The Life of a Collegiate Athlete

Moneyball

2011-06-16T16:33:00.000-07:00

I am in no way shape or form a fan of the Oakland A's, but this looks like it will be an unreal baseball movie and there hasn't been one of those in a long time

We're Sorry

2011-06-03T09:57:00.000-07:00

On behalf of The LOCA, I apologize for the infrequency of posts recently. As you all know I am now 1 year removed from the dream and living in the real world. I have to work, get over it. Making money is more important than entertaining you, sorry to say it but it's true. I'm not that scrub El Pres who has nothing better to do than sit around, think of witty things to say, and hire 18 year old college interns like a dirty old man. I have a real job and make more money than him anyways, and I'm only 23.

That being said, it brings me great pleasure and sadness to announce that our very own Hamilton "the babe" Porter got himself a job. The man is in the real world. This was his first week of work, so I'm going to excuse his absence. Lord knows I was tired after having to wake up early every day and actually have to do something with my life. I know he'll be checking back in as much as possible, so keep checking back for more. Or don't. Either way

Artie's Take on Entourage

2011-06-03T09:50:00.000-07:00

I am a huge Entourage fan. Yeah I know, season 5 wasn't that great, in fact it kinda sucked. Well guess what? That season was thrown together because they missed an entire year with that foolish writers' strike. People were banging HBO's door down for another season and fast, so what do you expect? You get what you paid for. But regardless of how sub-par season 5 was, I still was fired up for Season 6 and even more for Season 7. Maybe the bandwagoners have fallen off, back when it was "cool" to watch entourage or at least cool enough to sneak down to your basement and hope your mom doesn't hear the moans from all the sex Vince has; but the show is still hilarious for the simple fact that it has Ari and Drama (the character not the plot). Those two are the glue that keeps this show together. Rarely do you hear someone say that Vince is their favorite character or even worse E; but Ari, Drama, and occasionally Turtle provide comedy to a show that makes men jealous of "the life". So while you may publicly say that Entourage sucks and you'd rather watch True Blood or some other stupid terrible vampire show, I know and You know that you'll be glued to the TV come 10:30pm Sunday July 24th for the final season. End of an era. But seriously though, don't let your mom hear it.

Happy (early) Memorial Day Weekend

2011-05-26T11:04:00.000-07:00

Dice K May Need Tommy John

2011-05-25T13:30:00.000-07:00

Reports are that Dice K has a partially torn UCL and may require Tommy John surgery. He is heading home to Japan to try some "Eastern Medicine" and will come back later this month to visit Dr. Yocum. He'll then decide whether to undergo surgery or rehabilitation.

Rockies' De La Rosa Out For Season

2011-05-25T13:07:00.000-07:00

The Colorado Rockies announced they will lose Jorge De La Rosa for the remainder of the season due to a torn UCL and will require Tommy John Surgery. With Ubaldo Jimenez struggling, De La Rosa was the backbone of their rotation and was 5-2 on the season with a 3.51 ERA. The rest of their rotation features Jimenez, Hammel, Chacin, and Mortensen and Aaron Cook is set to come back from the DL on May 30 which should help but De La Rosa's injury really hurts their chances down the stretch.

Where Can I Get This for My Car

2011-05-19T16:25:00.000-07:00

One of the funnier commercials I've ever seen not during a Super Bowl. Trunk Monkey is a hero

Rain Delay Business

2011-05-16T14:16:00.000-07:00

Rain delays should be used for something like this. You can never go wrong with a tarp slide, fishing, or upside-down man but I've never seen this before.

Yankees In Trouble?

2011-05-16T09:15:00.000-07:00

The Yankees are in the midst of a 5 game losing streak. They were just swept by the Sox at home and apparently Jeter is in hot water with the front office after his comments about Posada taking himself out of the lineup.

I love the fact that Jeter stood up for Posada. I don't agree with Posada's actions but the fact that Jeter is taking up for him tells me a lot about their relationship. I understand Posada is frustrated. The guy is a career .273 hitter as a catcher and I think a lot of people believed with him not catching it would ultimately help his hitting. However, right now he's only hitting .165 and 0-24 against LHP. He hasn't failed like this in his whole career.

I think Jeter understands what he's going through because Jeter went through it last year. New York isn't the easiest place to play. The front office needs to take a step back and let everything work its course. The clubhouse doesn't seem to be divided and if Posada is dealt or released you run a great risk of losing the player's respect.

This next week will be huge for the rest of the season and it will be interesting to see how they respond to a little adversity.

The Players' Championship

2011-05-16T07:57:00.000-07:00

How about the absolute debacle David Toms pulled yesterday? He could of just handed the trophy over to Anthony Kim but he waxed and shined it before he did. Kim played to win and hit big shot after big shot. Toms was tight and played not to lose while hitting terrible shot after terrible shot. If he laid up on 16 he would have at least been a shot if not two up on Kim at the time.

Flux Pavilion

2011-05-13T16:13:00.001-07:00

If you haven't listened to this guy before go to youtube and listen to any of his beats

Artie's Thoughts on Twitter

2011-05-11T08:39:00.000-07:00

Twitter is something I hoped would die a quick death. I was actually praying that it would go the Myspace route. I saw it as nothing more than a new place for glorified Facebook status updates. I can't believe that squid Zuckerberg didn't come up with it first, prolly couldn't find the guys in time to steal it from them. Sure there will be people out there who will say "But Artie, I love knowing what my favorite celebrities are doing this instant." My response? Do you really, really want to know that Ashton Kutcher just took a dump that is the same size as a can of Dr. Pepper? Is your life going to be any different if you didn't just happen to see that Kim Kardashian "Just had a photo shoot, went super great <@:)!!!" I soon came to realize though, Twitter isn't going anywhere.

I think it's safe to compare Twitter to blogging. Blogging gave people an outlet for their thoughts, feelings, and anything else on their twisted minds. I'm sure there were people out there who didn't feel the need to read about the daily musings of some guy living in the real world who can't let the college dream die just yet.....

Once people started to pay attention to and even try blogging, it caught on like a wildfire. All it takes is 5 minutes and some creativity (or lack thereof) and presto changeo, you go from a 23 year old in your parents' basement to a 23 year old in your parents' basement with a voice. So too, unfortunately for us, has Twitter.

Now everyone and their mother has gotten into tweeting, or twatting as I like to call it. Btw I literally know some mothers that are on Twitter. Some of my own friends tweet, some more frequently than others, but they are not the ones I'm talking about. If I ever heard the Redneck Yankee talking about how he's following Christina Aguilera because she has intelligent things to say or eye opening political views, I'd prolly defriend him, only in real life though, I need all the Facebook friends I can get. My friends use Twitter for what it should be intended for: sports news.

Let me be clear, I am not against any outlet where people feel comfortable throwing their thoughts out there. I think that people should be able to say whatever they want whenever they want. Which is why I think Twitter, although terrible for social lives, is revolutionary in the sports and sports reporting world. Where else can you get a direct line into what a player or coach is thinking, or instant reports on trades and rumors from "inside sources". I also think that Twitter is a great place to vent frustration and get public recognition. Sure this is a line that shouldn't be crossed, but an athlete should feel comfortable speaking their mind without fear of retribution. A player shouldn't be fined or suspended for stating the obvious, expressing disappointment or anger, and displaying happiness. We get it MLB, Bud Selig still uses a typewriter, but that doesn't give you the right to quiet someone down. We know they are role models, but unless they are swearing or using slurs, the major sports leagues should back off....or you could always go the other route and say someone hacked your Twitter, either way works.

A Glimpse at the Real World: No More Finals

2011-05-08T07:06:00.001-07:00

This May is the first in the past 5 years, that I haven't pulled an all nighter, and I've got to tell you, I think I miss them. No not the finals part, but the fact that I felt that by pulling an all-nighter I could feel better about that fact that I didn't go to a single class all semester. My all-nighters usually consisted of a few "scooby-snacks" a tall boy or two of blue Monster, and at least 3 or 4 Xbox breaks. I think I actually looked forward to the all-nighters, especially when your friends are around the same table doing the same exact thing as you, trying not to go off on a 2 hour break downloading music just because you thought of one song you liked.

This year obviously is different though. Instead of thinking about how I am going to cram a semester's worth of knowledge into my head, I wake up trying to figure out how to make more money than I have. Commission is unreal by the way. But in times like these I think, I would love to go back to college, minus the whole Finals are worth 97% of your grade thing. I'll tell you one thing though, that feeling of being done with finals, but still having a couple extra days or senior week was a great one. Good luck on the finals, pull all-nighters, and whatever you do, make sure you have a lot of water.

Hi Hater, Bye Hater

2011-05-08T07:04:00.001-07:00

America

2011-05-02T11:37:00.000-07:00

Fuck Yeah

The Awkward Catcher-Pithcer Meetings on the Mound

2011-04-28T22:00:00.000-07:00

There's usually a time for a pitcher on the mound who isn't throwing well or starting to show signs of fatigue. Sometimes you can't even smell the strike zone and you're in another world. Whatever the case may be the pitching coach or catcher is going to come out and talk to you. And if you're playing in front of an away crowd the chirps can get nasty.

Your coach signals for your catcher to go out and have a chat (settle him down). You see him coming... do you meet him halfway to be courteous or should you stare him down until he gets all the way here? What could he possibly say that would help me turn things around?

"Hey let's mix in some outs"? I've had catchers come out and say "let's pretend we're talking because I don't have anything to say and neither do you". I've heard some jokes on the mound and the type of discussion usually depends on the pitcher. Sometimes it's about a chick in the crowd, sometimes it's about a party, and sometimes it's strictly baseball.

Some catchers like to pretend they know what they're telling you and it's always about your front side flying out. There's no way you can watch my mechanics as you're trying to catch. But for some reason it loosens up the pitcher and actually helps.

Mel Kiper Is A Joke

2011-04-28T20:00:00.000-07:00

I hate watching the pre draft ratings and mock drafts because it's never anything close. Mel Kiper has no clue what he's talking about. If he was the owner of a team he would pick every year because he is terrible. His "best available" is a joke. He didn't even have Newton going in the top 10 picks... If you didn't already know Newton went first overall.

Bangs is it at it again

2011-04-27T19:22:00.001-07:00

Is this serious?

2011-04-27T16:39:00.000-07:00

Madden Cover: Peyton Hillis

2011-04-27T16:37:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure how Aaron Rodgers isn't on the cover but he's not. EA Sports created a 32 player tournament to allow the fans to vote for the cover of the new Madden. Hillis beat Rodgers in the semifinal and Vick in the finals. If you didn't watch this past NFL season you wouldn't even know who Peyton Hillis is. Don't get me wrong-- Hillis is a beast but he plays for a terrible team... Just seems like Rodgers would be a little more fitting for the cover of Madden.

Losing and Skids

2011-04-23T23:26:00.000-07:00

Every team loses... it's going to happen in a 56 game season but no one should take losing lightly because every loss hurts. So much time is invested in a single season (morning lifts, runs, practice) and it should hurt if you're invested in the team.

But just as there's a right way to win, there's a right way to lose. In a "good" loss you played well enough to win but the other team made one or two bigger plays. Maybe it was a pitch in a tight situation, a big hit, or a great defensive play. In these losses you leave the park feeling a little bit better knowing that you played well enough to win but you just got beat.

Bad losses are avoidable-- usually it's guys going through the motions and a lack of focus or effort. It's the games where pitchers don't challenge hitters and walk guys, hitters have bad approaches at the plate, or bad defense that leaves a bad taste in your mouth.

Your offense can run into some good arms. A couple guys might start struggling at the plate and all of a sudden it spreads throughout the team. Sometimes no matter who you put on the mound you can't seem to get anyone out.

Just about every team hits a losing skid and it comes in many different forms. It's either the offense, pitching, defense, or a combination of the three. Good teams turn it around and bounce back from a loss or skid while bad teams experience a "snowball" effect.

What is ESPNU thinking?

2011-04-22T12:06:00.000-07:00

The "featured" college baseball game on ESPNU right now is Bethune-Cookman and Coppin State. There isn't a better game to broadcast than this game? I thought the whole idea of broadcasting games was to increase viewers and awareness of college baseball. You can't tell me this game is helping the cause.

Mark Cuban Hit In Face Last Night

2011-04-22T12:01:00.000-07:00

From USA Today-

Mark Cuban was having some fun with Portland Trail Blazers fans last night, but then someone at the Rose Garden kicked the antics up a notch and tossed something that hit the Dallas Mavericks owner in the face.

"Somebody hit me in the face," Cuban told the Dallas Morning News. "Somebody threw something and it hit me."

The incident happened with 6:56 left in Portland's victory.ESPN Dallas.com reported Cuban was encouraging fans to boo him by putting a hand to his ear, and that extra security was added to where Cuban was sitting, behind the Mavs' bench.

Honestly, Cuban's antics ask for fans to hit him in the face. You're playing in Portland surrounded by Trailblazer fans. What do you expect? Go up to the press box where you belong.

Arkansas Hit-By-Pitch

2011-04-22T08:03:00.000-07:00

If I was going to get tossed I would definitely go at it like this kid did. This is an old video but hilarious nonetheless.

Ryan Braun signs 5 year/$105 million extension

2011-04-21T21:15:00.000-07:00

The new contract extends his current contract through the 2020 season. Braun is one of five players in history to hit .300 and have 125 HR in his first four seasons. Braun is a great player and this could turn into an absolute bargain but I don't understand why teams lock players up for 10 year deals. Ten years is a long time especially when you're talking about 162 games per season. What if he gets hurt in a couple years and isn't the player he is now? Not to mention he will be 37 at the end of the contract. It seems like a much bigger risk than reward.