Hollywood’s Newest Members: IU Men’s Basketball Players

So this being our last blog of the semester on the most beautiful Sunday we have seen thus far, I would like to say that I am posting this on the rooftop of my house sipping an ice, cold beer enjoying life to the fullest. However, if I was an IU Men’s Basketball player, I would want to be where I am right now because their lives are about to take a turn for the best.

No, I am not saying they are going to make millions, but they are most definitely going to be the most hollywood-esque people on this campus come basketball season 2012-2013. And I must say, as a female, I can’t wait to see Watford, Olidipo, and Sheehey dominate the court as well as the Big 10 next year. Yes, we know the team’s expectations are much higher than previous years, but I truly believe that these Monstar’s will exceed expectations and follow through with #TheMovement.

I know I may be one of the few people in our class that notices Christian and appreciates and his athleticism, but that’s only because I see him as a future NBA star and can’t wait to see him truly succeed in the future.

So now, I am going to finish my beer on this beautiful Sunday and cheers to IU Men’s Basketball. From here on out, I am truly thankful for their dedication, hard work, and spirit. HOO HOO HOO HOOSIERS!!

Watch Out for the Brow!!

Oh the irony…that’s really all I need to say to start off this blog post about a parody of an athlete. This video was posted two days before IU played Kentucky in their second match-up and as you can see from the video, Anthony Davis, and his extremely unfortunate looking face (mostly in-part due to the uni-brow), did defeat our beloved Hoosiers in the Sweet 16 during the 2012 NCAA Tournament. But this YouTube video of a parody about UK is hilarious…if you’re a UK fan. Obviously, they are the enemy to me, however, I thought this video was hysterical using the movie 300 to emphasize how much revenge the uni-browed, future NBA star wanted against not only Watford, but also against IU in general.

Even though UK did beat IU on Friday, Mar. 23, 2012, seeking the revenge that they so desperately desired, they still have an extremely talented freshman teammate that wears his ugly-ass looking uni-brow with pride representing UK. According to his Jimmy Kimmel interview in the URL below, Anthony Davis believes that his uni-brow is his “brand” and he will not shave it or cut it off any time in the near future.

Anthony Davis: The Unibrow is Here to Stay

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! Babe, if you want your own brand, do NOT make it your uni-brow. That shit is naaassttyyyy. Personally, I believe that Anthony Davis is setting himself up for many future parody’s to come his way. On that note, having a uni-brow on a future NBA star sets him up for tons of brutal, harsh, inappropriate, degrading, and just downright mean comments and parody’s from people all over the world. But what’s impressive and respectable about this 19 year-old basketball superstar is that he does not care one bit about what people say about him and his uni-brow. I find that very classy coming from a freshman in college who hasn’t been in the spotlight for very long, compared to other NBA all-stars and other famous athletes, who have been dealing with criticism and judgements for many, many years.

All-in-all, I will say that that uni-brow will NOT get Anthony Davis the girl of his dreams right off the bat. However, if she can ignore that brow while making romantic eye contact with him at dinner or kissing him at her doorstep at night, then props to that young lady because I sure as hell could not do that! The 300 parody of the revenge that had yet to come was hilarious in my eyes (even though I hated seeing Watford get pushed down that hole) and I commend Anthony Davis for never fearing his own brow, but the parody’s will forever continue.

Best of Luck AD!! May the Force of the Brow be with you FOREVERRRR.

Logan Morrison: The Obnoxious Tweeter

Logan Morrison is a 24-year-old Miami Marlins outfielder who is famous not only for being an MLB player, but for his witty and wildly outspoken personality on Twitter. Morrison’s Twitter name is @LoMoMarlins and I’m telling you, regardless if you are an MLB fan or not, you NEED to follow Logan Morrison on Twitter. Being born and raised in Indianapolis with no MLB team to root for, personally, I am not a huge MLB fan. But I follow Morrison because his tweets are hilarious, obnoxious, blunt, entertaining, and at times, pretty raunchy and inappropriate.

He has 97,610 followers and is only following 198 people. Morrison loves to immaturely mess around with people on Twitter and there are times when he has crossed the line. Last season, he paid a heavy price for his seemingly genetic inability to censor himself. A summer-long sports-section soap opera saw Morrison criticize Miami Marlins team owner Jeffrey Loria, dress down star shortstop Hanley Ramirez in the locker room, and poke fun at the team’s president David Samson on Twitter. For those crimes against the regime, Morrison was demoted to the minors for ten days. Sure, Morrison was bitter for a while about the demotion but he got over it and learned his lesson, but he’s still tweeting the same obnoxious and hilarious tweets like these: “After much deliberation, I’ve added motor boating @sofiavergara to my bucket list” and “There are 3 certainties in life; Death, Taxes & I will trim my pubes on Feb 13th of every year” and  “That awkward moment when you’re able to muffle a giant fart, then realize its smells like Bigfoot’s dick… #ItWasntMe.” Rauchy? Yes. Immature? Definitely. Unprofessional? Indeed. Entertaining as hell? Absolutely. Something you would expect coming from a MLB player? Not at all. It’s rude, it’s childish, and it’s the kind of thing that typifies what makes baseball fun. It’s good to see a baseball player who utilizes Twitter the way that he wants to regardless of his profession and isn’t afraid to say more than just sound bites. Cheers to you, Morrison! Happy tweeting 🙂

 

Never Been More Proud of MY Indiana Hoosiers

Even though our well-respected IU Hoosiers lost 102-90 against the #1 ranked Kentucky Wildcats, as a senior here at Indiana University, I cannot even begin to explain how proud and happy I am to have witnessed the most amazing IU basketball season of the decade.

And on that note, I can ecstatically state that IU participating in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament represented the IU basketball program’s return to prominence. Unfortunately, The Movement will continue next year without our beloved seniors: Verdell Jones III, Tom Pritchard, Daniel Moore, Kory Barnett, and Matt Roth. But boy oh boy do we still have one hell of a powerhouse team that will continue The Movement into next year’s season. I would also like to speak on behalf of my fellow IU seniors who will be graduating in May in saying that we absolutely CANNOT wait to root and cheer for our boys next year with our eyes, ears, and full attention glued to our TV screens wherever we might be in the world.

We finished our season with a 27-9 record, something that exceeded most people’s predictions and expectations. “I know when I first got here it was rough for this program,” said Indiana sophomore Victor Oladipo, who fouled out with 15 points against Kentucky on Friday. “We’ve been through a lot of ups and downs. Our seniors are the big reason why we’re so successful right now. Now that we brought it all together, it’s a bright future for this program.” Oladipo speaks the truth. Waiting for the 2012-2013 men’s college basketball season is like waiting for Santa on Christmas Eve. This team, this Movement, this program, this coach, these players, and these diehard Hoosier fans have changed IU Men’s Basketball forever, and there is no where to go from here but up.

I would like to sincerely and honorably like to say congratulations to Tom Crean, the coaching staff, and the players (especially the seniors), for an absolutely incredible season that will never be forgotten. I am so blessed to have been able to share this experience with my fellow IU students, alumni, parents, faculty and staff, and I cannot wait to cheer as loud as I possibly can for the Indiana Hoosiers to play again next year and blow this country and other teams out of the water with our spirit, our talent, and our brand new Movement.

Now THIS is What I Like to Call a Beach Volleyball Tournament

If you’re looking for an exciting, competitive, costume-oriented, and downright, absolutely HILARIOUS  beach volleyball tournament to observe this summer with your homies, I know just the place to go. In fact, I know this because I went there last year as a bystander of this magnificent event and I can tell you that you will be blown away by the incredible talent, the unbelievably creative costume’s, and the enormous amount of other fellow bystanders that come from all over the country to watch all of the hard-working teams partake in this competition.

This extraordinary event is called Manhattan Beach 6-man. 6-man is a weekend-long beach volleyball tournament that takes place in Manhattan Beach, CA  during either the first or second weekend of August every year. Thousands of bodies and bottles of booze are strewn across the beach as far as the eye can see. It is truly a one-of-a-kind,  spectacular event that centers around having as much fun as possible…soberly and non-soberly of course.

Another thing that makes this event so cool is that thousands upon thousands of drunken fans come to this event from all over the country to cheer on their favorite dressed or best-playing team. Last year there were about 30,000 people who came JUST TO WATCH! There are roughly 100 teams ranging from world-class athletes, top college stars, and disguised AVP pros all dressed in costumes as if it were Halloween in the summer. For example, when I was there, there were teams like the LA Lakers in Afro wigs, Mexican wrestlers, boys dressed as nurses, girls dressed as police men, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Strippers, and just about anything else you can think of.

You can have an all boys team, an all girls team, or a co-ed team. It’s totally up to you and your fellow teammates. Every year, the day after the tournament is over, teams IMMEDIATELY sign up to save their spot for next year’s 6-Man Tournament. If you don’t sign your team up the very next day after the tournament, you’re not going to get a spot. It’s that “hot” of a spot. Get it?

This enticing beach volleyball tournament really does make each match enjoyable for both the players and the bystanders. I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s a family-fun event, but if you’re a 21-year-old (or older) beach volleyball enthusiast who loves intense competition, skimpy bikini’s, and an ice cold beer on a hot summer’s day, then this is the event you’ve been waiting for! Can ya dig it? (Get it?) Bottoms up and happy volleyball-ing!

NBA All-Star Game 2012: The West Bringing Home a Big “W”

The NBA All-Star Game 2012 took place this past weekend in Orlando, FL where the West team dominated, bringing home a victory over the East, with a score of 152-149. But the true exhilarating stories from this weekend come from a record-breaking performance by Kevin Durant, LeBron James, and Kobe Bryant.

Durant and James each had 36 points. However, Durant, was named this year’s All-Star Game MVP, being the youngest ever at 23 years old, to win an MVP in an All-Star game. Bryant also made an extremely memorable contribution to this year’s All-Star game by passing Michael Jordan for the number one spot on the all-time All-Star Game scoring list by performing a breakaway dunk in the third quarter of the game.

Sunday’s battle between the stars was no exciting match during the first half, when the West was leading the game by nearly 20 points and held an advantageous lead of 88-69 at halftime. However, LeBron James and Dwayne Wade from the East came back in the second half, that cut the West lead down to a neck-and-neck one point difference on two separate occasions.

The final 12 minutes of this year’s All-Star game was basketball at it’s finest. James and Durant, I would say, really captivated everyone’s attention running and up and down the court faster than you could imagine. Being the league’s two premier players, they were both able to show the world their true dominance on the court with their incredible athleticism and extraordinary talents. Not only did their performance inspire their fellow All-Star teammates around them, but it inspired young athletes all around the world that hard work and practice pays off and is exceptionally rewarding.

The Ultimate Couples Activity: Wife Carrying

Competitive Wife Carrying (click this)

When it comes to modern-day weirdest and wildest sports, I think this one, without a doubt, takes a slot in the top three rankings. First introduced in Finland in 1992, the actual sport of wife carrying consists of male competitors racing through an obstacle course including sand, water, and fences, while carrying their female teammate (the female does not need to be the legal wife of the male). The objective of the game is for the male to carry the female through a special obstacle course in the fastest time. If the male competitor drops his “wife”, the team will have a penalty added to their finish time.

When a coupled team has to decide on a carrying strategy for the race, they get to choose a certain method of carrying. Some methods include the traditional piggyback, the firemen’s carry (the carried person is placed across the shoulders of the carrier), but teams are also encouraged to create their own carrying method. However, all winning teams to date have all utilized the highly-technical Estonian carrying method, which has the woman upside down with arms wrapped around the man’s waist and her legs draped over his shoulders. This highly-skilled carrying technique frees the man’s arms for balance and allows him to overcome the obstacles.

Taisto Miettinen and Kristiina Haapanen, a Finnish couple, have won the annual Wife Carrying World Championship in Sonkajärvi, Finland for the third year running with a winning time of 01.00,73.

The Wife Carrying World record is held by Margo Uusorg and Birgit Ulricht from Tallinn, Estonia with a winning time of 55.5 seconds.

Here in the U.S., there is The North American Wife Carrying Championships that take place every year on Columbus Day Weekend in October at Sunday River Ski Resort in Newry, Maine. Major competitions are also held in other parts of the world including Sonkajarvi, Finland, Monona, Wisconsin and in Marquette, Michigan.

There’s No Place Like Home…Literally

According to ESPN’s NCAA Men’s Basketball Rankings, IU currently holds the #23 spot in the nation with a record of 18-6. Five out of those six losses occurred on the road. I think I can speak on behalf of the majority of IU basketball fans when I say away games never turn out quite as expected.

But why is that? For the most part, we have continuously kicked ass when we play our opponents at home. But when we play away, we end up losing to teams that are easily beatable and we all just shake our heads with disappointment. Personally, I think Assembly Hall’s atmosphere with hundreds of dedicated IU basketball fans screaming and clapping for our Hoosiers really does get our boys pumped up and ready to go. On the contrary, when our boys play in an atmosphere that is filled with die-hard (insert other team here) fans, they seem to fall apart and play like crap. Not all of the time but historically speaking, they have just not been able to pull through in tough situations (and by tough I mean at another team’s venue).

I really do believe we have DRASTICALLY improved since the beginning of the season and have made a tremendous positive change with our basketball program. If our boys can just zone out the obnoxious Ohio State fans, Michigan State fans,  Nebraska fans, etc. when playing on the road, we could be seeing some big W’s in the near future. I know it’s easier said than done (clearly because I’m not the one playing on the court) to win games on the road, but I truly believe we have the potential, the talent, and the coach to bring us some hard-earned victories back to B-town.

The Great City of Indianapolis’s Post Super Bowl XLVI Statistics

Super Bow XLVI occurred this past weekend in my hometown of Indianapolis, IN and was truly a success in my eyes for many reasons:

1.) The Giants beat the Patriots 21-17. Being a Colts fan since the day I could cheer, I have hated the Patriots with an utter passion since day one. And in saying that, seeing the Giants win has kept me grinning from ear to ear.

2.) Eli Manning, the Giants quarterback, became the MVP of Super Bowl XLVI.  Yet again, another Manning as MVP shows that these brothers are unstoppable.

3.) The following numbers are the statistics that boosted my city’s economy, appreciation for entertainment, respect for others, especially those who volunteered, and happiness for why I will forever love the city of good, ole Indianapolis that was privileged enough to host the best Super Bowl of all time (the following statistics come from http://www.indystar.com/article/20120206/NEWS11/120206027/Indy-could-host-another-Super-Bowl-by-2017-organizers-say?odyssey=nav%7Chead):

-More than 800 planes were on the ground at Indianapolis-area airports at kickoff. About 160 flew out by about 11 p.m., within an hour of the game’s end.

-It’ll be three weeks before the stadium is restored from alterations made for the Super Bowl.

-The Super Bowl Village clinic treated 15 patients Sunday, for a total of 61 over the 10 days of activities.

-The Super Bowl Village had 1.105 million visitors (CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT?!?!)

-The NFL Experience, which displayed football memorabilia and had many activities for kids, recorded 265,039 visitors, a record for any Super Bowl city by about 65,000. (The 265,000 total exceeded one released during the weekend by about 55,000 people.) The event ran from Feb. 24 through Saturday in the Indiana Convention Center, and was not open Sunday prior to the game.

-A total of 10,429 people — including Jimmy Fallon of “Late Night,” “Blue” the Indianapolis Colts mascot and even “Today” morning weatherman Al Roker — rode the 800-foot zipline along Capitol Avenue in front of the Convention Center.

-The committee’s communications control center, where people were encouraged to call for information, received 6,000 calls Sunday.

Thank you to everyone who visited, participated, entertained, worked, and volunteered in my beautiful and thriving city of Indianapolis. Thanks to everyone’s generosity and hard work, the group that helped bring Super Bowl XLVI to Indianapolis said the next opportunity to host the event, at the earliest, would be 2017. Let’s keep our fingers, toes, and arms crossed and hope for another chance of a lifetime for our city to bring in another unforgettable week.

A Memorable Start to a New Beginning: IU Basketball is Officially Back!

On December 10, 2011, Indiana University Men’s Basketball team knocked off the No. 1 ranked Kentucky Wildcats 73-72. This day was by far the most exhilarating college basketball moment in 2011 for almost every Indiana Hoosier fan out there. It was a day that created a new hope, a new outlook, a new faith, and a new and improved future for the IU men’s basketball program. After three long years, Coach Tom Crean had finally taken the program out of the crater and showed Hoosier Nation the true talent, strength, and perseverance that he has worked so hard to create as IU’s head basketball coach. Time and patience truly paid off for Crean and the team.

I can’t even being to describe the feelings and emotions I personally felt after Christian Watford sunk his nail-biting three-pointer at the buzzer. Never in my life did I ever imagine that I would get to see a buzzer-beater shot from IU basketball, especially against the No. 1 ranked team in the nation. Just another side note that I’m still in shock about: IU wasn’t even ranked at that time! Throughout the entirety of the game, IU fought and fought and fought and never gave up. Being a senior at IU and getting to witness this game from Kilroys on Kirkwood with all of my friends and fellow Hoosier fanatics was more than I could have asked for. It was a night that I will never forget and a feeling that still gives me goosebumps whenever I re-watch those last 5.6 seconds on YouTube.

As soon as the buzzer went off, a celebration of a lifetime took place right outside Kilroys on Kirkwood. The street flooded with hundreds of IU fans cheering and screaming for accomplishing the impossible. I remember jumping up and down on the booth at Kilroys non-stop, champagne bottles being sprayed everywhere, drinks flying through the air, “This is Indiana” song blaring from the windows of the Rubicon apartment complex on Kirkwood, and everyone around me was smiling from ear to ear. I have never seen my campus so incredibly happy and ecstatic as a whole. We all finally got to join in on the same celebration. Greeks, GDI’s, faculty, staff, alumni, parents, and fellow Bloomington residents   all came together in celebrating a victory that we never thought we happen.

In a nutshell, this night sealed the deal for the best night of my college career hands down. I think everyone can also agree with me in saying that we have a lot to look forward to with this new and improved basketball program and we’re just getting started. I am so incredibly blessed and fortunate to have witnessed this game because something like this doesn’t happen every day. And finally, I also think that everyone can agree with me in saying that IUBB is BACK and here to stay.