Favorite Beat

I really don't think this question was designed for me to answer. Unlike some students in class, I already have a beat. Thankfully, it's the beat that I feel like is the most interesting. It may not be the hardest, but I feel like it is the most interesting for sure.

I came out of the womb a sports fan. I grew up in a household where sports were second to none. I've loved the New England Patriots, New York Yankees, and the UConn Huskies for as long as I can remember. From an early age, I knew I would never be able to play for any of them, so I figured that I wanted to work for them in some capacity. By the time high school came around, I found out that I liked this whole writing thing. I put two and two together and I got sports writing.

As of right now, I get school credit to go watch high school sports. Sports in their purest form if you will. No pressure of garnering a huge contract in free agency, no pressure from donors at a university, just kids playing for the love of the game. I get to talk to the kids about the game they just played. It's painfully simple. Maybe it's because I'm an intern, but even Ramo secretly loves his job even though he complains about the hours. In my personal opinion, the most interesting beat (for a sports fan like me), is obviously the sports beat.

I would think the most difficult beat would have to be general news. In general news, there are so many more people involved in newsmaking than in sports. There are so many different varieties of general news. Politics, human interest, business, and so many more aspects of life can fit into general news. No two days are the same. I can only imagine how stressful covering general news must be. There is no comfort zone for one to ever get into. Good thing I'm in sports....

Dead or Alive

A person's personality is the most complex thing about someone. While there are traits that are abundantly clear, there are some recesses deep down that can be only be accessed through great pain, great joy, or anything personal event of a large magnitude really. That is why I feel that, while writing about someones personality on the surface may be easy, getting a TRUE feeling of someone's personality and conveying that in a story is so hard. Combine that with the fact that everything about an obituary is, well, factual , makes an obituary easier to report on and write.

Yea, the person you may be writing about is six feet under, but that doesn't mean their basic personal information died with them. 99 times out of 100, someone who is having an obit written about them has family members to verify age, cause of death, occupation, surviving relatives and the like. If not, many of those things are in fact public record, easily accessible to the reporter. I can't imagine that an obituary takes more than just one day to report and write about. If a celebrity is the subject of the obit, than a bit more digging would be required, but it must be a pretty simple task to write the obit of a normal person.

Descriptive Techniques

I know this will be going against the assignment, as the question strictly states "why would viewers/listeners like your use...".

I'm not a TV or radio writer.

I don't want to be a TV or radio writer.

I have no experience in writing for TV or radio, therefore I have no techniques.

But I can draw from my time as a newspaper writer, in which I have developed a few techniques that I like to think makes my work stand out. So I apologize if I don't directly answer the question, but this is the only answer I can possibly give.

I love love love using imagery as in depth as possible, especially when it comes to longer stories and features. I want to bring my reader courtside of the basketball game I'm covering. I want the reader to see the smile on a track runner's face when she speaks of the comeback she is making from a knee injury. I want my readers to picture them at the beach early on a Saturday morning watching marathon runners race by. Some of my favorite articles I've written over the past seven months have been because I feel like I implemented imagery well into my story. It's one thing to tell someone who scored and what the score was. It's completely another thing to describe the goal well enough so the reader can go out into their yard and perfectly reenact every motion, right down to the celebration.

Secondly, I find subtle alliteration to be a useful tool every once in a while. I see it as almost a comedic relief as well as a truss that helps hold my story together. Something as simple as "it was deja vu for DJ Glazer" might be my favorite lead in my last seven months of writing for newspapers. It's funny and it fits (she scored the tying goal in the 77th minute in back to back games). It would be boring to say something like "DJ Glazer did it again", that doesn't entertain or really grab a reader's attention. Using the lead I used can help branch my two game stories together as well as bring a smile to a reader's face. I know it made me smile. It's nothing over the top either, I don't want to overshadow my story with a sad attempt to be a witty writer by using the same damn syllable over and over. Just one, maybe two examples a story, and hopefully I'll get a smile and a read.

Personal Preference

I am a print guy. That's what I've always wanted to be, that's what I am currently, and that is what I will (hopefully) will be in my career. But if given a choice between writing for either television or radio, I would pick radio in a second. Yet choosing between reporting for television or radio, I would choose television in a heartbeat

I don't have a "radio voice" or "television looks" (maybe that's why I ended up in print after all), but I feel like I have that radio personality. I think I could be a very solid sports talk show host on the radio, and that has in fact been a secret dream of mine. I have the ability to be controversial, slightly arrogant, and knowledgeable about sports, so I'll fit right in. But that is neither here nor there.

Frankly, writing for radio seems easier than writing for television. To be honest, it just seems slightly easier and I would prefer that. Yet reporting for television allows you to get your name out there easier, and there is more money in the field of television reporting than radio reporting. There are more opportunities to do different types of stories as well, a la Tom Rinaldi of ESPN, who does everything you could possibly think of on every single ESPN show it seems. I do idolize him after all, so maybe that factors in to choosing a TV reporter. But the benefits of television reporting outweigh that of being a radio reporter, and it is vice versa for radio. The only thing I got out of this choice was an even stronger conviction to being a print guy

Walk Like An Egyptian

The Inverted Pyramid. The Princeton Offense of print journalism. If done well, you automatically have a well balanced print article. But, to borrow from my internships with the vastly different Connecticut Post and the New York Post, the inverted pyramid is like predominately white Connecticut high school basketball while more of a balanced pyramid is like the streetball-esque PSAL basketball. The Princeton Offense will not work in the PSAL. The inverted pyramid does not work in broadcasting.

Very similar to why shorter and simpler sentences work better in broadcast than print, not overwhelming a broadcast lead with the Who, What, Where, When, and Why will help keep the attention of the viewer on the newscast. Not using all of that information in the lead or the very beginning of the story prevents the viewer from being overwhelmed with information and it allows the anchor to not speak until he runs out of breath. The flow of the broadcast story would be greatly interrupted.

In a print story using the inverted pyramid, the story can tend to trail off as the story ends with general information that may not be attention grabbing. This obviously can't happen in a broadcast story, as viewers would be racing for the remote. That is why a more balanced pyramid is required, where the Who, What, Why, Where, and When are spread throughout the story. This keeps viewers interested throughout the entire story, instead of possibly confusing them early and leaving them with little details later on.

Keep It Simple, Stupid

Picture this:

You turn on NBC at 6:30pm. NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams comes on. He begins his show with this:

"Islamist parties made dramatic advances in Egypt's parliamentary elections during the first round of voting for lawmakers this week, a result reflecting a growing embrace of religious-oriented sentiment across turbulent North Africa. Al Noor Salafi Movement, a hard-line Muslim group, had the second-highest total, 20%, in the first round of voting for the lower house of parliament"

Huh?

If that long winded introduction won't cause viewers to either be confused, change the channel, or both, then I don't know what will. This is the exact reason why short and simple sentences are so important in TV and radio broadcasts.

Short and simple sentences allow viewers to understand what is being broadcasted to them without much thinking about or deciphering what the anchor just said. They are easy to understand and they don't alienate less educated viewers who may not be apprised of the news material or would not understand certain terms or words. Short and simple sentences are also more conversational when compared to more in depth print stories. Shorter sentences are also easier for the broadcaster to say, as there are little to no commas requiring the anchor to pause. Word economy at its finest

Fact or Opinion?

David Freese hit a game winning home run in the 11th inning of Game 6 to send the 2011 World Series to a winner-take-all Game 7.

David Freese had the most clutch hit in World Series history, hitting a walk off home run in the 11th inning of Game 6 to send the 2011 World Series to a winner-take-all Game 7.

One is fact, one is opinion. They both talk about the same event, but one brings with it straight facts, while the other brings straight facts laced with irrelevant opinions. David Freese's home run is important. What Buster Olney thinks about David Freese's home run is meaningless. What David Freese did will forever remain in the annals of baseball lore. The video blog of what Aaron Boone thinks about it will float away into the outer atmosphere of the internet, never to be seen or heard from again.

Facts are more important because it is impossible for them to be biased. They ARE what happened, what was said, who said it, how it was said, and when it happened. Facts convict people in a court of law. Facts drive the price of gas. Facts are written in record books. Facts are what journalists report on and need in order to produce a story. Opinions are absolutely meaningless and are irrelevant in terms of journalism

The Leadoff Hitter

A lead in journalism is a lot like the leadoff hitter in a lineup. In baseball, the leadoff hitter needs to set the tempo for the rest of the lineup. He is usually one of the speediest and most important players on the team. The leadoff hitter is a bridge to the heavy hitters who are the meat of the lineup. The lead in journalism is the same thing. The mood of the story/piece is set by the lead. It is usually shorter than 35 words, and it is the attention grabbing transition to the major players of the story, the who-what-where-why-when-how's that will follow.

If the leadoff hitter in baseball doesn't come through, there are fewer run scoring opportunities and the team will lose more times than not. In journalism, if the lead is uninteresting, then the readers/viewers will likely not continue on reading/watching. The lead must jump out and grab out attention. It must be intriguing and it must force the reader/viewer to read/watch on.

I have been writing game stories since May for the Connecticut Post and the New York Post. What I feel like I do best is write leads. I've noticed that my leads are mostly written in a style of foreshadowing. I allude to what happened in the game with a quote from a player or a coach or maybe even a metaphor. I feel that leads like " It was a sunny Saturday afternoon in Brooklyn, but a thunderstorm raged between the sidelines of Sid Luckman Field." or " Flushing coach Jim DeSantis wasn’t sure his team could pull out a victory against John F. Kennedy and its mammoth defense." make the readers want to read on. At least I hope they do. Questions, quotes alluding to the main actions in the story, literary devices, and shocking statements all make for really good leads.

Why Does A Journalist Need To Be Curious?

You will not survive as a journalist unless you are curious. Your stories will be boring, uneventful, and uninspired. Your readers will view your articles as stories they can skip over on their way to the sports page. If you're a sports writer, readers will view your articles as stories they can skip over on their way to the comics. If you work in television or radio, your viewers/listeners will flip to a station with reporters who care. Your stories will be black and white while the world is ever graying. You will soon be reading the classifieds section of the newspaper you once worked for. A journalist obviously needs to be curious for the sake of his or her job, but they also owe it to the readers and the stories they are covering.

I don't want to read a simple article or watch a simple voice over where I just get the who, what, where, and when. I want the why and the how. Everyone wants the why and the how. How unlikely was The Great Red Sox Collapse of 2011? Why did Terry Francona get fired? How did Gadaffi die? How did Arab Spring begin? Why did that crazy exotic animal owner in Ohio kill himself.? Why is it going to snow before Halloween? What good is knowing the facts without knowing how they got to be facts?

If journalists weren't curious, there would have been no Watergate. The course of American Politics and possibly the Cold War would have been forever altered. If journalists weren't curious, Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens would be baseball's biggest heroes instead of the sport's most hated men. There are countless stories out there, tremendously important stories, that would have went undiscovered without the presence of a journalist seeking more. The readers/viewers eat up those stories. The newspaper or televisions station will see a huge boom in ratings and readers. The journalist gets his or her 15 minutes of fame. The subject of the story gets their/its name out there, in a good way or bad. The positives are numerous, while the negatives of a curious journalist do not exist. Quite simply, to exist in this business, you must be curious

Differences Between Print, Broadcast, and PR

Being a writer in the field of journalism can mean so many things. You could be a writer for the New York Times. You could be a copy writer for CNN. You could even be hired by Toys R Us to write public relations press releases about the top 15 toys of the coming Christmas season. There are opportunities abound in all three fields, print writing, broadcast writing, and PR writing, but there are some pretty big differences between them.

I feel like you have a little more freedom in print journalism than you do broadcast journalism. For broadcast, you have to throw the story right at the viewer in order for them not to change the channel. No ifs, ands, or buts, you have to jump right into the major details. The same is required for print journalism, but you have the ability to flower it up in a way. You can start with a comedic line, a play on words, or lead into a quote with foreshadowing. If it is a serious story, like the death of Dan Wheldon, you can still lead with a few lines that don't get into the immediate details, all while making the reader aware of what happened. For example, here is the lead from the Sports Illustrated article that announced his death.

"Race car drivers always know the worst can happen whenever they get behind the wheel. On Sunday, it happened to one of IndyCar's biggest and most popular stars."

It is evident that a major star died in a crash, but you must keep reading to find out who exactly passed away. An excellent job by the writer of letting the reader know what happened right away, but forcing them to read their article instead of flipping to another page. That luxury is not as present in broadcast journalism.

While there is more freedom in print journalism than there is broadcast journalism, the amount of freedom in PR writing can be quite large. While you have a certain message of a PR piece that you must write according to, the writer can be as creative as they want, just as long as they spin what they are writing to make their business/product more favorable. Print and broadcast writers cannot do this, as objectivity is the name of the game.

Are Blogs Good News Sources?

Blogs are awesome. They can be like Facebook statuses or tweets taken to the next level. They can be portals into someone's soul. They can be a waterfall of emotions. But they cannot be good sources of news. They can be the in-depth details of a news story, they can be the missing puzzle pieces in a story, but they cannot be the source of news themselves.

Well in the technical sense, they can. If I sat behind this computer and typed out the hypothetical conversation I overheard my roommate having about assassinating the President and it ends up his last name is Bin Laden, then yes my blog was a good source of news. But lets not get crazy now, blogs aren't good sources of news.

Blogs show the video of protesters at Wall Street getting punched by cops, something we already knew was happening. Blogs displayed the pictures of the brutality committed by Northern African police forces and military personnel against the Arab Spring revolutionaries. The blogs of sports writers go in depth into stories they have already broken. Blogs help us fill in the gaps and they add dramatic flair to already broken stories. A good source of novelty information, yes. A good source of secondary details, sure. A good source of straight news? No.

What Is News?

This may seem like a simple question, but the answer is actually quite complicated. It is a question with both a subjective and objective answer, as in some cases, what is news to me is not news to you.

A presidential election, a war, a notable death, and a natural disaster are all indisputable news items, as their effects and influence on a national populous can be wide ranging and quite dramatic. They are news whether you or me disagree. It is the smaller, more novel issues where the question of "what is news" becomes complicated.

If I told you that there was a 1 car crash on Ball Pond Road in New Fairfield, Connecticut last night, injuring the driver, you may not think it is news at all. Most of you probably couldn't find New Fairfield on a map. But to me, this is a serious piece of news, as I live on Ball Pond Road in New Fairfield, Connecticut. It is a town of fewer than 13,000 people, so I very well could know this person as well. If the apartment building of your English professor burns down overnight, it is news to you because you have a personal connection with the incident. I don't, therefore it is hardly news to me.

Everything is news. The question is, "is it news to you?"

Montgoris, Schmontgoris

Notice anything new around campus (aside from the more modernized Marillac cafeteria) this year? Yea, me neither. Obviously, St. John’s spruces up the physical appearance of the foliage around the campus to impress the incoming freshman and their families, but in terms of physical improvements of buildings and the likes, there is little to be seen. Even if there was some sort of new building constructed or a new and useless staircase built next to an even more useless fountain, the biggest improvement would still be the changes in the dining on campus.

No, Montgoris dining hall did not burn down unfortunately. That prison mess hall with its comparable food trying to pass as a college cafeteria is still serving the same “food” as it has the last two years. I mean same in the literal sense; it’s probably leftovers from the “food” that was put on display in May. But enough about that, it’s the meal exchange program and the extended hours of the Red Storm Diner (a.k.a Vinnies) that is the real story here.

For those of you who are juniors and seniors, do you remember that bullshit Vinnies pulled last year by only being open on Friday-Sunday nights? Well that’s no more, order has been restored and Vinnies is open seven nights a week. Two words, thank God. We’ve all had that moment last year where we would be craving a loaded grilled cheese or a western burger so much on a Tuesday night and were unable to quench that thirst….or appetite….but now there would be nothing standing between you and that short, nice Indian woman at the register. Now how fast are those 250 points going to go? Probably as fast as the Vinnies line is long at 1am on a Saturday night.

Not only has the hours at Vinnies been extended, the hours for meal exchange at the DeAngelo Center has been extended to. I meal exchanged for Nathan’s at 12:30pm the other day. Fricken awesome. Anything that prevents me from eating dinner during the week at Monties is great in my book. Nathans at the DAC is one of my favorite spots to eat on campus so I am a tremendous fan of this move. Good on you, St. John’s. You will forever be remembered for having the Montgoris Dining Hall on your grounds but I’m glad to see that you are at least trying to make strides in terms of student dining. Now if only the hot dogs in Monties would taste great instead of bouncing high…

I Just Need The Rain To Remind Me

If this song doesn't help heal a heart, I don't know what song will. 16 days until I see Sara Bareilles live, hopefully she plays Let The Rain. Lyrical gold and incredible vocal delivery make for a song that you can put on repeat for hours and hours without getting sick of it. I mean, how could anyone wanting a fresh start get sick of Sara's captivating voice belting out a song about just that?

I encourage everyone to at least give her album, Kaleidoscope Heart, a listen. There are songs for every type of mood. So in love with your boyfriend/girlfriend that you could just look into their eyes and feel like everything will be alright? Then "The Light" is your song. How about a good fuck you song? Listen to "King of Anything". Trying to get over someone? "Gonna Get Over You", Say You're Sorry", and "Machine Gun" are for you. Devastating ballads, "Hold My Heart" and "Breathe Again", are for those who feel like they can't be loved. And "Uncharted" is just, well, awesome (especially with the album's opener, "Kaleidoscope Heart" serving as a PERFECT introduction to the song). It's an amazing album, one of my favorites for sure.

Lastly, my thoughts and prayers go out to the victims of the Indiana State Fair stage collapse the other night. At least 5 people are dead and 40 are injured so far when basically the entire stage fell on top of the crowd during a severe thunderstorm that hit the area right after Sara Bareilles finished her set. It's truly a horrifying accident and I'm sure Sara and Sugerland (the headlining act that night) will continue to handle the situation with grace as they already have displayed. Again, my thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families.

Anyway, it's pouring outside. I just want to let the rain come down, to make a brand new ground. Here's "Let The Rain" by Sara Bareilles. Enjoy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fidGJImko7s&feature=related

I wish I were pretty
I wish I were brave
If I owned this city
Then I'd make it behave

And if I were fearless
Then I'd speak my truth
And the world would hear this
That's what I wish I'd do, yeah

If my hands could hold them you'd see
I'd take all these secrets in me
And I'd move and mold them to be
Something I'd set free

I want to darken in the skies
Open the floodgates up
I want to change my mind
I want to be enough
I want the water in my eyes
I want to cry until the end of time

I want to let the rain come down
Make a brand new ground
Let the rain come down
Let the rain come down
Make a brand new ground
Let the rain come down tonight

I hold on to worry so tight
It's safe in here right next to my heart
Who now shouts at the top of her voice
Let me go, let me out, this is not my choice

And I always felt it before
That the world was filled with much more
Than the drowning soul I've learned to be
I just need the rain to remind me

I want to darken in the skies
Open the floodgates up
I want to change my mind
I want to be enough
I want the water in my eyes
I want to cry until the end of time

I want to let the rain come down
Make a brand new ground
Let the rain come down
Let the rain come down
Make a brand new ground
Let the rain come down

I want to let the rain come down
Make a brand new ground
Let the rain come down
Let the rain come down
Make a brand new ground
Let the rain come down

I want to let the rain come down
Make a brand new ground
Let the rain come down
Let the rain come down
Make a brand new ground
Let the rain come down tonight

I'm Coming Home

"I’m coming home
I’m coming home
Tell the World I’m coming home
Let the rain, wash away, all the pain of yesterday
I know my kingdom awaits, and they’ve forgiven my mistakes
I’m coming home, I’m coming home
Tell the World that I’m coming..."

As the merciless calender finally jettisoned the fireworks laden July page and the thumbtack now sticking through the top of the August page, the time is almost upon us. It's almost time to say goodbye to our families, pack up all of our things for the second time in four months, to buy textbooks, to reunite with friends, to set that alarm clock for 7:30am again, and to trudge to class while wishing we were still sleeping (or wishing we were actually awake for that matter). While I literally can't wait for all these things, what I'm looking forward to the most is not found in that list. What I'm looking forward to the most is something quite simple. It's returning to New York City.

The City of Blinding Lights. The most magical, overwhelming, beautiful place imaginable. More awe inspiring than any sprawling meadow in the Great Plains. More wondrous than any peak in the Rocky Mountain range. More powerful than the viewing the Atlantic Ocean alone from a moonlight Florida beach. They say standing at the foot of the sea makes you feel small, but I believe standing at the foot of the Empire State Building or in the footprint of the former World Trade Center is what can make really someone feel small. Not just in terms of physical size, but in terms of something that isn't quite quantifiable. It's hard to comprehend the enormity of what happened at Ground Zero even when you're standing in it's shadow. The same with the incredible feat of construction and American ingenuity that occurred with the building of the Empire State Building. In just twenty days from now, I'll be able to experience these things again. This is a love letter to you, New York. A letter I'll be able to hand deliver to you, because I'm coming...

...Home

"In the stillness of the evening. When the sun has had its day. I heard your voice a-whispering. Come away child, to New York. New York"



Credits to:
I'm Coming Home-Diddy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-ImCpNqbJw

City of Blinding Lights-U2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ed3QQeRVG9M&feature=player_embedded

New York-U2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYFxIkvpwIw

(more to come in the following days, I promise)

It's A Beautiful Day

14th of July
3:45
Alarm clock rings
Sound on the phone telling me its the day I've been waiting for
There's only one thing going on in my mind
One

Concert day. The day I've been waiting for since September 20th, 2009. 1 year, 9 months, and 24 days. I counted down the days, all 662 of them. I counted down the hours, all 15,888 of them. I counted down the minutes, all 953,280 of them. At times I was even counting the seconds, all 57,196,800 of them. But now, the countdown was finally over. The clock had hit zero. It was finally July 14th. To steal a commonly used phrase on the U2360 Tour, "What time is it in the world? Showtime"

I couldn't sleep, the night of the concert. I didn't crawl into bed until 12:45am but whatever. Its not like mattered what time I tried to go to sleep, because I just couldn't close my eyes for five seconds without feeling a wave of excitement. I only slept in fifteen minute intervals basically. I knew it was bad because I would be away from 3:45am until when I got back to the hotel at around 2am, but I was too excited to sit still

We (my brother and I) get in the car at around 4:30am and hit the road. My brother listens to songs like Zooropa, Out of Control, Magnificent, The Unforgettable Fire, and Get On Your Boots on full blast on his iPod. I couldn't help but overhear and get even more excited. The hour and a half drive to Lincoln Financial Field felt like it took years, but once we crossed the Delaware River and saw the Linc in the foreground, I felt like my wait had been worth it.

I saw the spire on top of The Claw (U2's aptly named stage) as we passed by the stadium. I literally squealed with excitement. That sexy piece of half-machinery, half-fifth band member was calling my name, as if to say welcome back. I couldn't help but to stare, but the time to be awe struck was later, as my brother and I had a long day ahead of us in the General Admission (GA) line.

A little backstory, we have GA tickets. These are floor "seats", where in order to get the spot you want, you need to line up as early as possible. I originally wanted a spot right on the rail along the outer catwalk. Not inside the "pit", but on the outside of the catwalk. After scouring different GA guides, "how to's", and a few trustworthy forum buddies, I decided that 6:30am would be a solid time to line up, and 6:30am was when we got there.

The GA line was tremendously well organized. I had heard horror stories of GA nightmares in Montreal as recently as last week, so I wasn't sure what to expect. But as soon as we entered the parking lot, event staff directed us to the line, and a woman gave us our numbers, 242 and 243, as soon as we got to the line. A man came around with a clip board shortly after and wrote down our names, which assures no one can cut in front of us. So with the formalities of joining the line aside, all that was left to was to hang out and make friends.

Beach chairs deployed, bag of food and drink ready to go, and an early morning chill in the air, the GA wait had begun. Shortly after we sat down, the women in front of us in line (#240 and #241) asked us to watch their stuff as they went to the bathroom. They went, came back, and we began simply chatting. They asked if this was our first concert, first time doing GA, and where we were from and my brother and I asked the same questions right back. Turns out Erin and her friend met in college, when Erin was showing off a picture of her and Bono to her classmates and her eventual U2 concert partner. They went to their first show together in 1992, as they attended the infamous August 16th, 1992 Zoo TV show in Washington DC. They attended the Popmart concert in DC, multiple Elevation and Vertigo Tour shows as well as 2009 U2360 Tour shows, and were now attending their second to last show this year. Talk about a U2 resume. Anyway, I had seen U2 before but this was the first time doing GA, so these women took us under their wings for the day. They shared stories of U2 concerts past. They gave us extra water they had. They gave us advice on handling the GA line and the rush into the stadium. To say they were wonderful would be an understatement. U2 fans truly are the best.

The woman behind us, though, was not a U2 fan. This 23 year old teacher named Marissa with a pale Irish complexion was number 244 and she was all alone. From Dublin of all places, she admitted she only knew a small handful of U2 songs and was only there because her boyfriend who bought her the ticket told her to get there at 6:30am. So there she was, with nothing but a bottle of water and a newspaper. No sun umbrella (as it would go on to be 90 degrees), no food, not much water, and not a clue of what to expect. So doing as any good U2 fan and good person would, Erin, her friend, my brother, and I offered her extra water, food, and our friendship. Within hours, this gorgeous Irish girl with the white skin, ginger hair, and pretty smile was soon best of friends with the Barca boys and the 40-something year old pair of U2 concert-heads. Such an odd group we had, but a dynamic one nonetheless.

We all shared personal stories like what we all do, how college is treating me, how Marissa's class is going, how Erin's friend's upcoming wedding is being planned, and most of all, how excited we all were for tonight. We talked for hours on end, as if we all knew each other for years. U2 truly brings people together.

Speaking of U2 bringing people together, I was lucky enough to finally meet some truly incredible fellow U2 teenage friends in person. Well one of them I had already met, but it was still a joy seeing her again. When people say "U2 are an old people band", I have to disagree. There are SO MANY people around my age that love U2 as much as I do, you just have to find them.

Anyway, as these kids furiously make signs for The Edge, with one even creating a BEAUTIFUL Gibson guitar out of string (or something along those lines) it is evident that there are some diehard fans out there, but none are as diehard as these kids enjoying the power of U2 as if they had been fans since Boy. These people know how special meeting them was, no need to just go on and on about it, because I will never stop.

10am becomes 11am. 11am becomes Noon. Noon becomes 1pm. 1pm becomes 2pm. U2's crew usually soundcheck some songs around this time. And surely, around 2pm, the sound of The Claw coming to life perks up the ears of the thousands in the GA line. I look over at my brother and say 'get ready for this". Not soon after I say it, the opening guitar notes of Zooropa ripple throughout the air. My brother's favorite song (along with Stay). His eyes light up like stars. He realizes its the never-been-played, trippy, rare Zooropa guitar riff and he's in amazement. After the crew sound checks City of Blinding Lights, Vertigo, Moment of Surrender, and (surprisingly) Breathe for 20 minutes straight, U2 comes on themselves and (surprisingly) soundchecks the studio version of Magnificent. Breathe has not been played since October 28th, 2009 and Magnificent has not been played in over a month, as The Fly took its spot. Also, most 2011 shows have seen a silly remixed version of Magnificent, so we were surely expecting a surprise tonight. And we got one for sure

U2 stops soundchecking. Gates open. Total shit show begins. My brother and I RUN to find a spot, and we find a PERFECT one inside the inner pit, directly on the back rail about 20 feet right of center on Adam's (the bass guitarist) side. Insane. We frantically hug at how worth the wait was. We take pictures. We scream. We take video. We marvel at The Claw. We freak out at the fact that Bono will be walking that very catwalk that is less than 60 inches away from us. We wait for U2 to come on

9:15pm. Ground Control to Major Tom. Space Oddity, the David Bowie song U2 walks out to the stage to, hits the PA. The screen comes to life as we see U2 walking through the tunnels of the Linc. Smoke billows out of The Claw just like a space shuttle taking off. U2 arrives at the foot of the stage. Lights go out. Total darkness. Pandemonium. The crowd ERUPTS. I erupt. My brother erupts. U2 is seconds from taking the stage. Space Oddity morphs into the backing guitar track of Even Better Than The Real Thing (the 4th single off U2's legendary Achtung Baby album) as a yellow spotlight traces the crowd. 9:20pm. What time is it in the world? SHOWTIME?

1. Even Better Than The Real Thing- BUM BUM, BUM BUM. Larry takes the stage and begins the pounding drum beat as the yellow spotlights illuminate the night sky. The Edge then hits the stage and plays that sexy guitar solo we all know and love. Adam hits the stage with a smile on his face and a bass in his hand and soon enough, the song erupts into a dizzying flurry of red, yellow, and white flashing lights as Bono struts on stage. He yanks the microphone back as if to crank the band up like a jack in the box and then releases that angelic voice from his throat. "Give me one more chance, and you'll be satisfied. Give me two more chances, and you wont be denied". Even Better Than The Real Thing was such a dynamic and incredible opener, a perfect way to start a loud and energetic show

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjjTfyvMEl8


The Fly has been played second at every single show for the last month. But when The Edge grabs his Gibson guitar (not the one used for The Fly), I knew that the one song I had always wanted to see live was up next

2. I Will Follow- U2's first big hit, the second single of U2's debut album Boy in 1980 begins with The Edge's signature punk-ish guitar riff that gets everyone jumping up and down. The song Bono wrote as an 18 year old as a tribute to his late mother who died when he was 14 tore up the stage. The energy was palpable and that guitar riff is unforgettable. It was everything I had wanted and more. "If you walk away walk away, walk away walk away. I will follow. Your eyes make a circle, I see you when I go in there. Your eyes, your eyes, your eyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyes" Incredible.



3. Mysterious Ways -Back to normal in terms of the setlist. U2's biggest and best dance number featured one of the most unforgettable moments of my life. Edge provides the music and Bono provides the moves, as all 75,000 of us in the crowd get a groove on, dancing our hearts out. Here, the band makes use of the catwalk for the first time. During the bridge of the song, I notice The Edge making his way towards us from the right as Bono makes his way towards us from the left. I said to my brother, "THEY'RE COMING" at which point he captured an amazing picture of Edge. Soon after, Bono and Edge are singing the final verse of Mysterious Ways together just feet from us. The two men I idolize the most are basically within arms reach. I die and go to heaven. My life is complete. Bono dances and sings the last minute of Mysterious Ways two feet from me. Heaven indeed



4. Until The End Of The World / Where Have All The Flowers Gone? (snippet)-Right up there with I Will Follow in terms of songs I've been dying to see. A song describing a conversation between Jesus and Judas, a badass light show accompanies powerful guitar work from Edge alongside Larry and Adam's driving rhythm section. If I try to describe this song live with words, it would be impossible. Just check it out for yourself. The duel between Edge and Bono at the end on the bridges is the best part, as Bono was right over me as I touched the underside of the bridge. "JUDAS!!!!"



5. Get On Your Boots- The lead single off of 2009's No Line On The Horizon, Boots is always roaring live. An awesome rocker that better appear on future tours. "THE FUTURE NEEDS A BIG KISS" anyway



6. Magnificent-And here was the biggest surprise of the night. Magnificent's first performance since June 17th and the first performance of the studio version since April 13th. One of my brother's favorite songs so I was so overjoyed for him. There is NOTHING in U2's catalog like the guitar intro to Magnificent. NOTHING. You WILL be captivated. "Justify, til we die, you and I, will magnify. Oh oh oh. Magnificent"

7. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For / The Promised Land (snippet)- The 'sing along" song of the main set. After Bono recognizes the obvious and truly special bond between U2 and us fans, he surrenders the microphone to the fans as we all join in in a joyous rendition of the first verse. "I have run, I have crawled, I have scaled these city walls, these city walls. Only to be with you, only to be with you. But I still haven't found what I'm looking for." A moment where everyone in the stadium shared the same voice. Us and the band, we were all one.



8. Stay (Faraway, So Close!)-The acoustic song in the set comes in the form of Stay, the second single off 1993's Zooropa, the follow up album to Achtung Baby. There is nothing more magical than a Bono/Edge acoustic number and Stay proves my point. It is my brother's favorite song and one of my favorites as well, so I was beyond overjoyed that we were sharing this moment together. I wonder if he saw me crying during the OH OH OHHHHHHHHH part of the bridge of the song. "If I could stay, then the night would give you up. Stay, and the day would keep its trust. Stay, with the demons you drown. Stay, with the spirit that I found. Stayyyyy, and the night would be enough. Oh oh ohhhhhhh...."



9. Beautiful Day / Space Oddity (snippet)- "Hello Philadelphia, from the International Space" cries Mark Kelly, astronaut and husband of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. The intro to Beautiful Day is almost as beautiful as the song itself. But everyone knows Beautiful Day is my favorite song and how much it means to me. I have no need to describe how I felt/acted during the song. You all can figure that out on your own. But the most glorious part was the ending actually. Bono repeats Mark Kelly's words "tell my wife I love her very much" in such a moving way <3 'TELL MY WIFE I LOVE HER VERY MUCH, SHE KNOWS"



10. Elevation- Bono sang almost the entire song 5 feet from me. Someone else can try to describe that moment for me, because I can't wrap my head around it yet. Insane song, everyone looked like they were on pogo sticks. Calf killing but it hurt so good. "EL-E-VA-TION!!! WOOOHOOOO, WOOHOOOO"

11. Pride (In The Name Of Love) - An all time U2 classic that I was seeing for the first time. Boy does it take off live. Bono nailed the high notes of the chorus while the crowd bellowed the "oh oh oh oh" part like its collective life depended on it. Maybe the most excited the crowd got all night. I can finally say I saw Pride live, amazing. "In the naaaaaaaaaaame of love"

12. Miss Sarajevo - A song on an album where U2 uses a moniker instead of the name "U2", Miss Sarajevo features a soft piano part played by the Edge with dramatic operatic vocals, originally from Pavoratti, that Bono nails with the efficiency of an Irish tenor. After all, his father Bob was one. What Miss Sarajevo excels at is the PERFECT transition into the next song...

13. Zooropa - "Is there a time, for asking questions?" states Bono at the end of Miss Sarajevo, at which time the screen begins to unfurl as questions like "Is love really all you need" and "what the fuck" ring throughout the stadium. The questions become more numerous and indecipherable, just like the questions segment in the beginning of the studio version of Zooropa. Sure enough, out of the questions segment comes the "WHAT DO YOU WANT?" cry, followed by the EPIC wah wah guitar. The greatest song of the night. If you told me just a few months ago that I would see Zooropa live, I would have called you crazy. But hey, uncertainty can be a guiding light. Highlight of the night. Thank you, U2 for pulling Zooropa out of its grave

14. City of Blinding Lights - After the theme song of the Teletubbies plays at the end of Zooropa, City of Blinding Lights begins. A seamless transition for sure, and I'm not being sarcastic. My 2nd favorite song of all time, U2 proved to me that I made a great choice. The song was simply gorgeous and Bono was on point, with the exception of a minor mistake in the second repetition of the chorus. I still get chills thinking about that song. "The more you see, the less you know"

15. Vertigo / I Know It's Only Rock And Roll (But I Like It) (snippet) -All tour, the two songs in the set from 2004's How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb have been paired together and for good reason. They sound great together. Who doesn't love Vertigo, I know I love it. U2's best rocker? I think so. Another ripping performance on Thursday night. "Hello hello. Hola. I'm at a place called Vertigo"

16. Miss You (snippet) / I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight / Discotheque (snippet) / Life During Wartime (snippet) / Psycho Killer (snippet) - Just like the substantial snippet inside it, this song belongs in a discotheque. Techno, rock, and club music all rolled into one 6 minute epic show of lights, the Crazy Tonight remix gets even the oldest fan and the youngest child dancing like they own the dance floor. You can try all you want, but you just can't NOT dance to this song. The SUBSTANTIAL Discotheque snippet adds even more flavor to the song too. The lead single off 1997's Pop, Discotheque was MADE to be mashed up with Crazy Tonight and you can hear all 70,000 people in the crowd scream "YOU CAN REACH!!!!!" along with Bono. "I know I'll go crazy if I don't go crazy...TONIIIIGHT"

17. Sunday Bloody Sunday- Bono layed down DIRECTLY in front of me and sang the first verse. Thats all I need to say. Nearly 30 years after the song was released, it's still played with an unmeasurable power. Tremendous

18. Scarlet - An unplayed, forgotten song from 1981's October album has suddenly become the most beautiful song of a 2011 U2360 show. Simple drums, simple guitar, simple piano, and a simple lyric all wrapped into a celebration of the release of Aung San Suu Kyi. "REJOIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICE. REJOIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICE"

19. Walk On - Continuing on from Scarlet, the celebration of Kyi's release is celebrated with the song written for her back in 2000. Along with Beautiful Day, Walk On made me a U2 fan and I will always love this song more than most U2 songs out there. The perfect way to end the main set. "All that you fashion, all that you make. All that you build, all that you break"

20. One - A timeless classic for a reason. One of U2's best songs. A song where everyone sang, everyone had their arm around one another. Everyone was....One

21. Hallelujah (snippet) / Where The Streets Have No Name- Hallelujah is one of the greatest songs of all time, no matter who is singing it. Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley, and Bono. I had never heard Bono sing the song before, but he absolutely nailed it. Simply gorgeous lead in to Streets. And Streets is Streets. Nothing else to say. Streets IS U2. Streets IS why U2 fans come to the show. It is the pinnacle of the show, the summit of the mountain. I laid back against the railing and just reached my hands up towards the red screen and towards the heavens illuminated by the spotlights shining up to it. Truly an out of body experience.

22. Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me - The first song of the last encore sees Bono using a microphone that hangs from the top of The Claw in the shape of a steering wheel with lasers and light shining from it. Bono also wears a jacket with thousands of red lasers shooting from it. EASILY the greatest thing about this tour. The smoke, the lasers, the mic...all combine for an epic visual. Oh yea, the song was pretty fucking great too. I'm officially in love with the song. "You're a headache, in a suitcase, you're a star"

23. With or Without You - The jacket and microphone remain, but they change color from a deep purple into a depressing shade of blue as Bono laments during the lyrics. "I wait without you. With or Without You. With or Without You" The last of three crowd sing alongs, a disco ball sends beams of light all throughout the stadium as men, women, and children alike weep at the beauty of the moment. Indescribable unless you see it live.

24. Moment of Surrender - One of the best concert closers U2 has ever had. A 7 minute long epic ballad of a man on the edge of his rope, just trying to hang on. The "ohhhs" sound like yelps of mourning and Bono sings the song to perfection. He hits every devastating note and pours his heart out into the lyrics. People may think the song is too much of a downer to end the show on, but I think its absolutely perfect. It puts life into perspective. It's relaxing. It's touching and beautiful too. Bono puts his hands over his head and cries as the song ends, just as many in the crowd do. He and us alike realized what a special night we all just had, and no one wanted to leave. So the band decided to stick around for a bit

25. Happy Birthday - Before departing for good, the band all sing Happy Birthday for Nelson Mandela. A cute gesture of love for the South African leader who Bono deeply admires. With that, Rocket Man by Elton John hits the PA, the house lights come up, the band departs, the show ends, and my soul comes back to Earth.

Thursday night was the greatest night of my life. Thank you, U2. I will never forget you or this night. I've had an awful summer and for the first time in many years, I can unfortunately say that I am unhappy. But thursday night, all my troubles were gone. I got lost in the music. U2 saved my soul years ago, and they saved my soul again this summer.

I made eye contact with Bono during City of Blinding Lights. I hope he read the look in my eyes, a look of gratitude and sheer joy.

Article #2 Is In The Books

My first article is much better than this one, but I'll attribute that to the fact that the first game was a much better game to cover with a better storyline. Here it is:

You can't win them all, or so the saying goes.

On a steamy Sunday afternoon, Mercy defeated West Haven 1-0 to win the 2011 SCC softball title and claim its elusive first win of the year against a team that had already beaten it twice.

Blue Devils ace Camdyn Morgillo dominated the Tigers' lineup from top to bottom, only surrendering three hits while striking out five. Yet a costly throwing error by the sophomore starter in the top of the fourth inning allowed Christie Idiong to reach second base after the ball trickled past first baseman Cindy Johnson following a bunt. A sacrifice bunt and sacrifice fly later, the only run of the game scored.

The Blue Devils hitters were unable to pick up their pitcher, as they only recorded three hits of their own against Tigers starter Haylle Reidy. They had their opportunities, though, twice stranding runners in scoring position with less than two outs. Even after Morgillo escaped a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the first inning, West Haven was not able to capitalize.

"It's really tough to beat the same team three times in a row," West Haven coach Frank Biondi said. "You just don't do that. Hitting with people on base has been our problem all year; we lost five games because we couldn't score."

Exiting the stadium that bears his name in honor of his three decades of coaching softball at West Haven, Biondi said that the loss could potentially be a good thing. After all, his Blue Devils square off against Mercy again on Tuesday in the first round of the CIAC state tournament.

"Hopefully, losing to them will take some pressure off the girls. I've had teams that were undefeated and the pressure was so enormous, the games stopped being fun," Biondi said.

West Haven came into the SCC tournament as the fourth seed, while Mercy was seeded sixth.


They changed my article around a little bit, but around 90% of that is still me

My First Article As An Official Sportswriter

By: Chris Barca
NAUGATUCK- Sometimes, winning a game, or in this case a championship, all comes down to one pitch.

In the bottom of the 9th inning of the Naugatuck Valley League championship, Seymour catcher Maggie Crocamo sent that one pitch over the head of Holy Cross left fielder Melissa Grocki for a game winning double, capping off a dominant 21 win season and claiming the 2011 NVL district title with a 1-0 victory.

After eight innings of spectacular shutout pitching from both Tori Cheske of Holy Cross and Stephanie Burt of Seymour, seeing the winning run finally cross home plate sent Wildcat fans, players, and coaches alike into a celebratory uproar. Assistant coach Jamie Yakushevich even took the customary championship Gatorade cooler bath from his players. With ice cold water dripping from the bottom of his shirt, coach Yakushevich said “After a nine inning game, I’ll take it. It’s such a relief to finally get that hit”

Alone in the dugout while packing up her softball bag, Crocamo, in between excited giggles, boldly calls that hit “my biggest hit ever. It’s an amazing feeling”. What makes this win even sweeter for the senior catcher and her teammates is that they achieved it against arguably the best pitcher in the league. “Tori really wanted to beat us” Maggie said. “Especially because we beat her in the regular season too”

For a seven inning span, it did not look like Tori Cheske and her Crusader teammates were going to lose to Seymour for a second time this season. In fact, Cheske held the Wildcats hitless from the first inning until the eighth, allowing only one base runner to reach first base via a fourth inning walk. As incredible as her 17 strikeout, four hit performance was though, she was outdueled by Wildcat pitcher Stephanie Burt, who hurled a resilient game herself.

The senior team captain countered Cheske with 14 strikeouts of her own, including a streak of six batters in a row late in the game. She wiggled out of jams in the fourth and eighth innings where she allowed two base runners to reach, but besides these scares, Burt kept Holy Cross’ lineup in check.

“She just kept getting better as the game went on” said coach Yakushevich, drenched cargo shorts and all. “She got in a groove and never looked back”.
Crocamo, still smiling from ear to ear, said of Stephanie Burt, “she was really awesome. She knows she can get everybody out and that’s what she tried to do”

She didn’t get everybody out but, paired with Crocamo’s game winning drive, she pitched like a champion.


What do you guys think?

City of Blinding Lights

At 2am on a Friday morning, I was looking for something to distract me from my studying. Earlier in the night, I had noticed that the window in the conference room I was in was covered by a blind. I decided to go on an adventure/study break for a bit and take a peek outside the window. The beauty of what lies beyond that pane of glass simply captivated me, as it does every single time I see it.

Only rivaled by the beauty of my girlfriend's kaleidoscope eyes as she smiles lovingly at me was the beauty of the Manhattan skyline outside that window. New York City. The City. My City. My home. My home I desperately do not want to leave.

People take Manhattan for granted, and that is quite unfortunate. People who live in Manhattan or spend considerable time in the borough are more preoccupied with the blaring horns of morning traffic or the tourists aimlessly snapping pictures and clogging up the sidewalks. Since coming to St. John's in August 2009, I definitely have transitioned from the tourist to the person cursing out the tourist under their breath as they speed by. But what many Manhattanites (is that right?) don't recognize on a daily basis is how beautiful their home really is.

I believe that you need to view the city from a far in order to truly understand how magnificent of a city we occupy. Yes, staring at the Chrysler Building while at the entrance to Grand Central Terminal is awe inspiring, just as much as walking through Times Square is. But I encourage everyone to drive over the Throgs Neck Bridge in the direction of Queens and look out the passenger side window. Better yet, I encourage all people of all walks of life to stand at the top of the Great Stars, with a fountain at your back and seashells under your feet and just stare straight ahead. If you can physically remove the glance of your eyes away from the city, then you don't understand true beauty.


"Neon heart, day glow eyes
A city lit by fireflies
They're advertising in the skies
For people like us"

That's how an Irishman, strangely enough, described this city in 2005. And these four mere lines define New York City. The powerfully pulsating heart of the city glows like neon, as does the heart of anyone seeing the city for the first time. All eyes a glow in wonder and awe at the city's beauty. The lights of the billboards in Times Square, the top of the Empire State Building, and the headlights of the more than 10,000 taxi cabs illuminate the landscape as they flicker both in the sky and the still waters of New York harbor like fireflies. And these lights undeniably scream one's name. More enticing than a glass of lemonade on a warm summer evening or a camp fire on a cool New England night is the City. New York City. My City.

This city is glorious. It's beauty is indescribable to one who has not witnessed it for themselves.

I know I'm droning on and on, but I just can't help feeling inspired and purely happy at the signt of my City, my home. I don't want to leave it and go back to a place of dark country roads and people as dull and as similar as nearly every single other person in New Fairfield. That same Irishman said of the City in 2000:
"In New York freedom looks like
Too many choices
In New York I found a friend
To drown out the other voices...
In New York you can forget
Forget how to sit still
Tell yourself you will stay in
But it's down to Alphaville"

In New York, I've found best friends for life. Friends I will grow old with. Friends who's children will refer to me as "Uncle Barca". In New York I've done so many things that I only dreamed of doing. I have twice been to Ground Zero on 9/11. I celebrated the lives of 2,977 people at Ground Zero after the death of Osama Bin Laden last week. I have been to 2 NFL Drafts, a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame concert, a season of ranked college basketball, and will soon experience the magic of Coney Island. In New York I've met the most beautiful girl in the entire city, and the best part is that I get to kiss her lips, hold her hand, and drown in those kaleidoscope eyes amidst a silky smooth pastel face I'm so lucky to touch. In New York, I'm free. I'm free. I'm free. I'm free.

I do not want to leave this City of Blinding Lights.

Oh yea, that Irishman I was talking about...he loves this city as much as me. Here's my proof. Please check them out

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9E8d74hGh8

City of Blinding Lights (album version)-U2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dd01FObU3Q4
City of Blinding Lights (Live at the Brooklyn Bridge)-U2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvBsYYE3n3w
New York (Live in Boston)-U2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYFxIkvpwIw
New York (album version)-U2

For The Love Of The Game

America The Beautiful will primarily cover the world of politcs, but the beauty of America doesn't just exist along Pennsylvania Avenue or Capitol Street. It exists at a waterfall at the US-Canadian border. It exists as a big red bridge in California. At sandy beaches that lines the Sunshine State. At a deep canyon with a river at the bottom in Arizona. And it exists within the warm, friendly confines of every single baseball field in America. Tonight, I just want to veer off my political theme for a little bit to recognize a big anniversary in the world of sports, or at least my little piece of it.

On May 3rd, 2005, New York Yankee Robinson Cano sprinted out of the visitors dugout at Tropicana Field to take his position at second base for the first time in his Major League career. 6 years ago today, my current favorite athlete began his torment of opposing pitchers, coaches, and teams that puts nothing but a tremendous grin on the faces of Yankee fans across the globe.

Since that day that will go down in Yankee history as the day a future Hall of Famer first took the field, Robbie has a very solid career line of .309/.346/.630/.840 (batting average/on base percentage/slugging percentage/OPS). He's accumulated 1,107 hits in just 6 years, which is absolutely stellar. He's hit 124 home runs and driven in 524 runs while scoring 527 runs himself. He placed 2nd in Rookie of the Year voting in 2005, twice selected as the starting second baseman in the All Star Game (2006, 2010), twice the winner of the Silver Slugger award at second base (same years), mashing 4 home runs in last year's ALCS against the Rangers, and finished 3nd in MVP voting while winning a Gold Glove award last season. He undoubtedly, in my mind, has been the best second baseman in the league since his debut and can arguably be considered one of the top players in all the league.

He has averaged 202 hits per season in the last 2 years and if anyone can continue this pace, it's him. At this pace, he will reach 3,000 hits and the guarantee of a plaque in Cooperstown at age 37 in his 16th season, which is almost exactly the season and age Derek Jeter will accomplish this feat.

Cano has averaged 27 home runs during the last 2 seasons as well, and if he continues at this pace, which he more than likely will, he will be nearing his 400th home run around the same time as he approaches his 3,000th hit. A feat only 8 other players have ever accomplished, all Hall of Famers.

His swing is eerily similar to the Kid's, a sexy, silky smooth, effortless swing that generates so much power it's scary. Robbie is so graceful on defense that looks like he's picking flowers instead of fielding ground balls. He has the range of a cruise missile which ironically travels at the speed of a ball thrown by Cano. You can count on him in a big spot to deliver a key base hit, to record an out on defense, or to send the ball deep into a New York night. His infectious smile and pure love of the game can be respected by all, even by Red Sox fans. Right here, I would make a comparison to a Hall of Fame player and tell everyone to watch out as the new version of said player is upon us but there is truly no player like Robinson Cano.

Congratulations Robbie on achieving what many little league sluggers, high school aces, college ballplayers, and Minor League prospects dream of, and that is taking the field for a Major League team. Cano took advantage of his opportunity and is making the best of it, just look at his numbers. Or better yet, sit down, turn on the YES Network, and watch the 28 year old superstar from the Dominican Republic crush the baseball and make seemingly impossible plays in the field, all with the smile of a young child picking up a bat and stepping up to the tee for the first time. Dontcha know? It's Robbie Cano

Bin Laden Minus The Terrorism

My American Presidency professor (who shall just be known as Professor X) is not a professor. She is an ideologue. As we sit here and discuss everything Bin Laden, I am struck by the fact that she is no different from him. Now before I get accused of calling my professor Bin Laden, let me explain.

She is not violent, she is not an Islamic extremist, and she is not a terrorist. The Osama Bin Laden I compare her to is the man who was blinded by his biases and the man who refused to acknowledge anything that went against his opinions as right. Bin Laden's mind was hell bent on defending his opinions and stopped at nothing to prove it. He sent out videotape after videotape preaching anti-American rhetoric and after 9/11, you could not remove him from the global spotlight if you tried. Professor X, in a way, is very similar.

From the first class, her long winded lectures have proven to the class and I that she bleeds blue. Hell, she probably has a pet donkey named either Blue or Barack. She constantly defends every single decision made by the President and stops at nothing in order to blame any shortcomings of the Obama administration on George W. Bush, who left office a full 29 months ago. Barack Obama and the Democratic Party can do no wrong while President Bush and the Republican Party ooze it. High unemployment? Bush's fault. Iraq? Still Bush's problem. Obama campaign promises concerning the economy that have yet to come to fruition? Bush's fault. Wait, aren't government professors supposed to leave their political positions at the door in order to give students an objective view of the government?

Listening to her drone for 160 minutes a week about the glory of Obama and the Democratic Party and the evil of the red elephant pisses me off, but what inspires this rant is the disgusting amount of ignorance and disrespect spewing from her lips concerning George W. Bush's involvement with the killing of Osama Bin Laden.

There have been dozens of reports and statements from U.S. officials saying that the beginnings of the mission to take down the world's most wanted man began in 2007 during the questioning of a detainee at the controversial Guantanamo Bay (the proving of the prison's effectiveness will be covered in a future post). A prisoner, supposedly under "harsh questioning", gave up the pseudonym of OBL's closest, most trusted courier. It was from there that, under Bush's watch, this courier was shadowed for two years until his real name was learned in early 2009. It was from there that Obama's intelligence team took over and finally completed the mission.

Let me say right now before someone else accuses me of not giving Obama credit. Barack Obama's decision to pursue this mission is one of the ballsiest decisions in Presidential history and I will forever praise him for it. He deserves a huge amount of credit and this world (at least right now) is a better place partly because of him. Also, the Navy SEALS and the rest of the military personnel who carried out the mission are forever American heroes. Their tremendous efforts cannot be fully explained in words. We truly do have the greatest soldiers on Earth. I am continually amazed when I think about their actions in the face of grave danger.

But with that being said, it is fact, it is truth, that Osama Bin Laden is not rotting at the bottom of the Arabian Sea with two American bullets in his heart and head with fish picking at his flesh without the efforts of George W. Bush. Without Guantanamo Bay or the CIA prisons in Eastern Europe, Osama Bin Laden lives to plot another day. Without "harsh questioning" techniques, America will continue to face the dangers that OBL presented to us. It is downright disrespectful and repulsing to hear my professor debate the validity of these reports that state it was under Bush's watch that this operation began, when I know, she knows, and the whole class knows the only reason she does it is because she refuses to acknowledge any good done by the Bush Administration. We have even had debates before concerning Bush's popularity and his speeches after 9/11 but thats for another time another place.

Give credit where credit is due, so give Bush some credit. But my professor won't, she will never compromise or endorse a belief that she is not a subscriber too. She will forever try to dispute and crush your opinions simply because she hates them and is blinded by her own. Hmmmm, kinda sounds like someone in the news these days...

With Liberty, And Justice For All

I don't even know how to start my inaugural blog post. Do I say something witty to grab your attention or jump right into what I want to say? Well I can figure out effective blog post openings as I go along. But I do have, what I think, is a very solid and powerful first post for America The Beautiful.

Last night was one of the greatest nights of my life, a night I spent with thousands of my fellow countrymen. I want to bring all of you, who were not as lucky as I was to be able to experience it, to Ground Zero during the chaotic celebration occurring during the early morning hours of May 2nd, 2011. Well, here goes nothing, enjoy...

I was down at Ground Zero celebrating from 1:30am to 5:30am this morning and upon returning to St. John's, I have never felt more American. I felt in my heart that I needed to be there. I needed to celebrate the fact that the 2,977 souls that lay interred just feet away from me at the intersection of Church and Vesey Streets now have closure. I met a girl in the crowd who's father was killed when the South Tower collapsed on top of him and she told me that she felt like the ghost of her dad was calling her down to the site of his death. She said it was the first time in 10 years that she had come to the site and not cried. Her and other people who lost relatives on 9/11 now say they no longer see the site as the place where their fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, or children were killed, but the place where thousands of Americans celebrated their lives and the fact that justice has finally been realized.

On a personal level, you truly had to be there to completely understand what was happening. The feelings of unity, love, patriotism, memorializing, remembrance, and justice...you could literally feel them in the air and in the hugs and high fives of random strangers who embraced you as a best friend and fellow countryman. I had my arms wrapped around total strangers as we all sang the Star Spangled Banner, God Bless America, New York New York, Born in the USA, We Are The Champions, America The Beautiful, and Amazing Grace accompanied by bagpipers and trumpeters. We chanted "U-S-A, U-S-A" and "New York City" until our voices literally would not produce sound, and at that time we mustered whatever grunts we possibly could in order to participate in the chants. We held moments of silence as we bowed our heads and prayed that the 2,977 victims of Bin Laden's vicious act of terror are smiling down on the crowd, happy we still remember them 10 years on.

Last night, we celebrated much more than a death. We celebrated the ending of the saddest and most tragic chapter in American history. The man who sent 2,977 people to their deaths was finally eliminated by a nation that NEVER rests when it comes to the pursuit of justice. George W. Bush promised that we will never cease in our mission to bring him to justice and last night, his mission was accomplished.

With his arm around a retired firefighter who came down to aid in the recovery effort, Bush declared that "The people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon!". Last night, the last sounds Osama Bin Laden heard before a bullet pierced his hate filled brain were not just American army boots in his doorway and their voices barking orders his way. They were the cries of every single American who lost a family member, the sound of metal hurtling over a thousand feet to the ground, and the sound of soft crying at candle light vigils like the one a ten year old Christopher Barca attended on his street 10 years ago. It took 10 years, but somewhere Bush is smiling, knowing Bin Laden has finally heard from all of us.

The amount of Patriotism displayed last night be people of all different races, colors, and religions was indescribable. I was wearing a New England Patriots sweatshirt and a man in a New York Jets shirt came up to me and told me "on a normal day, I would look at you and despise you but tonight I look at you as my brother" and he hugged me in a warm embrace. I felt the unity of the American people. I am a Republican and my friend Alex, who I went to Ground Zero with is the President of College Democrats at my school and we were arm in arm singing all as one all night. Last night, there was no Republican or Democrat. No more red or blue, just Red, White, and Blue.

CNN reporter John Avlon said it best when he wrote this morning "I have never been so happy to hear that someone is dead. It's not bloodlust -- it's justice.
Ten years ago at this time, Osama bin Laden was in Afghanistan planning the terrorist attacks that killed more than 3,000 of our fellow Americans in cold blood.
Now he is dead and the families of his victims can have a measure of comfort. The healing can deepen. And if there's a celebration in the streets outside the White House and ground zero -- just as there was celebration after the death of Adolf Hitler was announced on May 1, 1945 -- it is deserved. It is 10 years overdue." An eye for an eye has the possibility to make the whole world blind, but in my opinion, the world now is that much closer to attaining perfect vision, as this man can no longer blind us with his hate

http://www.cnn.com/2011/OPINION/05/02/avlon.binladen.killed/index.html?hpt=T2

I feel like a better American and a better human being that I ran down a Queens highway at 1am with one of my best friends and someone I really didn't know (Alex) in order to catch the subway, as the 2,977 victims were calling me to Ground Zero. I go to that place on every anniversary of 9/11 and their voices called me there because one time, just this one time, we can smile at Ground Zero. We can laugh there, we can sing there, we can cheer there. Our tears are not those of sadness, but of joy knowing that their deaths are no longer without justice. The man who ended their lives is descending to hell just as Americans from all parts of the city descended on Ground Zero to celebrate life that now teems at a place where 10 years ago was a pile of death amid twisted metal and flames.

One will not completely understand what that crowd at Ground Zero means unless you were there, unless you sang along as bagpipers played Taps, Amazing Grace, the National Anthem, and God Bless America while sitting on top of phone booths. One will never completely understand why we were "celebrating more death" unless you were actually there chanting "Ne-ver for-get" as we looked upon One World Trade Center as it rises above Ground Zero. One will never understand the love that Americans share for their nation unless you actually experience that love, which I did last night.

Last night was the greatest night of my life. Last night, I was not a white, Republican, almost 20 year old college student. Last night, I was only an American. Last night, I sang my heart out with thousands of other proud Americans. Last night, I did not celebrate a death. Last night, I celebrated and honored 2,977 lives of my American brothers and sisters who were unfairly taken away from us. Last night, I celebrated justice. We celebrated justice