Class Review

One of if not my favorite class that I have taken here at Assumption. Sports are an enormous part of my life, so being able to go to class and talk about different sports and write about them or individual athletes was awesome. It honestly didn’t even feel like a was going to class. I took journalism in high school and didn’t love it, so I was worried about the writing aspect of the class, but I actually thought it was a good experience to write that much for this class. I have already recommended the course to countless people and will continue to do so. If I have another chance to take a class with Professor Nordman I will be sure to do it.

Famous Jameis vs. Johnny Football

Mandel compares the greatness of last years Heisman trophy winner, Johnny Manziel, to this year’s expected winner, Jameis Winston. This is by far the best column Mandel has wrote. I am literally surprised at how interesting and well done it is. The vast majority of his columns are short and not too interesting, but this one is in its own category. And the fact that I am a big Johnny Football fan has nothing to do with it. Mandel broke down his comparison into seven categories:

1. Passing (Won by Winston)
2. Total production (Manziel)
3. Best Game (Manziel)
4. Best Moment (Winston)
5. Schedule (Push)
6. Impact (Manziel)
7. Legacy (To be determined)

Mandel did concede that he found Manziel’s Heisman campaign to be slightly more memorable, which I agree with 100%, but he did an unbelievable job of presenting both sides and giving credit where credit is due to Jameis Winston.

BCS Showdown

Mandel started by saying, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year,” and he couldn’t be more write. the only thing that rivals BCS bowl games is March Madness. This years title game match-up is between No. 1 Florida State and No. 2 Auburn. Florida State has had a historic season, led by their recently named Heisman Trophy winner, freshman quarterback Jameis Winston. Auburn made their way to the title game by beating a juggernaut Alabama team and witnessing a loss by Ohio St. to Michigan St. Auburn is led by there premiere running attack, featuring Nick Marshall (QB) and their own Heisman finalist, Tre Mason (HB). Mandel features each bowl game matchup along with a brief description in which he gives his opinion on the score and teams playing in the game. the top five bowl games are:

1. No. 1 Florida St. vs. No. 2 Auburn (BCS Title Game)
2. Michigan St. vs. Stanford (Rose Bowl)
3. Ohio St. vs. Clemson (Orange Bowl)
4. Missouri vs. Oklahoma St. (Cotton Bowl)
5. Alabama vs. Oklahoma (Sugar Bowl)

It is sure to be an exciting bowl season, and I know I am personally looking forward to it. To read Mandel’s column, which I thought was very well done, click here.

Coach Carter Movie Review

                I chose the movie Coach Carter for my movie review. Coach Carter is a basketball film that is based around a group of high school boys from Richmond, California who are as talented as they come, but do not but forth nearly enough effort in their academics. Based on a true story, Samuel L. Jackson plays Coach Ken Carter, who comes in to coach for his former high school where he was a star player. He quickly realizes what he is going to be faced with, but that didn’t change his demeanor at all. One of the main reasons why I love this movie so much is because Ken Carter reminds me a lot of my high school basketball coach who I had a very good relationship with. He was one of the best coaches in the area, but playing for him was not easy. He would make us run to the point where it was almost literally impossible to keep going. There were times when I hated him, much like the players in Coach Carter do with their coach, but I look back at it now and respect him more than ever for pushing me that hard. The two coaches shared several similarities:

1. Very serious attitude
2. Emphasis on conditioning and fundamentals
3. Strict guidelines and rules (we had to sign a contract before every season just like in the movie)
4. Truly one of the nicest and most genuine person you will ever meet
5. And the emphasis on becoming a better man, not just a better player

Coach Carter did something that was unprecedented when he benched his entire team and started a “lockout” when he found out his players were not achieving the academic standards that he had set. The team was in the midst of an undefeated season and had a game coming up against their biggest rival, but Coach Carter did not care. He stuck to his beliefs, and refused to lift the lockout until he saw the necessary progress in his player’s academic marks. Jackson said it best when he said, “These kids are student-athletes. Student comes first.” This is one of my personal all-time favorite sports movies. It’s a very uplifting and inspirational story and is easy for kids in countless different situations to relate to. To watch the trailer for Coach Carter, click here.

Ohio St. tops Michigan in an Instant Classic

No. 3 Ohio State should have had no problem taking care of a below average Michigan team, but as Mandel points out, it turned out to be a high-scoring thriller. This was one of Mandel’s lengthier columns, but if you hadn’t seen the game then you probably would have been a little lost. He did include one of the key events in the game, which was a second quarter brawl between the two teams that led to the ejection of three players (watch video). There were a couple things that I did not like about Mandel’s article though.

1. As I said before, it wasn’t much of a recap
2. He talked just as much about the Auburn vs. Alabama game as the Ohio St game
3. Most importantly, he didn’t mention how much of a shame it would be if Ohio St. played in the BCS National Championship.

It would be a repeat of last year with Notre Dame. Yes, I understand Ohio St. has now won its past 24 games over two seasons, but I look at it more as luck than anything else. There are at least four teams that I personally think are more talented than Ohio St. that should be considered over them.

1. Alabama
2. Auburn
3. Florida St. (Who is already ranked #1)
4. And maybe even Missouri

I just do not see Ohio St. as a National Championship caliber team, but Mandel failed to mention that. To read his article, click here. For the box score, click here.

Top Matchups of Week 14 for NCAAF

Mandel gave a preview of the upcoming week 14 football games in the NCAA, and it was an epic week. Mandel noted how many rivalry games were littered throughout the college football weekend. Here are some of the big ones just to name a few:

1. Texas vs. Texas Tech
2. Ole Miss vs. Mississippi State
3. Florida vs. No. 2 Florida State
4. No. 12 Oregon vs. Oregon State
5. No. 3 Ohio State vs. Michigan
6. And of course, No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Auburn

I love when Mandel does this. A nice little rundown of every game with a prediction on who will be victorious. Mandel confessed that the game to watch was No. 1 Alabama at No. 4 Auburn, and he couldn’t be more right. Everyone knew that game was going to be an epic showdown and it did not disappoint. Literally one of the greatest endings to a game of all time. To see all of Mandel’s predictions from week 14 click here.