Two things:
1) During NBC's pre-game/highlights show before the Sunday Night game, when talking about the Desean Jackson punt return to win the game, the commentator said that this was the first time a game has been decided on a punt return touchdown as time expired. The way he said it, he was kind of proud that he was the one to say this statistic, like it was some shocking fact. I'm not sure if it's just me, but I was not surprised in the least, because frankly, nobody has ever been stupid enough to actually kick the ball in the field of play in that situation. And to one of the most explosive players in the league? I'm going to go out on a limb and say that it was not a smart move. Good try NBC, but maybe next time you will knock me off of my feet with your knowledge because today was certainly not that day.
2) I'm in a dilemma. The Titans, my Titans, although feeble and semi-awful, are still mathematically in contention for the playoffs. Do I believe they will make it into the postseason? Not a chance. But do I want to be optimistic? Absolutely. So in order for this pipedream to pan out, we would need to win out and get some help. One of the teams who we need to lose is the Jags. Just my luck, they play the Redskins next week. Great. So here's my question? Do I abandon all of my ideals, morals, and beliefs and root for the team that I despise so much, or should I be a realist and throw out any fantasies that the Titans will be in the playoffs this year? I'm not sure. Get back to me Sunday morning.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Monday, November 29, 2010
Danny's Media Participation Blog: My (Potential) Future in Journalism
I have always been a writer. For as long as I can remember, I have loved the entire process. The pen hitting the paper, my fingers hitting the keyboard; it doesn’t matter. Coming in to college, I had two interests: writing and sports. I wanted to be like Mike Wise or Michael Wilbon (minus the television part of his career).
While I understand that the entire landscape of journalism is changing, and simply being a writer would be nearly impossible in this day and age, it becomes a null point because I have found a new passion: the radio. By volunteering and being a part of WMUC Sports, I now see myself going in that direction. Honestly, I chose to volunteer there because I love sports and it was the most direct means to be involved with something related to sports. Little did I know that by mid-November, I would now see myself speaking for a living. But, being on the radio does not simply involve talking, which, to me, is the beauty of it. Being on the radio takes preparation and by that I mean writing, which is the best of both worlds.
Along with volunteering to produce games for WMUC Sports, I also co-host my own sports talk show, and both have shown me that I can utilize my journalism skills while still talking to consumers of information instead of writing to satisfy their need. When I produce games for WMUC Sports, I can tell that the broadcasters have prepared many things to discuss during the games. The play-by-play person has to have the gift of painting a picture with words, and this comes from being an effective communicator. Only a journalism degree can effectively teach this to someone. The color commentator needs to be someone who has thoughtful insight. Some of this is hand-written before hand while some is impromptu. Either way, being familiar with your craft and executing your ideas with words is something that listeners often take for granted. I can already tell that it is an acquired skill that takes time to perfect. The better one writes and scripts prior to the broadcast, the smoother and more insightful it will be.
My talk show also teaches me some of these same lessons. My co-hosts and I sit down each Monday night and loosely write the script for the show on the following Tuesday (at three o’clock if you want to listen!). This way, we have an outline for what we will be discussing, but at the same time, we can be creative during the broadcast. This leads to intuitive conversations about sports.
As I said before, my main interests going in to my first semester of college consisted of writing and sports. Now that I am headed into my second semester, radio can be added to this list. Journalism is the only field that can satisfy all of my interests, and that is why I find journalism so very fascinating. I know how to talk in a microphone and run a soundboard, which is acceptable for now, but I am eager to learn even more about different positions within the radio station, whether that station is WMUC Sports or somewhere else. It is an exciting feeling, knowing that I am this enthusiastic about a field, and I want to continue to learn and be a part of it for the rest of my life.
I thought it was impressive that I was my high school newspaper’s Sports Editor my senior year, but now I know that holding in that position was me simply dipping my toes into the ocean that is the field of journalism. I have moved on from that phase, to hopefully bigger and better things.
While I understand that the entire landscape of journalism is changing, and simply being a writer would be nearly impossible in this day and age, it becomes a null point because I have found a new passion: the radio. By volunteering and being a part of WMUC Sports, I now see myself going in that direction. Honestly, I chose to volunteer there because I love sports and it was the most direct means to be involved with something related to sports. Little did I know that by mid-November, I would now see myself speaking for a living. But, being on the radio does not simply involve talking, which, to me, is the beauty of it. Being on the radio takes preparation and by that I mean writing, which is the best of both worlds.
Along with volunteering to produce games for WMUC Sports, I also co-host my own sports talk show, and both have shown me that I can utilize my journalism skills while still talking to consumers of information instead of writing to satisfy their need. When I produce games for WMUC Sports, I can tell that the broadcasters have prepared many things to discuss during the games. The play-by-play person has to have the gift of painting a picture with words, and this comes from being an effective communicator. Only a journalism degree can effectively teach this to someone. The color commentator needs to be someone who has thoughtful insight. Some of this is hand-written before hand while some is impromptu. Either way, being familiar with your craft and executing your ideas with words is something that listeners often take for granted. I can already tell that it is an acquired skill that takes time to perfect. The better one writes and scripts prior to the broadcast, the smoother and more insightful it will be.
My talk show also teaches me some of these same lessons. My co-hosts and I sit down each Monday night and loosely write the script for the show on the following Tuesday (at three o’clock if you want to listen!). This way, we have an outline for what we will be discussing, but at the same time, we can be creative during the broadcast. This leads to intuitive conversations about sports.
As I said before, my main interests going in to my first semester of college consisted of writing and sports. Now that I am headed into my second semester, radio can be added to this list. Journalism is the only field that can satisfy all of my interests, and that is why I find journalism so very fascinating. I know how to talk in a microphone and run a soundboard, which is acceptable for now, but I am eager to learn even more about different positions within the radio station, whether that station is WMUC Sports or somewhere else. It is an exciting feeling, knowing that I am this enthusiastic about a field, and I want to continue to learn and be a part of it for the rest of my life.
I thought it was impressive that I was my high school newspaper’s Sports Editor my senior year, but now I know that holding in that position was me simply dipping my toes into the ocean that is the field of journalism. I have moved on from that phase, to hopefully bigger and better things.
Monday, November 15, 2010
I'm Lovin' It
This is a beautiful thing. The great Washington Redskins are down 42-14 with less than a minute left in the first half, with David Akers lining up to add three more. He just snuck it it, so now it's a 31 point lead. I personally cannot wait for the talk radio tomorrow here in DC. The excuses will be classic and the finger-pointing will be inevitable. Let the ridiculousness ensue...
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Oh, Maryland. How You Toy With My Emotions.
I just got back from Maryland's 75-74 defeat over the College of Charleston and I don't know what to make of it. On one hand, we played semi-poorly and went down to the wire against a team from the Southern Conference but on the other hand, we just proved resilient against a Bobby Cremins-coached team that beat then-ranked #9 UNC last year. We started off sloppy ... again. We need to cut down on turnovers, especially those caused by our point guards picking up their dribble and forcing it in to Jordan Williams. And then there's free throw shooting. 5-18 in this game. That's right, 5-18. This is one of those occasions where it is actually apt to say that, "I could make more than that with a blindfold on." I thought that free throw shooting would be a non-issue this year. But, the more I thought about it, I realized that losing Vasquez and Hayes (Two 90% or better free throw shooters) can take a toll in that category. I know Gary will have them working on that, so I will let that be for now. Then again, it was nice to se Pe'Shon step up at the end. I'm sure the play was supposed to go to JWill, but if it goes in, it goes in. We have a few more (hopefully) easy tests before heading up to the Madison Square Garden. Hopefully we can get those wins, work on improving every game, and beat Pitt in a week or so. Man, I was not expecting that this early. I guess this is one way to get me ready for ACC season.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
The (Evil) Allure of the Pinstripes
After the MVP and Cy Young Awards, the Golden Glove is the most coveted award in all of baseball. It measures who, in the voters estimation, is the best at fielding their position in their league. Players such as Pudge Rodriguez and Greg Maddux won upwards of ten straight of these things. It is one of the most prestigious awards in all of sports. Well, until now. My opinion of the award has now been shot. The 2010 American League Gold Glove winner for shortstop was Derek Jeter. Mediocrity does not even begin to describe his fielding prowess. He, time and time again, makes the routine play look difficult, and he has one of the smallest ranges as far as shortstops go in his league. He plays deep on every pitch and hopes that the ball is not rocketed past him. He is the "proud" recipient of the Danny Golden "Most Overrated Play Ever" award in which, in the playoffs against Oakland, was caught entirely out of position and got lucky when he cut a ball of and flipped it to the catcher. He was on the first baseline, and, trust me, that was not out of instincts. Those who are Jeter supporters will make the claim that having a fielding percentage of .989 makes him deserving. No. In my estimation, a Gold Glove-winning shortstop (arguably the most important position on the field) has to actually try on slow-rollers and balls deep in the gap. Jeter won because he is Jeter, a word synonymous with another dirty word: Yankee.
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