, both from Southern California. They are really cool guys who ended up rooming nearby in my hallway – I hang out with Tim the most out of anyone on the ship, and Craig and I always find some time to catch up too.
As the “Communications Assistant” for my work study position, I got to board the ship a day early. Tim, Craig and I could not believe it when we finally stepped onto the ship for the first time and got such a warm welcome from the staff and crew on board. We took a while to just explore the ship, then kind of settled in and went to work making friends. I can legitimately say that I have made over 100 new friends on this ship, and many more acquaintances.
I spent the second day helping with general boarding, by greeting and directing new students which was the best job possible since I got to meet every single student that came up those stairs for the first time. I’ve since kind of settled in and have a couple nice little groups of close friends that I spend a lot of time with, but I have been trying to continue meeting people every day because I know this is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I want to be able to keep in touch and visit all these people some day! My main crew includes Tim, Mary and Cedar from Colorado (students at Colorado St.), Kate and Madison from Northern California (University of San Francisco and Sacramento St., respectively) and a few more kids down the hall from Minnesota! I became good friends with Javier too, who just left our ship yesterday. He was sailing as the inter port student, which means he lives in Barcelona but he tagged along on our voyage to Spain to help answer questions, give lectures, etc.
My work study job is interesting and not as painstakingly difficult as I’d expected. I’ve still been able to send some blogs home to All-Outdoors and help them out, and I have plenty of time to do homework, volunteer in the ship’s writing center and join a few groups around the ship. If you want to see any podcasts, blogs, photo slideshows or videos that I may have helped write, edit or produce, check out the website at www.semesteratsea.org.
Anyway, we just left Spain last night and it was pretty sad; I want to go back already. We all had a ridiculous time in Barcelona. I got to experience Las Ramblas, the markets, the nightlife, La Sagrada Familia and Parc Guell, the beaches, the cheap wine, the paella and sangria and even a Flameco show! All in 3 and a half short days. I really did not want to leave (although I’m sure that’s how I will feel about every port). There is so much I could write about and elaborate on, but it just won’t do Barcelona justice.
I think most of these stories will be better told through word-of-mouth stories, or just when I get home because I don’t have the time, energy or internet bandwidth to write out the ten pages it would take to explain how amazing this trip is and how epic Barcelona was and how excited we all are for Italy! I can tell you that the classes are awesome (except the generic, required Global Studies class – super lame), the people are even better, and the ports are the best. I am legitimately thinking about trying to find a way to get a job with this program so I can continue seeing the world through their trip.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE e-mail me! My email here is jmdorn@semesteratsea.net and it’s completely free for me so just get at it! I check it a few times a day and it’s way easier to communicate with (just ask Mom, Dad, Lexie, Bryan or Jill – they figured that out!). I’d love to hear from anyone and I will gladly tell some stories as a reward! Well, I have to hike Mt. Vesuvius in Naples tomorrow morning, plus go to Pompeii with my English class, PLUS go to L’antica Pizzeria de Michel for dinner with my friends. I have a rough life. So let me sleep. Miss and love you all…Ciao!
P.S. - I heard that the Warriors drafted Klay Thompson....................................................GO COUGS!!!!!!! Season tickets - anyone down???
Showing posts with label Barcelona. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Barcelona. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Jam Shots - May 29th, 2011
I have been a college “graduate” for exactly three weeks now. But just yesterday I was finally able to sneak out of my full-time job to catch an Oakland A’s game with my family. My first ballgame of the summer was a success; a 6-2 victory for the A’s. My passion for sports has never waned, but going to the game rekindled in me a desire to couple that passion with writing, my other favorite thing to do. If I’m going to be a writer, might as well practice, right?
My Mom always suggests that if I want my blog to attract more followers, earn more money from advertisements, etc., then I need to stick to one topic and report on it in regular intervals. So even though I leave for a two-month voyage around the Mediterranean in less than three weeks, I’d like to take these next few Sundays to start doing just that. Look for Jamblin’ Man’s weekly sports report, posted every Sunday morning. Here’s the first edition, and I could not have asked for any more exciting, controversial topics to reflect on for my inaugural session of Jam Shots.
Jam Shots, Episode 1
*Basketball*
Scottie Pippen, former Ron to Michael Jordan’s Harry, said on ESPN Radio yesterday that LeBron James is the greatest basketball player of all time:
“Michael Jordan is probably the greatest scorer to ever play in the game, but I may go as far as to say LeBron James is probably the greatest player to ever play the game.” - Pippen
Needless to say, his comments shocked the sports world and infuriated a certain analyst. After almost immediate backlash, Pippen did back off the original comments with a new Tweet, claiming he meant only that James could potentially be as good as MJ someday. Sure, but he will never measure up. The minute that LeBron decided to take his talents to South Beach, he assured he would have a tarnished legacy. Even if LeBron wins 6 or more championships, wins more MVP awards, scores more points than Jordan, whatever…he will have done it with two other super star teammates. That fact alone makes me believe that LeBron will never be considered a greater basketball player than MJ, let alone the greatest of all time. He’ll be mentioned among the greats, no doubt – but it’s going to take more than a few rings and a lot of hype to surpass MJ as the greatest player of all time.
For the record (and for all you LeBron haters – yeah, I’m looking at you Ian Laettner), James agrees with me:
“Michael is an unbelievable player,” James said Saturday. “I got a long way, a long way, to be mentioned as one of the all-time greats. Not even just Jordan. It’s a lot of great players that have played in this league — Larry Bird, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. All these guys with multiple rings. Bill Russell, all these guys that have pioneered this game for me and [ Dwyane Wade]. So I’m gracious, humbled by Scottie’s comments, especially with him being a teammate of [Jordan’s] and seeing Michael on a day-to-day basis. As far as me, I don’t know. I’m not going to sit here and say I’m better than Jordan or I’m not better.”
Speaking of LeBron’s hand-picked all-star team, the Miami Heat are back in the finals, with a rematch of the 2006 series against the Dallas Mavericks. I might get tarred and feathered for writing this, but I hope the Heat win. Sure, Dirk deserves a ring, but I’d like to see LeBron & Co. shut all the skeptics up once and for all. I actually think it’ll be a better series than most people expect, but I still don’t see how the Mavs can pull the upset. I’m not sure if Nowitzki can be stopped by anyone, but if he drops 40 points per game in the Finals, the 75 points James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh are going to combine to average will render that stat pointless. Either way it will be an entertaining series, but just don’t be surprised when the Miami Heat are celebrating a championship (and probably the first of many) in a couple weeks.
One last note as far as basketball is concerned (I can’t help myself) – for all you people sippin’ that LeBron haterade, take a peek at this: In the final 2 minutes of the Heat’s clinching game 5 win in Chicago, James had 8 points (two huge 3-pointers), an assist on Wade’s 4-point play, a rebound and a block of Derrick Rose’s three-point attempt at the buzzer. Back in game 2, he scored nine of the Heat’s final 12 points in a win that evened the series at 1-1. And against the Celtics in games 4 and 5, he put them away when he scored 11 of the Heat’s final 13 points in game 4 and the final 10 points in the clinching game 5.
Still not clutch? Fine, one last stat – Only five players in NBA history have tallied 2,000 points, 500 rebounds and 500 assists in one season: John Havlicek and Michael Jordan each did it twice, Larry Bird did it three times, and Oscar Robertson has done it six times, tied for most all time with 26-year-old LeBron James. Yikes. Maybe Pippen is on to something…
*Baseball*
Before I get to the topic we all know I’m going to dissect to shreds, I just want to throw one general baseball complaint out there. I was watching the Dodgers get dominated by the Marlins tonight on MLBNetwork, and in the 3rd inning after Hiroki Kuroda walked to lead off and Rafael Furcal followed with a single, the Dodgers had runners on 1st and 2nd with no outs. Here’s the situation – they were already down 2-0 and had Casey Blake, Andre Ethier, and Matt Kemp coming up (in other words, the 2-3-4 hitters). This seems like a no-brainer situation in which Blake should bunt and put the runners on 2nd and 3rd with 1 out and two of the most dangerous hitters in the league coming up. Instead, manager Don Mattingly let him swing away…and swing away he did, at three straight breaking balls. Unfortunately, he didn’t actually make contact on those swings. All the Dodgers ended up getting from the rally was an RBI double from Kemp.
My point is, this has been an annoying trend I’ve noticed in the last couple seasons. Major League Baseball players can’t bunt, and even if they can, the managers don’t call them. A few teams still play some great small ball, but it’s mostly all but disappeared. It’s very frustrating…I’ve always said if I was a manager, I’d make sure every single one of my hitters could bunt effectively. I’m not saying calling a bunt would have helped the Dodgers win, but their chances to score more runs in that inning and possibly swing the momentum would have been greatly increased.
Maybe Bud Selig should consider changing the official rules to say that any time there is a bunt situation, the batter must attempt it at least once. No, no. That would be almost as ridiculous as…
…the incredible debate and controversy that has ensued since Florida Marlins outfielder Scott Cousins plowed over San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey for what proved to be the winning run in the 12th inning earlier this week. Posey’s leg and ankle were badly injured on the play and he may now miss the rest of the year; a huge blow to the defending world champions. If you haven’t seen it yet, watch the link below (unless you don’t like human bones and ligaments twisting in awkward, uncomfortable directions…):
http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=15201655
The real story is not the young star’s injury. It is the dispute that has exploded since he went down. Almost immediately following the game, tons of people (Giants fans mostly, understandably) were up in arms about the path Cousins took to the plate, the way he “launched” himself at Posey and the general danger catchers are in when blocking the plate. Soon thereafter, those people were calling for a rule change that would protect catchers in collisions. I heard everything from outlawing that type of play completely, to setting guidelines for when and how the runner can slide into home. So let’s settle a few things here.
First of all, there is no reason to blame Cousins. It was not a dirty play or a cheap shot. He did not come in with the intent to injure Posey. He came in with the idea that if he scores, the Marlins take the lead in a game that pitted two playoff contenders. The guy immediately went to Posey when he realized he was hurt and made sure he was okay. His eyes moistened in an interview the next day when faced about questions involving Posey’s injury. Anyone who thinks that Cousins went in on a cheap shot in the collision is a moron. Buster Posey would have done the same thing if he was the runner; it’s how the game is played.
Second, why did it take an injury to a popular player to get the discussion on rule-changing rolling? Last year, Cleveland Indians’ catcher Carlos Santana was knocked out for the year on a play at the plate and nobody even blinked, despite Santana’s own star potential. Yesterday, the Astros’ Humberto Quintero was run into on a force play at home plate and is now on the DL with an ankle injury and not a word about the runner was mentioned. It’s because Posey is a household name. If Eli Whiteside, the Giants catcher-formerly-known-as-backup had been in the game instead of Posey, the fans shrug it off and move on.
Giants fans, I sympathize with you. Posey is the heart and soul of that team, and he’s a fantastic player. But please do not mistake bad fortune and disappointment for malice and an inept rulebook. It was very unfortunate that Posey fumbled the ball on that throw home, which led to his positioning in the collision. It is horribly unlucky that his foot stuck awkwardly when he was bowled over, causing the injury.
At the same time, he was blocking the plate on a game-breaking play and Cousins has all the right in the world to do anything he can to score that run. When the throw beats him by two full strides, he is going to do what any other hard-nosed ball player would and run into the catcher and try to knock the ball out of his glove. Regardless of whether or not he knows Posey has dropped the ball, if he tries to hook slide around him on the assumption that Posey missed the throw, and he is wrong? Then he’s easily tagged out with a backhand swipe, and the game is still tied, not to mention Cousins is scolded by his manager for not running over the catcher.
Now, I can totally understand people being upset that Posey is out, that the Giants lost the game, even at Cousins for being the one to run over Posey. But what I can’t understand is the sudden worldwide movement to change a rule that has been established in baseball since the beginning of time because of one injury. Part of the game is the collision at home plate. Otherwise, the runner has absolutely no chance if the throw beats him, to score a run that could literally change a game, which can change a season, which can change a franchise, which can change history!
Posey and Bruce Bochy both advocated for the rule to be “looked at.” They think there should be some sort of measure in place to protect a catcher (as if shin guards, a chest pad, a mask and helmet weren’t enough already…) on plays at the plate. I cannot respect those opinions, especially from two guys I thought were diehard baseballers. Sometimes middle infielders get injured by sliding base runners trying to break up a double play. Should we outlaw sliding? Or maybe allowing a team to turn two is excessive. A few times a year, a batter gets plunked in the head by a 90 mile-per-hour fastball. Is pitching too dangerous for the game? How about hitting? My advice: don’t overreact to this situation and just move on.
If we are being literal, Bruce and Buster, your guy was technically the one breaking the rules (rule 7.06) on that play. Neither guy is to blame, in my opinion. But everyone needs to move on and realize that home plate collisions always have been and always should be a part of the game of baseball. Maybe Posey should take his time on the DL to learn from future Hall-of-Famer Ivan Rodriguez, or even Whiteside, who made this play the day after Posey went down (and against a much, MUCH bigger base runner).
Bottom line, if Posey and Bochy’s cries get this rule changed, I will have lost all respect for them. You would never hear Pudge or Jason Kendall or any other badass backstop complain about a hustle play like that. That said, I hope Posey heals because he is fun to watch. But maybe the Giants should consider moving him to the outfield or first base. If you can’t stand the heat, get outta the kitchen, right?
*Other Sports*
Hockey - Are the San Jose Sharks the biggest choke artists in NHL history? Good thing I don’t care enough about the sport to…well, care.
Soccer – The UEFA Champions League Final was today, pitting two storied clubs against each other: Manchester United vs. Barcelona. Lionel Messi and David Villa scored second half goals to clinch the Cup for Barca, and watching that game made me realize how much I will always love the sport of soccer. If you can find them, check out the highlights of the goals by Messi and Villa (Wayne Rooney’s goal for Man U wasn’t too shabby either!). I never thought I’d see the day when SportsCenter led off their show with a soccer highlight!
Football – I hate the f***ing lockout.
That’s all for now. Check back next Sunday for more Jam Shots!
My Mom always suggests that if I want my blog to attract more followers, earn more money from advertisements, etc., then I need to stick to one topic and report on it in regular intervals. So even though I leave for a two-month voyage around the Mediterranean in less than three weeks, I’d like to take these next few Sundays to start doing just that. Look for Jamblin’ Man’s weekly sports report, posted every Sunday morning. Here’s the first edition, and I could not have asked for any more exciting, controversial topics to reflect on for my inaugural session of Jam Shots.
Jam Shots, Episode 1
*Basketball*
Scottie Pippen, former Ron to Michael Jordan’s Harry, said on ESPN Radio yesterday that LeBron James is the greatest basketball player of all time:
“Michael Jordan is probably the greatest scorer to ever play in the game, but I may go as far as to say LeBron James is probably the greatest player to ever play the game.” - Pippen
Needless to say, his comments shocked the sports world and infuriated a certain analyst. After almost immediate backlash, Pippen did back off the original comments with a new Tweet, claiming he meant only that James could potentially be as good as MJ someday. Sure, but he will never measure up. The minute that LeBron decided to take his talents to South Beach, he assured he would have a tarnished legacy. Even if LeBron wins 6 or more championships, wins more MVP awards, scores more points than Jordan, whatever…he will have done it with two other super star teammates. That fact alone makes me believe that LeBron will never be considered a greater basketball player than MJ, let alone the greatest of all time. He’ll be mentioned among the greats, no doubt – but it’s going to take more than a few rings and a lot of hype to surpass MJ as the greatest player of all time.
For the record (and for all you LeBron haters – yeah, I’m looking at you Ian Laettner), James agrees with me:
“Michael is an unbelievable player,” James said Saturday. “I got a long way, a long way, to be mentioned as one of the all-time greats. Not even just Jordan. It’s a lot of great players that have played in this league — Larry Bird, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. All these guys with multiple rings. Bill Russell, all these guys that have pioneered this game for me and [ Dwyane Wade]. So I’m gracious, humbled by Scottie’s comments, especially with him being a teammate of [Jordan’s] and seeing Michael on a day-to-day basis. As far as me, I don’t know. I’m not going to sit here and say I’m better than Jordan or I’m not better.”
Speaking of LeBron’s hand-picked all-star team, the Miami Heat are back in the finals, with a rematch of the 2006 series against the Dallas Mavericks. I might get tarred and feathered for writing this, but I hope the Heat win. Sure, Dirk deserves a ring, but I’d like to see LeBron & Co. shut all the skeptics up once and for all. I actually think it’ll be a better series than most people expect, but I still don’t see how the Mavs can pull the upset. I’m not sure if Nowitzki can be stopped by anyone, but if he drops 40 points per game in the Finals, the 75 points James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh are going to combine to average will render that stat pointless. Either way it will be an entertaining series, but just don’t be surprised when the Miami Heat are celebrating a championship (and probably the first of many) in a couple weeks.
One last note as far as basketball is concerned (I can’t help myself) – for all you people sippin’ that LeBron haterade, take a peek at this: In the final 2 minutes of the Heat’s clinching game 5 win in Chicago, James had 8 points (two huge 3-pointers), an assist on Wade’s 4-point play, a rebound and a block of Derrick Rose’s three-point attempt at the buzzer. Back in game 2, he scored nine of the Heat’s final 12 points in a win that evened the series at 1-1. And against the Celtics in games 4 and 5, he put them away when he scored 11 of the Heat’s final 13 points in game 4 and the final 10 points in the clinching game 5.
Still not clutch? Fine, one last stat – Only five players in NBA history have tallied 2,000 points, 500 rebounds and 500 assists in one season: John Havlicek and Michael Jordan each did it twice, Larry Bird did it three times, and Oscar Robertson has done it six times, tied for most all time with 26-year-old LeBron James. Yikes. Maybe Pippen is on to something…
*Baseball*
Before I get to the topic we all know I’m going to dissect to shreds, I just want to throw one general baseball complaint out there. I was watching the Dodgers get dominated by the Marlins tonight on MLBNetwork, and in the 3rd inning after Hiroki Kuroda walked to lead off and Rafael Furcal followed with a single, the Dodgers had runners on 1st and 2nd with no outs. Here’s the situation – they were already down 2-0 and had Casey Blake, Andre Ethier, and Matt Kemp coming up (in other words, the 2-3-4 hitters). This seems like a no-brainer situation in which Blake should bunt and put the runners on 2nd and 3rd with 1 out and two of the most dangerous hitters in the league coming up. Instead, manager Don Mattingly let him swing away…and swing away he did, at three straight breaking balls. Unfortunately, he didn’t actually make contact on those swings. All the Dodgers ended up getting from the rally was an RBI double from Kemp.
My point is, this has been an annoying trend I’ve noticed in the last couple seasons. Major League Baseball players can’t bunt, and even if they can, the managers don’t call them. A few teams still play some great small ball, but it’s mostly all but disappeared. It’s very frustrating…I’ve always said if I was a manager, I’d make sure every single one of my hitters could bunt effectively. I’m not saying calling a bunt would have helped the Dodgers win, but their chances to score more runs in that inning and possibly swing the momentum would have been greatly increased.
Maybe Bud Selig should consider changing the official rules to say that any time there is a bunt situation, the batter must attempt it at least once. No, no. That would be almost as ridiculous as…
…the incredible debate and controversy that has ensued since Florida Marlins outfielder Scott Cousins plowed over San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey for what proved to be the winning run in the 12th inning earlier this week. Posey’s leg and ankle were badly injured on the play and he may now miss the rest of the year; a huge blow to the defending world champions. If you haven’t seen it yet, watch the link below (unless you don’t like human bones and ligaments twisting in awkward, uncomfortable directions…):
http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=15201655
The real story is not the young star’s injury. It is the dispute that has exploded since he went down. Almost immediately following the game, tons of people (Giants fans mostly, understandably) were up in arms about the path Cousins took to the plate, the way he “launched” himself at Posey and the general danger catchers are in when blocking the plate. Soon thereafter, those people were calling for a rule change that would protect catchers in collisions. I heard everything from outlawing that type of play completely, to setting guidelines for when and how the runner can slide into home. So let’s settle a few things here.
First of all, there is no reason to blame Cousins. It was not a dirty play or a cheap shot. He did not come in with the intent to injure Posey. He came in with the idea that if he scores, the Marlins take the lead in a game that pitted two playoff contenders. The guy immediately went to Posey when he realized he was hurt and made sure he was okay. His eyes moistened in an interview the next day when faced about questions involving Posey’s injury. Anyone who thinks that Cousins went in on a cheap shot in the collision is a moron. Buster Posey would have done the same thing if he was the runner; it’s how the game is played.
Second, why did it take an injury to a popular player to get the discussion on rule-changing rolling? Last year, Cleveland Indians’ catcher Carlos Santana was knocked out for the year on a play at the plate and nobody even blinked, despite Santana’s own star potential. Yesterday, the Astros’ Humberto Quintero was run into on a force play at home plate and is now on the DL with an ankle injury and not a word about the runner was mentioned. It’s because Posey is a household name. If Eli Whiteside, the Giants catcher-formerly-known-as-backup had been in the game instead of Posey, the fans shrug it off and move on.
Giants fans, I sympathize with you. Posey is the heart and soul of that team, and he’s a fantastic player. But please do not mistake bad fortune and disappointment for malice and an inept rulebook. It was very unfortunate that Posey fumbled the ball on that throw home, which led to his positioning in the collision. It is horribly unlucky that his foot stuck awkwardly when he was bowled over, causing the injury.
At the same time, he was blocking the plate on a game-breaking play and Cousins has all the right in the world to do anything he can to score that run. When the throw beats him by two full strides, he is going to do what any other hard-nosed ball player would and run into the catcher and try to knock the ball out of his glove. Regardless of whether or not he knows Posey has dropped the ball, if he tries to hook slide around him on the assumption that Posey missed the throw, and he is wrong? Then he’s easily tagged out with a backhand swipe, and the game is still tied, not to mention Cousins is scolded by his manager for not running over the catcher.
Now, I can totally understand people being upset that Posey is out, that the Giants lost the game, even at Cousins for being the one to run over Posey. But what I can’t understand is the sudden worldwide movement to change a rule that has been established in baseball since the beginning of time because of one injury. Part of the game is the collision at home plate. Otherwise, the runner has absolutely no chance if the throw beats him, to score a run that could literally change a game, which can change a season, which can change a franchise, which can change history!
Posey and Bruce Bochy both advocated for the rule to be “looked at.” They think there should be some sort of measure in place to protect a catcher (as if shin guards, a chest pad, a mask and helmet weren’t enough already…) on plays at the plate. I cannot respect those opinions, especially from two guys I thought were diehard baseballers. Sometimes middle infielders get injured by sliding base runners trying to break up a double play. Should we outlaw sliding? Or maybe allowing a team to turn two is excessive. A few times a year, a batter gets plunked in the head by a 90 mile-per-hour fastball. Is pitching too dangerous for the game? How about hitting? My advice: don’t overreact to this situation and just move on.
If we are being literal, Bruce and Buster, your guy was technically the one breaking the rules (rule 7.06) on that play. Neither guy is to blame, in my opinion. But everyone needs to move on and realize that home plate collisions always have been and always should be a part of the game of baseball. Maybe Posey should take his time on the DL to learn from future Hall-of-Famer Ivan Rodriguez, or even Whiteside, who made this play the day after Posey went down (and against a much, MUCH bigger base runner).
Bottom line, if Posey and Bochy’s cries get this rule changed, I will have lost all respect for them. You would never hear Pudge or Jason Kendall or any other badass backstop complain about a hustle play like that. That said, I hope Posey heals because he is fun to watch. But maybe the Giants should consider moving him to the outfield or first base. If you can’t stand the heat, get outta the kitchen, right?
*Other Sports*
Hockey - Are the San Jose Sharks the biggest choke artists in NHL history? Good thing I don’t care enough about the sport to…well, care.
Soccer – The UEFA Champions League Final was today, pitting two storied clubs against each other: Manchester United vs. Barcelona. Lionel Messi and David Villa scored second half goals to clinch the Cup for Barca, and watching that game made me realize how much I will always love the sport of soccer. If you can find them, check out the highlights of the goals by Messi and Villa (Wayne Rooney’s goal for Man U wasn’t too shabby either!). I never thought I’d see the day when SportsCenter led off their show with a soccer highlight!
Football – I hate the f***ing lockout.
That’s all for now. Check back next Sunday for more Jam Shots!
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Why I Want To Do Semester At Sea
I consider myself a pretty well-traveled person...at least here at home. I've lived in California and Washington state (for school...), visited Nevada, Arizona, Florida, Oregon, Idaho, New York, Massachusetts, Vermont, Florida and Hawaii, been to Mexico a few times, even up to Canada. But one thing I've never, ever done, is cross the Atlantic, or even leave North America for that matter. I have tons of friends who have studied abroad in places like Spain, England, Greece and China. I almost took my 2nd semester of sophomore year to study in Chile and Argentina...unfortunately the credits didn't transfer and I know hardly any Spanish so it never happened. Ever since researching studying abroad, I have been interested in going to South America. Ever since talking to my friends who have been to Europe or Asia, I've been interested in going there. Ever since I can remember, my dream vacation has been New Zealand/Australia. My point is, I've had my fair share of vacations, but never to a country or culture that I consider vastly different from my own. Doing Semester at Sea this summer would give me the perfect opportunity.
The 2011 summer voyage is supposed to go to the Bahamas, Barcelona, Naples, Athens, Istanbul, Morocco, Croatia and Egypt. Wow. So many different cultures, so much history, so much to do and see over 66 days! Plus, the voyage ends in Boston, one of my all-time favorite cities, so maybe I could swing spending a couple days there as well! Anyway, my time to earn school credits while traveling is running out. I don't know if I could put myself in any better situation after this year. A huge cruise ship with hundreds and hundreds of college students with similar intentions to me, hanging out all day and then exploring Europe and parts of Africa and South America? Don't even get me started on the opportunities this trip would give me to further my cultural knowledge and therefore expand my ability to write!
Obviously, there are a couple of roadblocks...
1) COST - my god...including all the fees, airfare, personal money for expenses, textbooks, etc., I would want to budget around $15,000 for this trip. In the end, money is just paper...but it is really hard to move around without it. I'm avidly searching for a job on campus right now to start saving. I know my beautiful, wonderful, loving parents would throw a small bit of money my way, but realistically I'm looking at around $10,000 otherwise. This is where selling drugs comes in...JUST KIDDING. This is where financial aid, scholarships, work study, grants and loans come in. Luckily, Semester at Sea offers a 10-month payment plan option. So basically, starting in January (I believe...), I would pay around $1,200 to them every month to cover the basic trip fees. Along with saving up that extra $500 or so to set off to the side each month for extra expenses. I know for sure that I can get a $2,000 work-study scholarship...basically I agree to work 2 hours a day on the boat and they give me $2,000. According to a friend from University of Washington who did the trip a couple years ago, that's a really good, easy way to cut some costs. He told me that the work is simple and that it allows you free internet access on the boat (not usually free). Also, I can apply for need-based and normal financial aid. And I'm curious to see if I can keep a travel blog to promote Semester at Sea with all my experiences. That would give me practice as well as giving them free advertising? That warrants knocking off a good five or six grand, right? But in all honesty, I'm going to work my tail off to make this happen. I have a meeting with the abroad office here at WSU in a couple weeks and will be emailing my academic adviser this week with questions. Lastly, I'm in contact with the Semester at Sea "recruiter," so I should be able to ask him a few questions tomorrow over the phone.
2) CLASSES - Probably even more important than the money is, will my credits transfer? Will they have English and/or Communications courses on the ship that will transfer back into one of the 8-10 remaining courses I need for my majors? Will any of it count as English 498 "Internship" credit? (Ugh, that would be amazing, what a pain in the butt to get out of the way!) My parents are worried that even if they do transfer back, that if I still had to go back to Pullman for Fall semester 2011, it would be a lottttt of money to spend, and rightfully so. Factoring in a new house lease (current one expires August 2011), paying for more classes, etc. it may just not be worth it. That's why it all comes down to the classes. If I can get 2 courses knocked out on the ship, or 1 course and English 498 credit, that would be ideal. This is why I need to meet with so many people. I have one full semester of college left, no matter how I look at it. Classes are harder to come by in the summer, so I want to be able to plan my registration for this Spring as best as possible. But, ideally, I will take 15-16 credits at WSU in the Spring and be left with 9-10 that I can take on the boat...
Either way, the application is going out tomorrow and we'll go from there. I understand the financial and logistical constraints of this possibility, but the adventure bug is calling and I really want to answer it. Unless something goes absurdly wrong, hellooooooo Bahamas, hellooooooo Europe and helloooooooo Africa! Pencil me in for summer!
The 2011 summer voyage is supposed to go to the Bahamas, Barcelona, Naples, Athens, Istanbul, Morocco, Croatia and Egypt. Wow. So many different cultures, so much history, so much to do and see over 66 days! Plus, the voyage ends in Boston, one of my all-time favorite cities, so maybe I could swing spending a couple days there as well! Anyway, my time to earn school credits while traveling is running out. I don't know if I could put myself in any better situation after this year. A huge cruise ship with hundreds and hundreds of college students with similar intentions to me, hanging out all day and then exploring Europe and parts of Africa and South America? Don't even get me started on the opportunities this trip would give me to further my cultural knowledge and therefore expand my ability to write!
Obviously, there are a couple of roadblocks...
1) COST - my god...including all the fees, airfare, personal money for expenses, textbooks, etc., I would want to budget around $15,000 for this trip. In the end, money is just paper...but it is really hard to move around without it. I'm avidly searching for a job on campus right now to start saving. I know my beautiful, wonderful, loving parents would throw a small bit of money my way, but realistically I'm looking at around $10,000 otherwise. This is where selling drugs comes in...JUST KIDDING. This is where financial aid, scholarships, work study, grants and loans come in. Luckily, Semester at Sea offers a 10-month payment plan option. So basically, starting in January (I believe...), I would pay around $1,200 to them every month to cover the basic trip fees. Along with saving up that extra $500 or so to set off to the side each month for extra expenses. I know for sure that I can get a $2,000 work-study scholarship...basically I agree to work 2 hours a day on the boat and they give me $2,000. According to a friend from University of Washington who did the trip a couple years ago, that's a really good, easy way to cut some costs. He told me that the work is simple and that it allows you free internet access on the boat (not usually free). Also, I can apply for need-based and normal financial aid. And I'm curious to see if I can keep a travel blog to promote Semester at Sea with all my experiences. That would give me practice as well as giving them free advertising? That warrants knocking off a good five or six grand, right? But in all honesty, I'm going to work my tail off to make this happen. I have a meeting with the abroad office here at WSU in a couple weeks and will be emailing my academic adviser this week with questions. Lastly, I'm in contact with the Semester at Sea "recruiter," so I should be able to ask him a few questions tomorrow over the phone.
2) CLASSES - Probably even more important than the money is, will my credits transfer? Will they have English and/or Communications courses on the ship that will transfer back into one of the 8-10 remaining courses I need for my majors? Will any of it count as English 498 "Internship" credit? (Ugh, that would be amazing, what a pain in the butt to get out of the way!) My parents are worried that even if they do transfer back, that if I still had to go back to Pullman for Fall semester 2011, it would be a lottttt of money to spend, and rightfully so. Factoring in a new house lease (current one expires August 2011), paying for more classes, etc. it may just not be worth it. That's why it all comes down to the classes. If I can get 2 courses knocked out on the ship, or 1 course and English 498 credit, that would be ideal. This is why I need to meet with so many people. I have one full semester of college left, no matter how I look at it. Classes are harder to come by in the summer, so I want to be able to plan my registration for this Spring as best as possible. But, ideally, I will take 15-16 credits at WSU in the Spring and be left with 9-10 that I can take on the boat...
Either way, the application is going out tomorrow and we'll go from there. I understand the financial and logistical constraints of this possibility, but the adventure bug is calling and I really want to answer it. Unless something goes absurdly wrong, hellooooooo Bahamas, hellooooooo Europe and helloooooooo Africa! Pencil me in for summer!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)