nfl.com is the Site for all Football Fanatics

In addition to espn.com, I also enjoy nfl.com as a website for several reasons.  Not only does the site prove to be one of the most reliable sources for up to date news in the National Football League, but the site also provides games.  People can partake in various games, such as fantasy football, on nfl.com.  In addition, there are many fantastic football videos located on the site.  Not only do the videos show highlights, but some videos are similar to movies on football!  Overall, there are many features on this website that viewers can use so that they can spend hours on the site to prevent boredom.  Basically, nfl.com should be enjoyed by nearly every hard core fan of the National Football League.

espn.com, the Website for Sports Fans Across the Globe

One of my favorite websites to visit while surfing the web is www.espn.com.  I use this website if I need to learn anything about sports.  The website keeps viewers up to date with the latest sports news.  I can also check scores of games as they are going on live and even view a game cast, which tracks the games even more closely.  In addition, there are some fun games that anyone can play on espn.com.  Espn.com is probably my most used website on the internet.  In summation, I recommend espn.com to any true sports fan that wants to have a quick access to the entire world of sports.

Intramural Basketball..... The League of Fierce Competition?

This year, I formed an intramural basketball team that will partake in a short season over at the Jorgenson YMCA.  Last year, I competed in intramural basketball as well.  There are two leagues that teams can compete in; Teams can compete in the B league for underclassman, or the A league for upperclassman.  My team played on the B league last year and we went win less.  This year, I had a new mindset that I would try to form a more competitive team and take on the talented teams in the A league.  Going into the season, I felt I had formed a team that would be able to compete with other teams in the league.  Basically, my mindset was that I felt I had gotten players that could play better than the average basketball player in our age group.  I also thought that the fact that this league was an intramural basketball league would make the games less competitive than games within our school.  Little did I know, there are plenty of talented basketball players who do not play for Homestead's basketball team.  As a welcoming surprise, we won our first game of the season with a score of 56-53 and thus ended our six game losing streak from the previous year!  However, I believe we won in an upset victory.  Basically, I believe the A league teams and really all of the intramural basketball teams are extremely competitive.  A person cannot go into the season with a few casual basketball players on their team and expect to win easily.  There are many, many talented players that surprise me with the fact they are not on the school's basketball team.  Evidence of my opinions came in my team's second basketball game of the season, which occurred last Monday.  We were dominated the whole game and lost by a final tally of 56-100!  I was simply in awe of how we were thoroughly dominated in the game.  Do not get me wrong, I am not an upper level basketball player.  However, I believed the fact that my team won our first game and the fact we showed signs of competitiveness in our first game would bode well for our future. Unfortunately, the team we faced on Monday proved to be too strong.  For better perspective on the blowout, consider that scoring 100 points in intramural basketball is about the equivalent to scoring over seventy points in a high school football game!  Despite the loss, I understand that the intramural basketball league if far more competitive than most people perceive.  I will continue to have a positive, yet realistic mindset for the remainder of my basketball season.  In conclusion, you may want to think twice about joining an intramural basketball team if you are not prepared to be up against extremely intense competition.

Reading: Coming Back Stronger, by Drew Brees (pgs. 247-274)

I feel, after completed the next section of Coming Back Stronger, by Drew Brees, that I have a stronger will and perspective to be the best I can be in life.  In chapter sixteen, one of the longest chapters in Brees's memoir, Brees describes the special 2009 NFL season for the New Orleans Saints.  Brees writes about how the team emphasized "finishing" before the start of the 2009 football season.  He believed the team had come up short the last few years do to their failure to finish games and finish seasons.  He describes how the team had a new, special attitude right from the start of the season. 

Next, Brees describes his trip to Guantanamo Bay to visit a marines corps residing in the area.  He describes how he gained a new chant and perspective he utilized during the camp that he carried over to the New Orleans Saints.  The Saints started out strong with their new attitude as they felt they had something to prove.  After they were already 4-0 and coming off a bye week, the Saints set their sights on the also unbeaten New York Giants.  They knew the game was crucial for their success during the rest of the season.  They won the game and also garnered attention from around the NFL with their record at 5-0.  The next game, the Saints finally faced adversity against the Dolphins.  However, they overcame the adversity and a 21 point deficit and won the game.  Moreover, the Saints continued to win in a few games and eventually ran their record to 8-0, a franchise record.  Later, when the Saints were 10-0, they had another season defining game verses an experienced New England Patriot's team.  They were perhaps playing their best competition of the season, but the Saints still won the game in a convincing fashion. 

The Saints continued to pile up more wins and ran their record to 13-0.  However, they were not playing the best football of their season at this point.  As a result, they lost to the Dallas Cowboys in a close game the following week.  Brees believed the loss was a positive for his team because it forced the Saints to look more closely at their weaknesses and improve upon them.  The Saints ended up losing their last two games, but they still finished with the number one seed in the NFC playoffs with a record of 13-3.  Many critics around the league did not believe the Saints could win the Super Bowl due to their spotty play the last few weeks of the season.  However, the leaders in the Saints organization, such as the coaches, kept the fire burning in the hearts of the New Orleans Saints heading into the playoffs.  Brees states at the end of the chapter that he and his team was ready to send a message to the world when they played their first playoff game versus the Arizona Cardinals.

After I read the next section of Drew Brees's memoir, I feel excited to try a new mindset with sports.  Brees stressed one game at a time throughout the 2009 NFL season.  I believe in order to be most successful, you must have that mindset.  You cannot think about the future and the event that may occur.  I must have the mindset that I will play my best in the current time I am playing any game.  I must keep my focus on one play at a time, one minute at a time in any game.  I believe this mindset applies to all facets of life.  I believe that you must realize that you may not get a second chance at everything in life.  I believe that in my personal life, I must treat every moment as if it were my last.  I must live in the moment, and live for others.  I do not want to leave an opportunity unused.  If I can keep my mindset in living the best I can be for my God and for others, I believe I can achieve a greater goal than if I lived for my plans in the future.  You never know when your time on earth will end.  As a result, I believe people must treat every situation enthusiastically and as a gift from God.  In conclusion, I plan to follow Brees's mindset that I must live every moment as if it were my last to the best of my ability.

Reading: Coming Back Stronger, by Drew Brees (pgs. 207-246)

I believe I gained a more thorough perspective on grief after completing my next section of Coming Back Stronger, by Drew Brees.  In chapter fourteen, Brees writes about the New Orleans Saints preparation to become a championship winning team in the future.  Brees details the preparation and adjustments he made during the 2007 and 2008 NFL seasons in order to take steps towards a Super Bowl championship.  Unfortunately, Brees saw the 2007 season as a setback from their previous year.  They started out extremely slow in the season, and could not recover to make the playoffs.  They gained some sense in how to win consistently towards the end of the season, but they finished with a 7-9 record.  Next, Brees describes the 2008 season, in which he incorporated a new chant for the team.  He received the chant from the then new movie, 300.  However, the 2009 season did not prove to be much better than 2008.  Brees and the Saints had certain highs, such as his rematch with his old team, the San Diego Chargers.  The Saints won this game but had a seesaw season and finished the year without making the playoffs. 

In chapter fifteen, Brees describes his incredible experience he had with his wife Brittany with their first child.  He was extremely excited to finally be able to have a kid after he could not have one when he was in transition from San Diego.  He described all of the people who remained strong and helped make the pregnancy process much easier, including his wife Brittany.  Brees also writes on to describe how they came up with the original name for their son, Baylen.  Brees also writes about his new commitment he gained when he gained a son.  He had another person to live for in his life.  Brees describes how he wants his son to be anything he wants to be and he will do everything in his power to give the best opportunities for his son to succeed. 

In addition, Brees writes on to describe the passing of his mother.  He and his mother were never close throughout his life.  However, in recent times, Brees and his wife were communicating to his mom about their new son, Baylen.  Through this communication, Brees believed he was starting to make mends with his mom as she was looking forward to seeing their baby.  However, Brees learned in a shocking way later in a practice that his mother had committed suicide.  He did not understand the reason his mother would take her own life.  After her death though, Brees became aware of the mental illnesses his mother struggled with through all of her life.  He had difficulty overcoming his mother's death and also the means by which she died, but the supporting cast in his life helped him overcome this obstacle.  At the end of the chapter, Brees states that he is amazed that a season that started on the heels of his mother's death ended on top of a mountain.

After I completed my reading, I feel that I have learned more about the topic of grief.  I was truly surprised when I learned from my reading that Brees's mom died right before the 2009 Super Bowl season.  Brees must have tremendous character and an excellent group of people supporting him in order to overcome the sadness of his mother's death.  I cannot understand Brees's specific situation because his mother had mental illnesses.  She never had a close relationship with Drew, and eventually she took her own life.  I believe Brees situation with his mother is more difficult than many other deaths in the family because he was never close to his mother.  In addition, his mother took her own life.  Basically, I have learned in life that you cannot change the past.  The past is permanent, but you can always live in the present and make changes for the future.  I believe Brees is brilliant in the fact he always seems to learn from his mistakes and experiences.  He truly believes that everything happens for a reason, and he gains insight and strength through all of his hardships.  I believe Brees is a true role model in today's world due to his incredible faith and attitude.

Reading: Coming Back Stronger, by Drew Brees (pgs. 164-206)

I found more examples of selflessness after completing my next section of reading in Coming Back Stronger, by Drew Brees.  In chapter eleven, Brees describes his first season with the New Orleans Saints following their 3-0 start.  Overall, the team had a magnificent season, feeding off their enthusiastic fans.  They had their struggles at times, but made the playoffs with a number two seed following a 10-6 regular season.  Brees recognized many struggles the team had to overcome to achieve their success.  He also mentioned many contributors to the team, including veteran running back for the Saints, Deuce McAllister.  They followed up their regular season success with a playoff win at home versus the Philadelphia Eagles.  As a result, the Saints made it to their first ever championship game for the NFC conference.  They ended up losing to the Chicago Bears, but Brees writes about how thankful Saints fans were to him and the entire team for their magical season. 

In chapter twelve, Brees explains the history behind one of the Saint's fans most often used quotes, "Who Dat?"  He explains how the expression has been used all over the country describing various football teams.  Brees tells about how the expression surfaced and stuck with Saints fans.  Brees also describes his team's correlation to the people of New Orleans.  He describes the Saints as a team with some castaways and also people who have had to go through a great deal of adversity.  He relates the team to the people of New Orleans, especially referring to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.  Brees writes on to describe how adversity in his life has shaped him.  He even believes that the adversity in his life with his injuries and other problems may very well have led to some of his best opportunities, like meeting his wife, Brittany.  Brees also describes the values and requirements to be a leader.  He states that a leader must be able to do all of the things he asks for from his teammates.  He states that being a great leader is key to a team's attitude and Brees, as the quarterback of the Saints, believes he has a duty to be a fine leader.  Next, Brees tells the reader about walking the walk in the Christian faith.  He tells about how you must not only label yourself a Christian, but also act as one should as God's disciple.  He describes to the reader the importance of his personal faith and his personal beliefs as a Christian and follower of God. 

Furthermore, in chapter thirteen, Brees gives details concerning his charity work.  He states that to whom much is given, much is expected.  He believes that he must use his financial and other gifts in this world to serve other people.  He describes his foundation serving kids who do not have a much longer time to live on earth.  Brees describes the immense pleasure he has received both spiritually and emotionally through serving the community.  He describes his foundation he founded in Purdue as well.  This foundation helps to bring happiness to young kids through sports and other leisure activities.  Finally, at the end of the chapter, Brees describes his belief that many kids who face incredible adversity are actually his heroes.  Many people believe the superstar quarterback would be the hero for these kids.  However, Brees sees kids who do not have a long time to spend on earth and sees them as courageous heroes.  Brees describes how inspired he feels when he spends time with these courageous, optimistic young kids.

Overall, I found several different parts of this reading rather interesting.  Specifically, I agreed with Brees when he described how important the enthusiastic fans of New Orleans were to the success of the Saints.  I know from my experiences that the more and more enthusiastic fans are present supporting a person or team, the more likely it is for that person or group to perform well.  I have always fed off of the support of other people for my competitions.  I feel I am dependent sometimes on support to truly excel in any competition or game.  In addition, I agreed again with Brees when he described his personal faith.  I believe you not only have to label yourself a person of a certain belief, but also become the person you need to be according to that faith.  Many people struggle with walking the walk in faith.  I personally struggle as well, but I find it very important to strive to be the best person God intends me to be.  Finally, I found Brees's emotions about struggling kids rather interesting.  I understand how he feels the rewarding experience of doing good in the community.  Charity work is almost always a feel good experience.  However, I was truly impressed when Brees recognized many kids whom are projected to have short lives as his heroes.  He knew that the kids must have incredible courage to deal with their adversity.  Personally, I cannot comprehend how kids such as the people Brees mentioned deal with their particular situations.  I have been given an incredible abundance of gifts by God, and I cannot imagine certain people's situations on earth.  Overall, I would have to recognize those kids as some of my heroes as well.

Paint balling....... Not as Easy as it Sounds.....

This past Saturday, I went paint balling for the first time with a few friends.  I did not have any idea what to expect from this game.  We played a total of eight games, therefore, I feel I have a much better idea of what paint ball is all about now.  Overall, I do not believe I have the fearlessness to be great at the game.  Basically, to be effective in the game and get other people out by shooting them, you have to be willing to take some hits.  A shot from a paint ball gun does not always hurt, but it can leave some marks.  I stayed more towards the back most of all the games.  I was surprised when some people had welts and bruises after the games when I stayed relatively clean.  I probably still was hit about 12 times in total after all of the games, but I had no welts.  Unfortunately, I do not believe I forced many other people out by hitting them.  I played conservative and did not get into the game as much as some of the other people.  In summary, I believe I person absolutely needs to have some fearlessness in them in order to be truly successful in the game of paint ball.