Growing up, there are many hard lessons you have to learn: Santa Claus isn't real, the Toothfairy is actually a tired parent slipping a dollar under your pillow for that coveted baby tooth, the story of Pocahontas didn't play out like the Disney movie (I learned that 6 years ago and I'm still not over it), and last but not least, athletes are stupid. Well, saying that they are all stupid is making a rash generalization, they are, for the most part, the opposite of smart. As a former athlete myself, I know that sports teach you a lot about discipline, working with other people, etc etc but I think where sports sometimes lack is teaching common sense.
All we have to do is look back on history for examples of athletes not using their noggin's to its fullest potential: Atlanta Falcons safety Eugene Robinson charged for solicitation the night before his Falcons were set to play in the Super Bowl when he offered an undercover officer money for oral sex. Then there was Pedro Guerrero, former first basemen for the Cardinals who allegedly agreed to pay $200,000 dollars for a shipment of cocaine. But that wasn't the best part. His attorney said that since Guerrero dropped out of school in the 6th grade and his IQ was 70 he had no way of understanding that he was buying cocaine. Great so now he isn't only a drug dealer but he's also an idiot. 
Plaxico Burress. Photo from flickr.com
And now Giants' receiver Plaxico Burress can add himself to the esteemed group of arrested athletes with his Friday night arrest for gun possession.
But how did he get caught you ask?
He shot himself. In the right thigh. By accident.
I'll give you a moment to take that statement in.
Plaxico found himself partying at a nightclub Friday night (I don't know in high school we had dry seasons, it seems that should apply to professional sports where it's literally your job to play a sport). According to reports his gun slipped down his pant leg and when he tried to get it back into position he accidentally set it off, shooting himself in the process. (Someones gun was not on the safety lock). 
Plaxico looking....alert? Photo from flickr.com
Oh but the story only gets better. Plaxico's teammate Antonio Pierce allegedly tried to help his teammate out by hiding the gun. Hm, maybe I should just go back to my thesis that athletes are stupid.....
I can't decide what hurts more for Plaxico, the pain from his self inflicted gun shot wound, the felony gun charges he will most likely face, or the fact that he potentially messed up the rest of the season for the Giants. The Champion New York Giants who are attempting to defend their title again this year. Here's where the lack of common sense kicks in and maybe lack of common sense is the wrong term, maybe it's more like the lack of consideration for others. When an athlete gets arrested, it's a domino affect. Losing a player, especially a key player like Plaxico, could ruin a team's season and, for lack of a better term, that's not fair. Besides apologizing profusely Plaxico should face massive repercussions from the NFL for his actions. This could be anywhere from taking a pay cut for the rest of the season, suspension from the league for a year or two, or just anything that shows other players that the NFL doesn't take this situation lightly. He not only hurt himself, he hurt hundreds of other people who work for the Giants plus the millions of fans who tune in every Sunday to catch him in action. He should pay for his actions.
Plaxico after Giants won the Super Bowl aka the good days. Photo from flickr.com
But this brings up a larger issue: guns. In less than two months one child has accidentally shot and killed himself with an Uzi at a gun fair, another boy shot and killed the very man who taught him how to use a gun: his father, and Plexico mishandled an illegal weapon and shoot himself, clearly there is an issue with gun laws in America and something needs to change. People shouldn't feel the need to bare arms, we should have a strong enough police force and a government that we trust so that we don't feel the need to own a gun. If anything good comes out of the Plexico shooting, it's that adults and children alike clearly are not responsible enough to handle guns and there should be a crackdown on gun laws in America so situations like the ones listed above do not happen in the future.
So, Plexico, here is your common sense lesson of the day:
Liquor before beer you're in the clear,
Beer before liquor never been sicker,
Liquor or beer while carrying a loaded gun is an ultimate fail,
it'll land you in jail. (and you'll have a killer hangover)
Yet Another Reason Why Guns Should Be Banned in America
Creating a "Golden" Human Interest Package
Happy Saturday!
It feels strange to blog on a day other than Sunday or Monday but Meredith is off to Puerto Rico for some fun in the sun for her Thanksgiving break and a couple of days off from the bitter cold that is winter in Boston. And it's really, really cold. Words cannot describe what it's like to not be able to feel your face despite being bundled up so only your eyes are visible while almost being blown over by wind walking down Boylston St. Not a pleasant experience.
So, tonight we're going to keep it short and talk packages. I know we've discussed sports packages for news shows but we haven't talked about human interest or player profile pieces. What makes human interest sports packages different than normal packages are the following: 1. They tend to be longer 2. You have more freedom with your writing and showing off your personality. 3. They center on a specific player or a particularly life changing/dramatic event in sports, but it doesn't necessarily be timely. Think any package that you have ever seen on ESPN for a visual cue.
Now I'll tell you right off the bat, I really don't enjoy sports packages for news shows. You know the, "I'm at Fenway Park where fans are trying to get tickets for Game 1 of the World Series" kind of pieces that really don't teach you anything or have any impact on your day. As far as player profile packages go, I assumed that I wouldn't like them either because, well I'm apparently a Negative Nancy, and assume I hate things even before I try them.
But I gave the ol' player profile piece a try and took a chance on Meghan the former "Golden Girl of Purdue" turned Emerson College transfer student. And it turned out to be a chance worth taking.
For starters I was extremely lucky to find such a willing subject who had such an interesting story. Once again Meghan was the Golden Girl of Purdue (I know isn't that the sweetest title ever). And it wasn't just because of her blonde hair and sparkling personality, although I'm sure that helped, but it was her title as the top baton twirler at Purdue and arguably in the nation.
And when I say baton twirling I don't mean throwing one baton up and down. I'm talking extreme baton twirling, twirling three at one time, twirling on your nose, twirling around your neck, throwing them under your legs, somersaulting to catch your batons, things that you didn't even think possible Meghan could do with a baton.
And she gave it all up to come to Emerson to pursue broadcast journalism, a major not offered at Purdue.
And this is where I found my story, in the fact that she gave up her passion in life, the school she loved, her friends, everything to come to a small school in Boston. And also the fact that she was able to continue twirling, at a lower level, at Emerson so she was really able to find a way to focus on her future without giving up something she's spent almost her entire life doing.
And this is the most important part of a player profile piece; you have to know your angle. You have to know what makes this person important enough that they should have a package done about them. And everyone has a story, if you're willing to do some digging, I think you will find you can do a player profile piece on just about anyone.
Once you have your angle, holding an on camera interview with your subject is the next step. Plus it's a good idea to tape them in their environment and getting a lot of b-roll, which in the case of Meghan consisted of following her through most of her day as she prepared for her half time performance during an Emerson Women's Soccer match.
After that, a few short interviews with people that your subject is either close with or played a huge part in getting them to where they are now, is the next step. Record some voice overs and get one helluva good editor and you are on your way to package perfection. Another helpful hint is, if you can, be your own producer. You make a better reporter if you are also responsible for the content of your piece and it will make conducting the interviews a whole lot easier. Also, you have final say on how your package flows and also what the final product looks like, which can lead to a more satisfying package experience.
Unfortunately I don't have the entire finished package to show you but I do have a rough cut that my editor put on YouTube for me to look at a few weeks ago so enjoy! Just a quick disclaimer though, it's really rough, the music hasn't been synced and there is color correction to be done so don't judge too harshly!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7aVlEVFJis
And remember with the right angle, an eager subject, and an excellent editor and shooter, I think you'll come to love the player profile packages just as much as I do.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Boston Needs the C's
The Milwaukee Bucks invited the Boston Celtics to town Saturday night for a showdown of epic proportions (ok that was a bit dramatic but it sounds wonderful). The Celtics are the title holders from last season and the Bucks have started off this season strong and were coming off a 2 game winning streak. 
Da Bucks. I just really like that shot. Photo from flickr.com
They were probably feeling a bit smug.
And they probably felt even better when they tied the game at 93 all going forcing an OT.
Then when Garnett got fouled out of the game during OT, they probably thought they had the game in the bag.
Oh tisk tisk young Bucks, don't ever mess with the Green.
After Ray Allen sunk both shots at the foul line the Celtics pulled again 100-97 and never looked back winning the game 102-97.
Was I surprised? Not a chance. It's the Boston Celtics we're talking about! Now of course two years ago I never thought I'd ever have this much confidence in the C's (or blog about them in a positive light) but how can you knock the Celtics? They have the trinity of Pierce, Garnett, and Allen, which is like an Ortiz and Manny 3-4 punch, but better, because there are THREE people involved. Stellar defense. Exceptional coaching by Doc Rivers, what more could you ask for?
The Trinity. Photo from flickr.com
Love the Celtics or hate the Celtics, you have to admit that they are good for Boston. And Boston could certainly use some good news in the sporting world right now. Matt Cassel is about as consistent in the QB position for the Pats as Manny DelCarmen was as a middle relief pitcher for the Red Sox, Brady has had more surgeries in 4 months than I have had boyfriends (in case you're wondering, the answer is zero, not that I care), and the Bruins love putting themselves in dramatic shoot out situations....and losing. Factor in the Red Sox losing the playoffs to the TAMPA BAY RAYS, you have yourself a recipe that would send most Bostonians straight to the bar to drown themselves in Guinness and Drop Kick Murphys' songs (which is basically any night in Boston). 
Home of the Champions. Photo from flickr.com
But the Celtics, they are the Bruins of the pre 1993 era, the Red Sox of, well last year, the Patriots of the early turn of the 21st century, they are the Boston team we can depend on to pull through and have unwavering confidence in. And Boston needs that right about now because other than that, there is not much to gloat over.
Right now the Celtics are sitting pretty in the top spot of their division by 2 games with a record of 8-2. And, I know it's early, but I'm going to make a prediction, back to back titles for the C's.
It may be a long shot, but this year, I'm dreaming big for the guys in Green. 
Just because everyone love a good duck boat shot. Photo from flickr.com
Someone Please Explain to Me Why College Football is a Democracy
Gymnastics. Now there is a sport that makes sense. Surely you may disagree with the scores from time to time but it always works the same, each move/combination is given a degree of difficulty and depending on how well it is executed, an appropriate score is given to determine the rankings.
Then there is swimming, another sensical sport. If you touch the wall first, you win. If you don't, you lose. If you get DQ'd well then, that is just an epic fail.
So one would assume that football, specifically college football would follow a pretty concrete format. The team with the best record would be at the top of the BCS and advance to the correlating Bowl Game. If you score the most points, have the best record, you advance to the Championship Game, right?
Wrong.
People hate college football. Just kidding. Photo from flickr.com
For those of you unfamiliar with the BCS and trust me I am a little fuzzy on some of the details but essentially what happens is that the BCS takes polls and computer reports on what teams are favorable and place them in a ranking order. So even if you win a game, you could still be a loser that week in the polls. For example this week Texas lost to a ranked team and Florida lost to an unranked team but yet Florida is still ahead of Texas in the standings despite losing to an easier team.
Make sense? No it doesn't make sense to me either. Since when did sports become a democracy? America can barely get out and vote for a solid Presidential candidate half the time (cough Bush 2 terms? cough) why should they be allowed to pick the top teams in college football? Football is based on a points system, which has proven to be a pretty foul proof way to determine a winner of a game, so why wouldn't they use the same concrete unarguable system to determine the overall rankings? Referees don't choose the winner of a game, why should polls determine who plays in the BSC Bowl Games?
Cmon there had to be a behind shot, it's football. Photo from Flickr.com
And I know some of you out there probably fiercely defend the system because it gives you something to obsessively check at work (between facebooking of course) and talk about over the water cooler (do people even have water cooler talks anymore?) but it's ludicrous and I have some pretty strong backing on my stance: Barack Obama.
One of the most important statements Barack Obama made during his first 72 hours as President elect is that the BCS should switch to a playoff system. Now, if he had only promised to make that a reality during his campaign, he would have won over the entire Southern region of America.
Epic Fail. Just like the BCS system. Photo from Flickr.com
And I have to say I agree with Obama. A playoff system is a fair and square way to determine who rightfully should play in the BCS Championship Games. It's done in virtually every other sport, why should college football be any different? It's not different than regular ol' football just younger players who major in basket weaving and are allowed to interact with the cheerleaders, why should they play the game any differently? A playoff system is a foul proof way to determine the best teams that year and is a simple answer to solving this largely argued about BCS conundrum.
Then again, if they were to change things, ESPN would have nothing to complain about on their College Football page and super fans would have nothing to comment on. So maybe they need the drama. But I say, leave the drama to the game, pit the best teams against one another in a playoff system, send them to the proper Bowl Game, crown a victor. End. Of. Story.
Lamest World Series Ever That I Almost Forgot to Blog About It
Know what really stinks? Baseball games postponed because of Mother Nature deciding that the rain cannot wait. Know what stinks even more? Rain outs during the World Series. Want to know the worst possible scenario? A rain out in the middle of a possible deciding game of the victor in the World Series and then starting the game over again in exactly the same spot it ended in.
All the sad wet Phillies fans. Photo from flickr.com
But that doesn't happen, not even in the worst movie plots! Who would ever agree to something that anti climatic?
Bud Selig, that's who. In a bigger blunder than putting Jessica Simpson in yet another straight to DVD movie (cough Major Movie Star cough), Bud Selig decided to put the Phillies and Rays in an underwhelming Game 5 situation and start Game 5 right where it left off, in the middle of the 6th with a tie score.
And don't think that the Phillies and the Rays didn't have a problem with this move. The Phillies sat down with the Rays and said "Hey brah we don't want to kick your tail in an hour long game, wanna start this thing over?" And the Rays responded with, "Sure dudes that would be chill, whatever."
Ok maybe that's not how the situation played out but each team essentially said that starting the game more than half way through was a total buzzkill and they would rather start it over completely.
So let's break this situation. Starting a game half way through is underwhelming and doesn't give fans enough time to get into the swing of things. Both teams agree to start it over. If the game starts over you make more money in the stadium from food, souvenirs etc etc, more money to be made for FOX for advertisements etc etc, so every things cool, right?
If only it were that easy. Bud Selig decided that obviously the teams didn't know what they really wanted and decided to start the game at the middle of the 6th. So they played for about an hour and a half, Phillies pulled ahead and won it 4-3. Yippie. This is a team that has only won TWO WORLD SERIES EVER and you couldn't even give them a decent full game, Selig? What's wrong with you? Did you want the lamest World Series ever?
Finally victorious! Photo from flickr.com
I won't lie, I didn't even see how it ended. I got home late from a meeting and the game was over. Done. Kaput in less than two hours. On the one hand, starting the game in the middle meant less time spent with McCarver and Buck, but it also meant the least dramatic World Series win ever.
And if I were the players union, I would sit Selig down and propose a policy for dealing with this situation in the future. If I played over 165 games to win those coveted rings, I want to win it in 9 complete consecutive innings. What happened was disgraceful and the MLB has to have a better plan for dealing with it in the future. 
Anarchy after the win! Scary. Photo from flckr.com
Changing gears momentarily to politics (and Jenna the Intern didn't even have to tell me to relate it to politics!) please tell me you heard this line about McCain comparing Obama's flip flop opinion on if he was a Rays or Phillies fan to his flip flop attitude in Washington. Yes because baseball allegiances are a larger metaphor for your persona character. And for the record, if I were McCain or Obama I wouldn't say a darn word about who I favored, both the Phillies and Rays are ironically enough located in swing states. So I would say I was a Blue Jays fan, no one messes with Canada.
So how did you feel about the World Series? Do you agree with Selig? How do you think things should have played out? Leave a comment and let me know!
