Forever in our Harts

I'm 19 years old. I have friends who are 22. Heck one of my best friends is 24. Nick Adenhart was 22. He had just pitched the game of his life, six scoreless innings in the major leagues, and was on his way out to celebrate with 3 friends when the vehicle they were driving was blindsided by a minivan that ran a red-light. The driver of the mini-van was drunk, with a blood-alcohol level 3 times the legal limit. The driver was also driving on a suspended licencewhich stemmed from a previous DUI. This is just another reminder of how precious life is, and it reminds us that every day could be our last. It also shows us how we can go from our highest moments to the end, just like that. It's often said that life isn't fair, and the end of life is no different.

At 22, Nick Adenhart was far too young to go. He was a precocious pitching talent, dominating 18 year old travel leagues at the age of 14, and the night of his death had made his first start in his first full rookie season (he had a few starts last year but is still considered a rookie this year). However according to teammate Dustin Moseley, Nick Adenhart's talents went far beyond a pitching mound and a baseball diamond. He was a bright young man who according to his father was everything a dad could dream of as a son. The most convincing thing to me in the day following Adenhart's death was the reaction of his agent Scott Boras. Boras is known as a hardass to say the least. One who doesn't take anything from anybody, and whose sole purpose in life is to make money for his clients and in turn himself. When talking about Adenhart, Boras completely and utterly broke down in tears. Not shed a tear; broke down in tears. A man who some believe has a heart of stone was crying uncontrollably at a microphone and could only compose himself long enough to say, "we lost a great young man."

Although the promising life of Nick Adenhart was cut short, life for the rest of us, and for his teammates goes on as did their season. On the Friday night the Angels played their first game since Adenhart's death and what I saw was simply unbelievable. With a memorial of his image in centerfield, his number 34 on the mound, and heavy hearts all around, the Angels took the field motivated to get a win for their comrade, something they had failed to do despite his brilliant performance a few nights earlier. I didn't get to watch the game but I did see highlights, and I really didn't need those. All I would have needed to see was a single picture of Angels' starter Jared Weaver's eyes to know how much this meant to him and the rest of the team. I have never seen a player in any sport be more in the zone than I saw Weaver that Friday night. To say he wasn't going to be denied would not be doing Weaver justice; simply put, failure was not an option and it never crossed Jared Weaver's mind.

It would have been very easy, for the Angels to just go through the motions this year, and really no one could blame them. The baseball season is 162 games long and during the 8 months a year baseball players are together they become family. And although Nick Adenhart was only a rookie, he played with many of the young Angels players in the minor leagues and was there through all of Spring Training this year. He was a brother, and a younger brother at that, to everyone on the Angels roster, and instead of going through the motions they went out and played in their fallen brothers memory.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, sports has an ability to bring people together after tragedy unlike anything else in the world outside of music. Sports and music both allow the mind to escape into the world of a game or a song. After 9/11, all of New York held its collective breath as the Yankees advanced to the World Series. After Hurricane Katrina, the citizens of New Orleans wanted nothing more than to have their Saints back. And a year later when they finally did, the buzz in the Superdome was far greater than Bourbon Street (or anyone on it) during Mardi Gras. And while these situations were far greater tragedies in terms of numbers, the loss of Nick Adenhart hit the Angel and Major League Baseball families just as hard. I expected the Angels to keep playing for their teammate and despite the fact the fact that their field talent isn't nearly what it has been in years past, they are once again around in October. And now that the season is all but over, I think they are proud of how they represented a teammate, whos life was cut far too short, and who now, as a fan put it in a make-shift memorial oustide the Angel's Stadium, is playing with another team of Angels.

R.I.P Nick Adenhart

1986-2009

Stockstill: "We Have a Decision to Make"

Without a doubt, Middle Tennessee's best offensive player going into the year wore #21. For the rest of the year Phillip Tanner might be wearing warmups. In an interview with me yesterday, Head Coach Rick Stockstill said giving Tanner a medical redshirt following a torn MCL in week 2 versus Memphis is being considered.

When I asked Stockstill if the injury, which typically takes 3-4 weeks to heal could turn into a season ending problem he said, "It might. We definitely have a decision to make." Without a doubt the injury will be healed by the season's end, however since Tanner only played in the first two games, and this is his final year of eligibility, Stockstill has to decide what is best for the senior running back and the team, whether to wait out the injury or sideline Tanner for the rest of the year which would give him another year of eligibility, allowing him to return next year.

"I'd hate to have him play in that 6th game (if a player plays in his teams 6th game he is no longer eligible to be redshirted) or that 7th game and have his knee not be right and then he loses his Senior year...I'll be real smart about this decision."

In talking to Stockstill and other team sources, a redshirt seems the most likely option at this point as Tanner will not play Tuesday at Troy (7 pm, ESPN2) and would have to play an SEC opponent in his first game back against Mississippi State on October 17th. However, no final decision has been made. There are ten days in between the Troy and Mississippi State games so Tanner does have extra time to heal before the decision is made.

Tanner was named to the pre-season Doak Walker Award watch list, an award given to the nation's best running back. Tanner struggled in the first game against Clemson as he had only 10 carries for 36 yards however he was having a bounce back game against Memphis averaging 5.7 yards a carry before his injury. In Tanner's absence, D.D. Kyles has taken over the starting role, splitting time with Benny Cunningham. Stockstill said this will continue to be the case if Tanner is out, and to also expect to see a little bit of Sophomore Marquis Branton, as well as some of Desmond Gee in the backfield alongside the team's leading rusher, quarterback Dwight Dasher.

Hi, I'm Your Tour Guide

The student television season started this week and thus my show, MT Sports Live (9 pm CST on MTTV!), did just that, went live. About halfway through the show we were discussing the weekly football press conference when I remembered a particular question that had really bugged me when it was asked of every player and coach. "Does the mindset change going from a conference to non-conference game?" I proceeded to go on a mini-rant (and for the record my co-host Zac Defrancesca, a fellow former athlete backed me up) about how this might be dumber than asking Bill Belicheck for an injury report. Its a question you've heard asked a million times by media members and the answer never changes: it's always no. This is why I now present to you the fans and all my fellow media members an explanation of why, so that hopefully we can never hear this ridiculous question asked again. So come with me, as I take you on a guided tour inside the mind of an athlete!

The modern athlete is trained in media speak, and most of them have learned how to answer many questions put forth by us in the media in a simplistic answer that really doesn't provide any new information. This is why its such a breath of fresh air for me as an interviewer to interview someone like MTSU starting point guard Chelsia Lymon, who simply tells it like it is. However to say this stale, mundane routine of obvious question leading to obvious answer is the athletes and overprotective coaches faults is ridiculous. Its our fault in the media too. Many media members are former athletes who couldn't make it on a higher level (this is not an indictment as this includes me) but still have a love for sport and want to stay as close to it as possible. However it seems like many of these people forget what its like to be an athlete as soon as they cross over the athlete/media line. The question in focus here "does your mindset change now that we're in conference" is a perfect example.

As soon as an athlete steps on their particular playing surface it's game time, no matter who the opponent. It doesn't matter whether MTSU is stepping on the field versus North Texas, Maryland, or Texas, for each individual player, they are just playing football. Does that mean they don't adjust based on who they're playing? Absolutely not. If you're playing Alabama you're probably not going to run right at Mt. Cody in the middle of the defensive line, but it has nothing to do with the name on the front of the jersey. Unlike an athletes attitude, game planning has nothing to do with the name on the front of the jersey, it's all about the names on the backs.

I am about to crush a longstanding mathematical anomaly in sports, and that is no athlete plays 100% all the time. This is because it's impossible unless you want to be dead by the end of the first quarter of your game. There is also no such thing as 110%. Once again this is because it's impossible this time not because of physical limits but because of mathematical ones. Athletes play at about 85-90% for most of the time than elevate their games as they see fit. The great athletes, or at least those with superior mental makeup (you don't always get the superior athletic ability with the Michael Jordan mind, trust me. I know because I got the brain and a 5'11" body that runs a 4.8), are able to tell when it is time to elevate their game better than the standard athlete, and they are also able to sustain it longer. This has nothing to do with mindset going into a game, its simply reading the game as it comes along. Kobe Bryant doesn't go into a game knowing at the 8:48 mark of the 4th quarter its go-time; he assesses the game is it progresses and chooses his time to jump. This is also why I can become unguardable in many pickup games despite rarely being the best athlete on the floor. I see its go-time and turn my game up to 100% while everyone else is playing at 85% and at that point its as Lee Corso would say, goodnight sweetheart!

The same is true on a football field. In football when the ball is snapped you go and then the whistle blows so you stop. In theory you would go 100% for that time, but anybody who's watched a football game knows that's not the case. No, not because the tackle got beat by the defensive end on a particular play (someone has to win every battle). However, the evidence lies when about once a game a guy gets blown up on a block because he didn't keep his head on a swivel, or a receiver gets leveled over the middle because his quarterback left him out to dry. Paying attention is part of playing 100%, and in football the result of not playing at 100% is typically quite devastating for you or one of your teammates.

As Herman Edwards would say, "you play to win the game." This doesn't necessarily mean you play your hardest. You have to play better than the person opposite you. That's it. No matter how hard they play you have to play better. If you're 50% is better than your 100% than why play your best? It's wasted energy. If you have that much of an advantage than you play well enough to win decisively and that's the end of it. Does that sound great? Of course not. If a player admitted that to the media would his coach have a fit? You better believe it! However that's the truth and now you have to deal with it.

The important fact out of all of this though, is that it is not determined before a game how much effort a player will put in. Sure a player or a team can start on fire because they've preached putting forth the extra effort but eventually its the same game you've played all your life and you play it as such. The goal of an athlete is to maximize his or her abilities for the entirety of the game and it is up to them to figure out how to do that. "Leaving it all on the field" does you no good if you've left it all by halftime. Remember, a game is a game is a game is a game and a play is a play is a play is play is a play, no matter who an athlete is playing. So now that we have this understanding can I PLEASE never hear the ridiculous conference question again?

Alright that's enough, rant's over. And now that I mention it, so is your tour. Watch your step on the way out. Oh, and tips are gladly accepted!

Left Turn!

"Turning the corner" is a phrase that is used when someone realizes they have a problem and then solves it. Often this happens after some traumatic experience. This past week two examples of this were extremely prevalent, one in the world of sports and one in the world of entertainment. The sports example is one that shows that the athlete involved has not only turned the corner but is headed down the right road while the entertainer involved took the corner last Sunday night. In case you haven't figured it out by now, the athlete is Tennessee Titans Quarterback Vince Young, and the entertainer is one Kanye West.

For the most part, there hasn't been much good news when it comes to Vince Young in the past year. In week 1 last year he was replaced by Kerry Collins after being injured and reportedly refusing to come back in the game. He hasn't started a game since. There was also the police search after his mother feared Young was suicidal. If you ask Young (and me, not that anyone cares what I think) it was an overfearful mother and was blown out of proportion. That being said, it happened, and it wasn't a positive thing for the young quarterback. However without a doubt, the most traumatic thing that happened in Vince Young's life happened on Independence Day this summer, when Young's mentor, Steve McNair was shot and killed. At McNair's funeral, Young stood up on the pulpet side by side with Titans Head Coach Jeff Fisher to honor Mcnair's memory. This in itself was amazing to me, simply because to say the two haven't always seen eye to eye would be an understatement. However this was more important than their relationship as a football coach and quarterback, this was about a football team being family. McNair was the closest thing Young had to a father and he even called him "pops," however Wednesday it was Young who played dad.

St. Paul Christian Academy in Nashville has an annual tradition called the "Dear Dad's Breakfast" where fathers go with their sons to breakfast. Trenton and Tyler McNair didn't really know what to expect, since their dad was taken from them only a short two months ago. They probably figured they would just skip the tradition and go to school like any other day, but instead they were picked up early Wednesday morning by Young who took them to the event. Young promised the boys at their father's funeral that he would always be there for them, and he was. "Those are my boys," Young told The Tennessean and he took care of them as such, making what could have been a horrible day spent reflecting on a lost father into a fun experience the McNair boys, as well as the other St. Paul Christian Academy students, will never forget.

When Kanye West opens his mouth one of two things typically happens.

1) He's in a recording booth and he shows his skill as one of the best entertainers in the world.

-OR-

2) He has a microphone at some public event and every public relations person he has ever worked with cringes.

Sunday night it was #2.

As Taylor Swift accepted her VMA for "Best Female Video," West came on stage and took her microphone, saying he would let her finish but "Beyoncé had one of the best videos ever made," gave Swift back the microphone, and left. He then was asked to leave completely as he was kicked out of the award show and rightfully so.

The next night, West appeared on the brand new Jay Leno Show on NBC as scheduled for a performance with Jay-Z and Rihanna promoting the Jigga Man's new album The Blueprint 3. West asked if he could speak with Leno before the performance and issued an apology to Swift. This is typical media, PR controlling the image of a celebrity procedure, however this one was different. This one was heartfelt. This one was sincere. This one was soooo not Kanye. Leno asked him when he realized he had made a mistake and his answer was the only one that was acceptable: "right after I did it, when I handed her back the mic and she didn't keep going." Leno also asked why he did it and his explanation was not only plausible, but it made sense. Since the tragic loss of his mother in 2007, West has suffered from depression and as he has never really dealt with it as he told Leno:

"You deal with hurt and...so many celebrities, they never take the time off and I've never taken the time off...music after music and tour after tour and I'm just ashamed that my hurt caused someone else's hurt."

This to me says West, this time, is truly ready to turn the corner because not only does he realize there is a problem, but he sees the solution.

Simply put, West and Young now get it, and in my opinion, for as talented as both men are at their craft, its about time.

That Went Well

When people come up to me and say, "I have a question," I typically respond by saying "I have an answer. It may not be right, but I have an answer." Going into week 2 against Memphis, we all had questions for the MTSU football team, and we were hoping they had the right answers. The questions I had went as follows:

1) Will MT run early and often?

In week 1 against Clemson, the coaching staff made a conscious decision not to run the ball early because of the size advantage the Tigers had. The strategy worked late as holes opened up in the spread out Clemson defense, however there wasn't nearly enough short to intermediate passing early in the game to make up for the running game in keeping Clemson honest, which led to limited offensive success in the first half. However these Tigers (Memphis), weren't as big as those Tigers (Clemson) and I wanted to see the ball in our best players hands early, and that would be Phillip Tanner (who, in case you don't know, plays running back).

Answer: No. New offensive coordinator Tony Franklin can't seem to figure out that our best player running the ball doesn't wear #9, he wears #21. Unfortunately, Tanner got hurt in the second half and will be out a significant amount of time and now Franklin will get even more used to calling plays for Dwight Dasher instead of the running backs. Don't get me wrong, Dasher played well and is absolutely electric with the ball in his hands, however he's more effective the less carries he gets. Typically it's "go big or go home" when Dasher runs the ball. He's not going to get 4 or 5 yards a carry, he's going to get tackled behind the line of scrimmage or go for a big play. That's all fine and dandy considering he will inevitably come up with the big one, however that's not what you want from your primary ball carrier. It doesn't wear down the defense and since Dasher apparently never played baseball as a kid and thus never learned to slide, he's going to get himself killed. The solution is simple: call more run plays that aren't options where Dasher can't keep the ball. Just hand it off Dwight; just hand it off.

2) How in the world will we guard the mammoth wide receivers of Memphis?

Our secondary is really good, but its strength is definitely not in its size. Alex Suber is no taller than 5'7" and Rod Issac no taller than 6'1". Normally that's not too much of a problem because both have solid cover skills that make up for their lack of size. However Memphis had two receivers that were 6'4" and 6'9" respectively, not to mention a 6'8" tight end (I know they're a basketball school but are you serious???).

Answer: I'm not quite sure how they did it, but Suber, Issac, and nickleback Marcus Udell along with the rest of the secondary did it! Granted, Memphis didn't exactly fling it around to their monster targets but when they did, the Middle Tennessee defensive backs performed admirably. They challenged every ball as best they could, breaking up multiple passes, as well as hitting the tall, lanky receivers every chance they got. Kudos to the secondary on a job well done.

3) Can the defense force turnovers?

The defense kept Middle Tennessee in the first game against Clemson single-handedly (see "limited offensive success in the first half" above) and it did it with stops and turnovers. If MTSU doesn't force turnovers, it's not going to win many games this year. That's not saying it can't be done however as MTSU has a very opportunistic and aggressive defense that not only can, but will cause multiple turnovers this year.

Answer: No, but it didn't matter because the special teams made up for it in the turnover department, and although the defense didn't force turnovers it did make stops and a lot of them, holding them to 219 yards of total offense, and forcing Memphis to punt 10 times. Speaking of punts, in the 2nd quarter Kenneth Gilstrap shot out of a rocket covering one and lit up Memphis's return guy causing a fumble which Middle Tennessee recovered. They would go on to score a few plays later and never looked back.

4) Blackout anyone?

The blackout promotion was a success last year and it helped get fans into the seats and into the game. The question was, will it work again?

Answer: Yes! A record crowd of 28,105 showed up to Floyd Stadium Saturday night and nearly all of them were wearing black. The student section was buzzing nearly all game and only stopped when the game was out of reach. A majority of the even was dedicated enough to stay till the end. There was a much better alumni turnout than usual however the spirit is still lacking when it comes to the non-student areas of Floyd Stadium. I spent the entire game on the sidelines, the first half on the alumni side and the second half on the student side, and it was so much louder on the student side it wasn't even funny. So on behalf of the students to all the non-students who come to the games here is a challenge: be loud, be proud, and be blue! Oh and by the way, non-students and students alike: you're allowed to stand up! Sit down during timeouts, stand up during play. Did you not go to a high school with a football team? I mean really, everybody knows that.

So now that my questions have been answered here are a few more odds and ends that need to be mentioned from Saturday's intrastate clash:

1) What is Tony Franklin doing on 3rd down?

The Blue Raiders were a pathetic 35% (6 of 17) on 3rd down and I'm whole heartedly blaming the playcalling. It seemed like no matter the distance we were running a read option (which was normally kept by Dwight Dasher). That call is fine on 3rd and 3, but if it's 3rd and 8 don't you think we should try throwing it? Also, did we really try a fumblerooskie? A fumblerooskie is a trick play run from under center, so the second Dasher is not in the shotgun like he is for every other play in our offense, the defense automatically knows something's up. 3rd down in a close game (they tried it in the first half, if not the first quarter) is not the time to try out not only your one play under center, but your only gadget play from under center. Not smart.

2) Hurry up!

Middle Tennessee needs to play at a much faster pace on offense to be more successful and that was blatantly obvious Saturday night. In the third quarter MT went no huddle and played at a quick pace and it worked to the tune of two touchdowns in two drives. This not only has to do with how quickly they snapped the ball but the playcall. There were more short to intermediate passes which helped Dwight Dasher get into a rhythm. How do I know this? 1) I was paying attention and 2) I asked Dwight after the game and he told me so.

3) Everybody loves points in the red zone

Middle Tennessee's execution in the red zone was flawless Saturday, scoring all 4 times they were inside the 20 yard line, including 3 touchdowns. The Blue Raider offense is capable of big plays but isn't really designed for it, instead the goal is to, as Hank Stram once said, matriculate the ball down the field. This is harder to do once a team is in the red zone because there is less space for the defense to defend, making their job easier and what MT was able to do Saturday night all the more impressive.

For more on Middle Tennessee football be sure to listen to the Wild World of Sports on the radio 8 am CST on 88.3 WMTS. Curtis Nolte and I will break down the games every week as well as have interviews with coaches and players. Speaking of interviews with coaches, I will sit down every week with Blue Raider Head Coach Rick Stockstill for my tv show which will air Wednesday nights on MTTV Channel 10 (time TBD). I'd love to tell you the name of this show but it doesn't have one yet and this is where we get to the interactive section of the program. I want your help naming my TV show. It will be similar to PTI on ESPN and will be hosted by myself and Zac Defrancesca. Tweet me your suggestions at twitter.com/choffman223.

The Tale of Two Men

There is much strife in the Bay Area when it comes to football. Two once proud franchises are once again looking at below .500 seasons. Another similarity lies in the fact that a key player from both the Raiders and 49ers will probably be sitting out the season and missing out on millions of dollars. However, to say that Richard Seymour and Michael Crabtree are in the same situation would not be fair to Seymour at all and would be flattering Crabtree (and we all know how big his ego is already).

Richard Seymour got traded from arguably the best run franchise in sports to arguably the worst. Yes, the Patriots have had some turnover in recent years, but how many players have they lost that they actually wanted to keep? Don't stress yourself. It's 1. Asante Samuel. Other than that every player they have let go was past his prime and over the hill. That is until Richard Seymour, who they didn't give up, but simply traded away. That being said, despite losing a 5-time Pro Bowler, New England actually got the better end of the deal in a 2011 First Round Pick. On the other hand, Oakland has made one solid roster transaction since they lost the Super Bowl 7 years ago. They drafted Darren McFadden. Nearly all there other draft picks have either busted (see Michael Huff), been over payed (see Jamarcus Russell), or were drafted far too high (see this years first two picks in Darius Heyward-Bey and Mike Mitchell and Robert Gallery who was drafted as a franchise Left Tackle and is now simply a really good guard). So for Seymour, a man in the last year of a 3 year, $30 million extension, with well over $20 million already in the bank, to say I'm going to sit out the year and not have anything to do with the Raiders, I can't really blame him. He's 29, still with at least 3 good years and 3 or 4 solid years after that ahead of him, and his deal is up at the end of the year. That means he can sign with whoever HE chooses next spring.

On the other hand, Michael Crabtree hasn't played a down of NFL football in his life. He, like every other player who is highly touted out of college, is drafted and has no control over where he goes either geographically and more importantly in his case on the draft board. I had Crabtree as the #2 player in the draft behind now Seahawks LB Aaron Curry. There was no doubt he had top 5 talent, however injury concerns, no workouts because of injury, and now validated character issues saw him fall to #10. What Crabtree doesn't seem to grasp is that if you are drafted #10, you get paid as pick #10. Aaron Rodgers made a late charge to almost become the #1 pick in 2005, an honor that instead went to Crabtree's would be teammate Alex Smith. However Rodgers fell, and fell far, all the way to #24. He didn't whine and say he wanted #1 money, he simply signed his #24 pick contract and moved on.

OK, so both players are being unprofessional, poor teammates and are passing up on an opportunity most of us would kill for, to play professional football. So what's the difference? Crabtree's issue is all about money. He wants to be paid where he thought he should have been drafted. He wouldn't care if he had to play in Antarctica so long that he got his Benjamins. On the other hand, Richard Seymour cares about winning. To say Seymour is being unprofessional would be fair, but really, how professional are the Raiders and specifically they're mentally deranged owner Al Davis. We all know about the Kiffin letter. Point made, and if you have half a brain point taken. Also Seymour owes nothing to his new "teammates" in Oakland. He hasn't played with them, and probably doesn't know most of them from a hole in the wall. And finally yes its a great opportunity, but if you don't like the company you're working for, what do you do? You quit and find work, probably doing the same job, elsewhere. Why should Richard Seymour be any different? As for Crabtree, you can't be a diva receiver unless you've done something in the league, and even then its barely tolerated. Also, doing something requires far more than simply being drafted. Someone needs to remind him, he's played as many snaps in the NFL as me, and as shocking as this may be to you, I've played 0.

5 Things You Need To Know To Fulfill Your Fantasies

Football season is upon us and that means fantasy football season is also upon us. For a lot of us, this isn't our first fantasy football rodeo, while for many others this is their maiden voyage. Yet rookies and veterans alike all seem to make the same mistakes every year which cause them to lose. I've won leagues every year I've played (at least the past 3 years, if not more) and I'm going to share with you 5 tips to not make yourself looking like a fantasy football dummy. You're welcome.

1) Know the rules!

This might sound incredibly stupid but simply knowing the rules separates the men from the boys in fantasy football. Standard leagues give 4 points for passing TD's and 6 points for rushing and recieving TD's. This is why running backs are almost always your number 1 pick. However if you check your rules and passing TD's are worth 6 and you don't take a QB in one of the first two rounds you shouldn't be allowed to play any more. Also double check to see if your league is a PPR league, meaning a point per reception. This instantly makes Wes Welker into a late first to mid second round pick when he otherwise wouldn't go till far later.

2) Don't take a kicker till the last round! Ever!!!

This is because your kicker doesn't matter. As long as you get a fairly accurate kicker from a relatively high scoring team (think Stephen Gastkowski, Nick Folk, etc) you'll be just fine. However do notice this is Rule #2 not Rule #1 and Rule #1 comes first. If your league's kicking scoring is done by distance on field goals get guys who will take and make a decent amount of long field goals (such as Jason Hanson of the Lions who would otherwise be 100% worthless).

3) Brady and Moss are great for the Patriots, not for you.

The same goes for Manning/Wayne, Rodgers/Jennings, and any other QB/WR combo. Although its great on weeks where they connect for 3 TD's that may happen once a season and for the other weeks you better hope the entire offense is on. This might happen rather frequently for the Patriots but you don't want to sacrifice a week where they're off. Instead you could have an off Brady and an on Calvin Johnson and be fine. This is far more important on bye-weeks where all of a sudden your two best offensive players are on the bench and you're royally screwed. This could also be the case in your fantasy playoffs when Bill Belicheck decides to not expose Mr. Brady's knee and gives 81 the week off with him and your two best offensive players are on the bench in your fantasy Super Bowl so they can possibly be healthy for the real one.

4) Pay attention to your bye weeks!

ESPN has been ever so nice to put bye weeks in the first column next to a players name in their drafts. There's a reason its first! If your starter is Aaron Rodgers, don't make your backup Philip Rivers. They have the same bye-week. You wasted a pick. Good job. Also pay attention to schedules. Brett Favre isn't a good fantasy QB because he often forgets what team he's on. However if he's your backup for Drew Brees your fine because Brees's bye week is the same week Favre plays the Rams. This is especially important when drafting your defense. The Chargers are a good fantasy defense but they become a great 14th round pick when your starting defense is the Steelers. They play the Raiders on the Steelers bye week.

5) Don't Draft Rookies!!!!

I know it's tempting to draft your favorite college player who you swear will be an NFL star from play 1 in your fantasy draft, but don't. If you're right and they do explode into stardom you can get them off the waiver wire. Rookies are unproven commodities and you want stability and consistency in your fantasy lineup. I think Mark Sanchez is going to be fantastic this year and have very few rookie moments, but I'm avoiding him like the plague in fantasy. If he's tearing it up in Week 3 and he's still available that doesn't mean I'm not going to pick him up then, and put him on my bench to observe, but I'm not gonna go grab him after he has one good game and dump a proven commodity.

So there it is: your fantasy football survival guide. Have fun with it and be successful on your fantasy quest (unless you're in a league with me, in which case I hope you fail miserably). With all that being said, remember this is fantasy football! Don't let your fantasy team get in the way of your real football fandom. If you have Willie Parker and you're a Titans fan, you don't have to sit him the weeks the Steelers play the Titans, but you shouldn't be jumping up and down in your Titans jersey when he scores. Football first. Fantasy football second. That's like getting excited when your team wins a pre-season game. It's against the rules. Unless you're a Lions fan. Then you just take what you can get.

I'm Goin Home! Who's Comin With Me?

Ask me where I'm from and I'll tell you New York. However ask me where I grew up and that answer is Greenville, SC. Greenville is the 3rd largest city in the Palmetto State behind the capital Columbia, and a city that was vital to our nation's founding, Charleston. About 45 minutes from Greenville is a small town called Clemson which is home to a not so small Clemson University. Clemson is a university rich in tradition that has gained national notoriety for many of its science and engineering programs amongst other academic achievements.

Athletically Clemson has been successful in many sports, turning out a plethora of pro athletes from Khalil Green (MLB) to Dale Davis (NBA) to US National Soccer Team member Oguchi Onyewu (who plays club fútbol for AC Milan). However our version of football, is without a doubt the sport by which Tiger fans live and die. MTSU will get to see this first hand this weekend as the Blue Raiders travel to Death Valley to take on the Orange and White, and as I travel home to watch the game I'm inviting you to come with me; here are 5 reasons why:

1) You should support your Blue Raiders!

First and foremost you should support your school. Not from home, but from the stands. I understand you can't go to every road game but this one is a) not absurdly far away and b) is on a long weekend. This is the perfect chance for you to be on the sidelines and show your Blue Raider pride at an away game. So no excuses! Be Loud! Be Proud! Be Blue!

2) Its not often you see passion like this.

As I said, Clemson fans live and die with their football team. Even if we filled our stadium with die hard Blue Raider fans, we

still wouldn't be close to what the experience is at Death Valley simply because Clemson's home turf has 80,000 seats while ours has less than half of that. For a true sports fan there's nothing like watching a game in that kind of atmosphere, seeing so many people come together for one cause. Hopefully on September 5th, that will be a losing cause but that's neither here nor there.

3) "The Most Exciting 25 Seconds in College Football"

Whether the above statement is true or not is clearly up for debate, however there is no arguing watching Clemson's pre-game tradition is a truly unique experience, one that must be seen in person to fully understand. Three buses full of players pull up to the stadium at which point the players pile off the bus, through the gate and to the top of "the hill." There they wait, giddy with anticipation, for their turn to touch Howard's rock and run full boar down the hill. It's a tradition that's over a half century old and you can see it simply if you make the trip.

4) "At Running Back...#28...C.J. Spiller"

You may have seen guys who are fast. But unless you've been to an Olympic track meet, you've never seen someone this fast. C.J. Spiller is a potential Heisman Candidate (if Clemson is a factor at all in the ACC) and is considered one of the top 5 and maybe even 3 running backs in the country. In his spare time he also runs track to the tune of a 10.22 100m time. Simply put he's blazing fast, but unlike someone like Trindon Holliday of LSU, Spiller can also run people over as opposed to running around them. He will almost certainly be a first round pick in next April's NFL Draft and probably could have been this year if he hadn't chosen to come back for his senior season. It's also worth noting that as absurdly fast as Spiller is, he's not even the fastest player on Clemson's roster. That honor belongs to starting receiver Jacoby Ford (#6) who was the only person who beat Spiller in the 100 meters at their NCAA Regional Meet. However, Ford's personal best of 10.01 in the 100m is his second most impressive time. Coming out of High School he was clocked at 4.126 in the 40 yard dash meaning he could seriously challenge Chris Johnson's record time at the NFL Combine in the spring should Ford choose to go pro in football and be invited to workout. Simply put, if you like to see guys who run fast, you need to be at this game!

5) Upstate South Carolina is Gorgeous!!!

You've got the whole weekend so you might as well use it. Upstate South Carolina has about everything you could ask for in a weekend getaway. Clemson is on Lake Hartwell which sits at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains. You can go hiking, rent a boat, go fishing, or simply stay on Clemson's campus which has plenty of nice green space to sit by itself. If you're more of a city person than the extra 45 minute drive to my hometown will definitely be worth your while. Greenville is a big city compared to Murfreesboro but tiny compared to somewhere like Atlanta, meaning its big enough to have all the different shops, restaurants, and boutiques of a big city, yet small enough so that you don't feel like you don't have space to breathe, nevertheless move on the sidewalks. Greenville also has Falls Park, which features a gorgeous suspension bridge overlooking Reedy River Falls (pictured) as well as plenty of grassy areas to spend a sunny Sunday afternoon.

There you have it, the top 5 reasons to travel with your Blue Raiders this weekend to Clemson. Consider this your official invitation to my home, the Palmetto State. See ya there!

A Not So Smooth Not So Criminal

By definition Plaxico Burress is a criminal. He committed a crime. A victim-less crime (outside of himself), but a crime none-the-less. As a matter of fact he's worse than that: he's a felon. He committed and was convicted of, or, in his case plead guilty to a felony crime. However Plaxico Burress doesn't pass the eye test for a criminal. Nor does he pass the logic test to be convicted. Sure he broke the law, but so did you this morning. You know you didn't stay under the speed the limit the ENTIRE way to wherever you were going. Now is bringing a loaded weapon into a crowded nightclub in New York the same as you doing 5 over on your way to work? Of course not. But the laws against doing both were created for the same reason: because breaking them makes life more dangerous for you and everyone around you.

Burress sat down recently with Jeremy Schaap and did an interview for E:60, ESPN's weekly news magazine and revealed what I found to be some disturbing details about two separate subjects. First he revealed that shooting himself in the leg doesn't even begin to describe how stupid he was that night, and secondly (and more importantly) how he was put through the legal system. Not only did Plax not get the celebrity treatment (see Chris Brown), he was punished for being a celebrity which to me is far worse. However let's start off with a little background information; some of this was known prior to the E:60 piece and simply not mentioned and some which wasn't known at all.

Three days before Plaxico Burress shot himself at the Latin Quarter in New York City, his teammate and friend, Steve Smith, was held up at gunpoint in his housing complex, taken into his house and robbed. Smith came into practice the next day still terrified saying he thought he was going to be murdered. Fast forward three days and Plaxico Burress is sitting at dinner when he gets a call from Ahmad Bradshaw asking if he wants to go into the city that night. Burress says yes and Bradshaw asks if Burress can pick him up. He once again agrees. However Ahmad Bradshaw lives in the same complex as Steve Smith, something Burress knew. Thus after dinner he went home and got his legally registered weapon, knowing he had to pick Bradshaw up and eventually drop him off.

So far Burress hasn't done anything wrong and in fact has probably done the safe thing considering the events of three days prior. However when the two get into the city (along with fellow teammate Antonio Pierce) Burress decides to keep his weapon with him instead of leaving it in his car. The weapon isn't registered in New York City and thus this is technically where Burress breaks the law. However it is his stupidity in making this decision as well as two more that eventually got him not only caught but shot. Burress decided not to use a holster. The most likely reason is its simply cooler to put the gun in your waist band than wear a holster. Schaap asked Burress why he didn't use a holster and his response was simply "bad judgement." What Schaap didn't ask Burress though is a much more obvious question and that is this: "Why wasn't the safety on on your gun?" A safety locks the trigger so that it can't be hit by accident, which is exactly what happened to Burress. The gun started falling down his pants when he missed a step going up a staircase, and he tried to catch it. Instead he hit the trigger firing a bullet into and out of his leg. If the safety is on he doesn't shoot himself. If he's wearing a holster the gun doesn't fall. If he leaves the gun in his car he doesn't have to worry about any of this. Bad decisions, bad judgement, or pure stupidity: whatever you call it it doesn't exactly make you feel sorry for Plax.

That being said, Plaxico Burress wasn't tried in a court of law no matter who from the District Attorney's office in New York says he was. He was tried in the court of public opinion and the sole judge and jury was Mayor Michael Bloomberg. After the incident, Burress and whoever the power that is that sets bond had agreed on $10,000. As Burress was preparing to enter the courtroom, Mayor Bloomberg spoke at a press conference stating that Burress should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Burress's bond magically jumped to $250,000. Burress's fate was also sealed as he told Schaap: "I was going to prison."

This to me is not only shameful on the part of Mayor Bloomberg and the District Attorney's office but short-sighted and non-beneficial. Plaxico Burress going to prison for 2 years does no good to anybody. Plaxico Burress going to prison for 90 days and spending the rest of his life going to schools and youth gatherings talking about gun safety does. Here was someone that did everything right in the process. He bought his gun legally. He registered it. However he didn't use it properly and brought it to the wrong place and it cost him a bullet-hole in his leg and millions of dollars in lost salary. You don't think that would have an effect on a kid who wants to pack heat? Then maybe this will.

Plaxico Burress was less than 1 cm away from dying. Burress is 6'5". Let me repeat: he was less than 1 cm away from death. The bullet that shot through Plax's leg missed the femoral artery by, according to Burress, a matter of millimeters. If a tale of jail time and a lost fortune doesn't scare a kid out of improperly using a gun, maybe a tale of a nearly lost life will. I mean really, how much closer can you get? A tale of a lost life simply can't be told by he person who didn't survive to tell it.

Plaxico Burress was an idiot. He shot himself in the leg because the safety wasn't on on the gun he shouldn't have that wasn't in the holster he also wasn't wearing. That being said Burress has not only realized his horrible mistakes but he's learned from them. The same can not be said for Michael Bloomberg and the District Attorney's office of New York City. I hope they do realize their mistake and change it, and I have a deadline in mind: Thanksgiving. No I don't care if Plax sees Charley Brown float over Times Square in the Macy's Parade. I care about something much more important. Something that brought a 6'5", Super Bowl champion to tears: the birth of his daughter.

Plaxico Burress is by definition a criminal. The crime he committed had no victims other than himself. Michael Bloomberg by definition was attempting to do his job as the mayor of New York. His attempt had many victims, none of which include himself. They do however include a daughter who won't know her father for the first 18 months of her life. Who's the criminal now?

He Might Be Human Afterall

Jack Nicklaus finished 2nd 19 times. He won 18 majors. Even Tiger Woods will not finish his career with 37 Top 2 finishes. That being said he added an unlikely top 2 this weekend at Hazletine. After holding the lead of a major after 3 rounds he relinquished it. After 14 successful final round victories, Tiger Woods finally lost one. He finally had a poor final round and it cost him. However to say he choked would quite frankly make you wrong.

Losing under pressure doesn't mean you choked. Losing because of pressure does. Tiger Woods lost Sunday for a few reasons and none of them were the pressure he was under to win his 15th major. First and foremost he couldn't hit a putt to save his life. If his read was good his stroke was off. If he hit it where he wanted he shouldn't have hit it there. Secondly he is still not used to having two legs. As absurd as that sounds its true. He was hitting the ball too far with every club and hasn't gotten his distances down yet and thus he had to hit out of some horrible lies which then in return means any putt he did make was for par.

Everyone has a bad round. It happens. For Tiger a bad round is 75. For most its in the high 70's or 80's. Every great player has them, and Tiger is now no exception. It wasn't Phil at Winged Foot but it wasn't Tiger-like. Sadly this is where the story probably goes horribly wrong for Tiger's competition. Tiger will now work harder than ever to come back "roaring" next year (excuse the horrible pun) and he'll be fully adjusted to having a fixed knee and thus two legs. If that happens don't expect too many of these bad rounds again. As a matter of fact don't expect any of them.

And as for this "choking" business? Tiger Woods doesn't feel pressure. And if he does he uses it positively. Unfortunately that doesn't help you if you just don't have the feel for your flat stick. He had a bad day. It happens. Maybe he is human after all....maybe.

Wow What a Week! Sports Edition

It's no secret that I'm a sports guy. It's not quite as well known that I'm also an entertainment guy. Well now you know. And now that you know you can probably figure out that for me it was quite the week. Pop culture nearly crashed its home in the Internet this week and if it was enough to do that you can imagine what happened to my little brain. First I'll recap the week that was, and then I'll go in depth about a few of the things.

Monday

Jon and Kate announce divorce

Greenville native Lucas Glover wins US Open

Chris Brown pleads guilty to assault on ex-girlfriend Rihanna

Perez Hilton and Will.I.am have Twitter feud

Ed McMahon, wing man to Johnny Carson, dies

Tuesday

SC Gov Mark Sanford announces affair with Argentinian woman

Wednesday

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen hits theaters

Thursday

Farrah Fawcett dies at 62 after long battle with cancer

Michael Jackson dies at 50 after going into cardiac arrest

NBA Draft

Friday and Saturday

Surprisingly quiet, thought maybe things had died down

Sunday

Billy Mays found dead in his home at the age of 50

(Note: This is purely the sports portion of the blog, if you're looking for Entertainment click the link to the right that says "Wow What a Week! Entertainment Edition Parts 1 and 2")

Aaaah! It's good to be home. I knocked out the entertainment side of things first but here I am back where I belong in the world of sports. And what a week it was here too. The tournament that was never going to end finally did Monday and none other than Lucas Glover was the winner. Yes, Lucas Glover is your U.S. Open Champion. Now where did Lucas Glover come from you might ask? Well as I sit here in my house in Greenville, SC the correct answer would be approximately 10 minutes away. As a matter of fact I drove by his high school yesterday. And this of course means only one thing: there was good news coming out of SC this week! And it was all good till our stupid governor went to freakin Argentina because he couldn't keep it in his pants. Oh sorry. What's that you ask? No it doesn't eat at me at all. Not at all.

Anyway there were far more important things than Lucas Glover this week in sports but he came first geographically and chronologically so I figured I'd knock his story out first. But now let's get to the fun stuff: the NBA Draft. The first pick was no surprise in Blake Griffin and the second pick really wasn't either in Hasheem Thabeet. 7'3" guys simply don't come around that often and although I have more of a post game than he does, the Grizzlies actually have guys who can fill it in OJ Mayo and Rudy Gay, and a guy like Thabeet who can rebound and make up for their lack of defensive skill is a good fit. The third pick wasn't a shock but at the same time it wasn't what we expected either. Everyone expected OKC to pick Ricky Rubio, but I actually like the pick of James Harden here instead. Rubio is a point guard as is Russel Westbrook, the Thunder's first pick from last year. Although they are two totally different players they do play the same position and you were gonna have a hard time playing them together as I'll explain with what Minnesota idiotically did in a minute. Instead you now have three legitimate scoring threats at PG, SG, and SF in Westbrook, Harden, and Kevin Durant, and while OKC will still be a lottery team next year they definitely have a solid young core to build around. With the 4th pick Sacramento took Tyreke Evans who was great in the NCAA tournament showing he's clutch and he's a tough guy, something Sacramento has lacked since Doug Christie (and his wife) left town.

And now we have come to the fun picks. It is no secret. I LOVE Jonny Flynn. I am a Syracuse fan because my dad went there as did my granddad and in all reality if I had gone to school with the major I have now I would be there too. I also like Ricky Rubio. He's a pass first player with instinct that you can't teach. He's also exciting and you can't underestimate the power of putting fans in the seats. That being said, playing them together is the dumbest idea I've heard in a long long time. Both are Point Guards. I don't want to hear Flynn can play the 2 because he can score. The man is 6'0". Yes, that second number is a zero. As in he is 6' even. The T-Wolves play in the Western Conference. Would you like me to name you the starting 2 guards in the Western Conference? Kobe Bryant, Brandon Roy, Tracy McGrady, and so on and so forth. I love Jonny Flynn but at his size he has no shot against any of those guys and will even have trouble with some bigger point guards. "Well on defense you can switch and have Rubio play the 2." You mean the guy with no lateral foot speed? Yeah, that's what I thought.

Having two point guards is a very good thing. Having two young point guards isn't. There was a reason Jason Kidd was on Team USA last summer. There was a reason that Derek Fisher was on the Lakers this year. There is no doubt that the players behind each older guy (Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Jordan Farmar, and Shannon Brown) were better overall then the older starter but there is something to be said about the calming influence of a veteran point guard.

With all that being said, if the Wolves trade Rubio, who was one of the hottest commodities in the draft, I absolutely love the pick. They get a good PG in Flynn and get whoever they get in return. However if they decide to keep Rubio whether he stays with them or decides to return to Europe (which would make them look even worse than they already do), the GM should seriously be looked at and fans should have a right to be upset. I don't have a problem with one or the other. But to say that you couldn't trade a top 6 pick is ridiculous and simply inexcusable.

Other highlights of the draft to me include the Knicks, who get a scoring PG in Toney Douglas at 29 from the Lakers for $3 million which seems ridiculous, but in NBA money really isn't, and Jordan Hill who serves as David Lee insurance. I'm also a huge fan of what Utah did in adding Eric Maynor. I'm a Duke fan and thus I know what Maynor can do. He's a mature PG who can run a team and score when he needs to. In fact, according to many scouts, he was the most NBA ready of any of the PG's out there and he now has a great PG to learn from in Deron Williams. When Atlanta traded Acie Law I was kinda curious as to why, however they redeemed themselves to me in drafting Jeff Teague. Teague is gonna be a solid NBA point guard and when Mike Bibby decides to step aside he will be more than ready to take over. All that being said, the winner in the draft was undoubtedly the San Antonio Spurs. On top of their trade to get Richard Jefferson which I love for them and hate for me as a Lakers fan, they picked up a legitimate top 15 talent in DeJuan Blair with the 37th pick! He's a defense and rebounding guy which is fine for the Spurs because they have 4 guys who drop 20 a night in Parker, Ginobili, Duncan, and RJ which leaves Blair to do the dirty work. The one problem for the Spurs though is Blair's size. As has been stated (and proven!) before, the NBA is all about matchups, and if you think DeJuan Blair can do what he did to Hasheem Thabeet to Pau Gasol you are out of your everliving mind. That makes me sleep a little easier as a Lakers fan but kudos once again to the Spurs.

I talked about the Hawks earlier and I would be shorting them if I didn't mention who they got in the Acie Law trade and that is Jamal Crawford. Crawford is the only man in NBA history who has dropped 50 pts for 3 different teams. Simply put, he can score with the best of em and that gives Atlanta another option and a solid backup for Joe Johnson. Does this push them into the upper eschelon of teams in the East? No. Does it push them closer? Definitely.

One of the biggest trades took place between the New Jersey Nets and Orlando Magic. It basically sent Vince Carter to the Magic for Rafer Alston and Courtney Lee. I'm incredibly torn on this from the Magic's perspective and here's why. Getting Carter is a plus. He's still capable of big scoring nights, loves the up and down game, can shoot the 3, and get to the rim. I also like getting Rafer Alston out of town because although he played well for them, Jameer Nelson is not only younger but he is better than Alston and Alston wasn't going to sit quietly. However giving up Courtney Lee to me was not a good move at all. Lee has the makings of a star and I think in the future he and Dwight Howard could have won a championship if not multiple crowns which is why the Nets coveted him. That being said the Magic get a better player for now and still have J.J. Redick who showed signs of his college form late in the Finals, as well as Mikael Pietrus, who has shown flashes throughout his career. That being said, the Magic building to win now as opposed to later just because they got a taste of the finals doesn't exactly sit well if I'm a Magic fan with me considering their best player is still developing, and they are a young team as a whole.

With all that being said for Orlando, the exact opposite is true in Cleveland where win now is not only a slogan but a battle cry. They have one year to keep Lebron at home and it's all or nothing. The Big Shaqtus is no more and we now have LeShaq in Cleveland. Last year the Cavs built themselves to beat Boston and this summer its time to Magic proof and adding Shaq is a step in the right direction. Shaq can guard Dwight Howard really as well as anyone because he, like Andrew Bynum was in the finals, is one of a few guys as big as Howard in the league. Cleveland is still without a 4 that can guard Rashard Lewis but if the Cavs don't have to worry about a 6'10" Hedo Turkoglu in Orlando that's not nearly as big of a deal as they can play small with Lebron at the 4 while letting Vince Carter jack it up from 3 over Delonte West. More importantly it shows Lebron that the Cavs are willing to wheel and deal to put a winning team on the floor and that's what is going to above all else keep Lebron in Cleveland. Don't underestimate the winning pedigree Shaq adds either with his 4 championship rings.

Wow. What a week. 11 major events and we almost had a 12th with US Soccer almost beating Brazil in the Confederations Cup final. Big ups to the boys in red white and blue on a well played final and a brilliant match vs Spain. If they had won I'm pretty sure my head would have exploded. It could've been a little messy, but for that, I wouldn't have minded.

Wow What a Week! Entertainment Edition Pt. 2

It's no secret that I'm a sports guy. It's not quite as well known that I'm also an entertainment guy. Well now you know. And now that you know you can probably figure out that for me it was quite the week. Pop culture nearly crashed its home in the Internet this week and if it was enough to do that you can imagine what happened to my little brain. First I'll recap the week that was, and then I'll go in depth about a few of the things.

Monday

Jon and Kate announce divorce

Greenville native Lucas Glover wins US Open

Chris Brown pleads guilty to assault on ex-girlfriend Rihanna

Perez Hilton and Will.I.am have Twitter feud

Ed McMahon, wing man to Johnny Carson, dies

Tuesday

SC Gov Mark Sanford announces affair with Argentinian woman

Wednesday

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen hits theaters

Thursday

Farrah Fawcett dies at 62 after long battle with cancer

Michael Jackson dies at 50 after going into cardiac arrest

NBA Draft

Friday and Saturday

Surprisingly quiet, thought maybe things had died down

Sunday

Billy Mays found dead in his home at the age of 50

(Note: This continues the Entertainment portion of the blog, if you're looking for Sports click the link to the right that says "Wow What a Week! Sports edition", and for Part 1 click here)

I left off Part 1 talking about the Wednesday Premiere of Transformers: The Revenge of the Fallen. Which of course leads me to Thursday where all hell broke loose, and the world of Entertainment lost not only two stars but two icons.

First was Farrah Fawcett. I'm far far too young to have been around in her prime as an actress but I've seen pictures and she was easily as beautiful as any actress is today. Fawcett starred in Charlie's Angels in the 70's and was the "it" girl of her time. Every boy had a poster of her on his wall. Except the ones that didn't. And they wanted one. She was a star amongst stars and an true icon in her day. However cancer is a disease that shows no mercy and it decided it was going to fight Charlie's favorite angel and the angel fought back. Fawcett fought her cancer bravely, going through round after round of chemotherapy documenting it all in a film she was producing called "Farrah's Fight" which I believe will eventually be shown on NBC. However as I said, cancer shows no mercy and eventually it won the fight and we lost Farrah Fawcett at the age of 62.

Later Thursday, as we were all still mourning the loss of one icon we lost another. First it was reported that Michael Jackson had collapsed in his home and was under cardiac arrest. Then TMZ reported he was dead however none of the major news sources could confirm it. They simply said that he was in a coma. Then, right as the 6:30 national newses all came on the air the LA Times confirmed that we had indeed lost The King of Pop.

To call Farrah Fawcett an icon and then to call Michael Jackson one is not fair to MJ. Farrah Fawcett was the prettiest among the unfathomably pretty world of Hollywood and thus she was an icon. Jackson was a true legend amongst legends and his impact is what sets him apart from any other entertainer the world has ever seen. The best way I can explain this is how I explained it to my kids. No I'm not a father but somewhere this summer in between being a DJ, a radio intern, and having the life of a 19 year old, I am also a camp counselor and Friday morning when I got to camp all anybody was talking about was MJ. Once again I'm too young to really comprehend MJ's reach because I wasn't alive during his prime, however I understand it far better than my campers and thus explained it to them this way.

I asked them who there favorite artists were today. I got varied responses from Carrie Underwood to Justin Timberlake to T.I. I then told them that all of them were affected by Michael Jackson. I singled out Carrie Underwood and talked about her music video for Before He Cheats. As is typical of music videos now she acts out the story of her song, smashing a car of a boy who's cheated on her to pieces. However this music video wouldn't have been that way if it wasn't for Jackson. He invented the modern music video. Another example I used of this was Timberlake's video for What Goes Around...Comes Around. The song and thus the video is over 7 minutes long and stars Timberlake along with Scarlett Johannson. She's a major motion picture actress, in a music video. The thought of a song as a movie originated with MJ and has continued to evolve.

Anyone who has seen JT perform also can point to Jackson as an influence in terms of his dancing and performance. Dancing and music have always gone hand in hand but MJ changed the way people danced and incorporated it into his performances, wowing crowds not only with his voice but with his moves. This has continued today with not only JT but Chris Brown, Ne-Yo, Ciara, and countless other dancing/singing dual threat artists.

Now of course the kids asked about the other stuff, and my answers were simple. Yes, he was a freak later in life. Yes, he went from a black boy to a white woman. No, that's not normal. Yes, he was missing a few screws and a nut. That being said you simply cannot deny the man's talent and his impact on the world. He was planning a 50 show comeback tour in London that sold out instantly which, in its own right shows that he still has the reach not to mention he nearly crashed the Internet when he died.

As usual I can't get through a blog without bringing up something I heard on the radio and this blog is no different. As I've said before there are no two bigger platforms in the world than sports and music. Simply put if Barack Obama died today, the Michael Jackson story is still bigger world wide. On this premise, Scott Van Pelt asked the question Friday who else in the world could die and have the same effect? Sports' MJ? Tiger Woods? Those are the two most logical answers and the two answers that came to mind for me but they would not have the impact this had. SVP did bring up one that I think would be close and that is Muhammad Ali. However Ali has been out of his prime longer than Jackson has been and has been living a far from normal life medically for years now so the shock factor would not be nearly as great. Simply put, nothing in the world could be a bigger story than what happened Thursday.

Friday and Saturday were recovery days and nothing major happened. I thought we were done. And then it happened. Today Billy Mays, the world's most famous and most successful pitchman, was found dead in his home. This was as unexpected as Jackson's death but to put the two in the same sentence is only OK because it happened in the same week. Like Jackson though, Mays was the best at what he did, so much so that he became a caricature of himself and even he knew it, mocking himself in a set of spots for ESPN360. However he paved the way for the Shamwow guy and whoever is next in the line of pitchmen and although I won't miss his commercials one bit, I do greatly respect what he did and how well he did it.

That's it for the entertainment world... I put an ellipses there because it's still only 5:30 on Sunday, that's a whole 6.5 hours for something else to go down. I'd say something sarcastically like a Brangelina break up but if it happened I'd feel bad. Or maybe Kate will have another kid. Just so she can have more than Octomom. Yay for Octomom jokes!