by Timothy Weisberg | Nov 7, 2010 | Blog
The Cornell men’s basketball team shocked the nation en route to their first Sweet 16 appearance in school history. The Red have won three straight Ivy League championships, and thus three straight NCAA tourney appearances since the winner of the Ivy League gets the automatic bid to the big dance.
And the Red were dancing last year, finishing off Temple in the first round in the now-typical 5 seed-12 seed upset. Led by seniors Louis Dale, Jeff Foote, Jon Jaques and Ryan Wittman, the Red held the highest three point shooting percentage in the nation, and create a story book that had yet to be created on the East Hill above the scenic college town of Ithaca, N.Y.
But my arrival to Ithaca comes at a great cost: those four seniors are gone and all playing professional basketball overseas. Also gone is coach Steve Donahue, who took the head coaching job at Boston College.
As a Cornellian, I feel I have missed out on the unprecedented success of the basketball team. There was no Princeton or Harvard dominating the Ivy league. That belonged to Cornell for three seasons.
The question is, how hard will it be to four-peat? Let’s put it this way, the only returning starter is Chris Wroblewski, who played a prominent role last season, but was often overshadowed by his quartet counterpart.
The Bill Courtney Era has officially begun, and an entire decade of Steve Donahue basketball a distant memory.
But throwing journalistic integrity aside here, one cannot help but feel a sense of confidence and anticipation toward a new season, a new era, a new regime taking the reigns of a program that now needs to set a precedence in the new chapter of success that has been created.
The Red were picked to finish third in the Ivy League this season, behind the two teams that have dominated Ivy League basketball since the Red’s sudden arrival during the 2007-08 season: Princeton and Harvard.
Princeton was the last Ivy League team to reach the Sweet 16, and that was 1996, when they upset defending champion UCLA in the first round, creating renown hysteria called “the Princeton offense.”
But meeting with Courtney has made me feel that this program is on the right track, and has the capability of reaching new heights.
Wroblewski is he true leader of this team, and carries what little weight there is left offensively. After all, he is the top returning scorer, averaging 8.3 points a game last season.
It might not be this year, maybe not even next year, but the Red will find a way to co-exist under Courtney’s regime. His collective manner, passion for the game and outgoing personality makes him the player’s coach.
A deviation from the more serious, but collective Donahue, but maybe a new style of coaching is exactly what the Red need.
Their new journey begins Nov. 12 when they take on Albany. Also accompanying Wroblewski are reserves Errick Peck, Max Groebe and Adam Wire who now have the opportunity to step in as role players.
A 29-5 season and a Sweet 16 appearance is a tough void to fill, and even tougher precedent to set.
But while Rome was not built in a day, neither was the Donahue regime. It took Donahue seven years to build the foundation that changed the face of Red basketball.
Courtney is asked to do it in the two years I have left here. At least so transfers like me can experience what many Cornellians have felt each of the past three seasons: unprecedented success.
The time is now. Will the Red be able to shine under the spotlight and create a new chapter of success? Or will there be a case of “writer’s block,” putting the novel temporarily on hold?
by Timothy Weisberg | Nov 4, 2010 | Blog
You know its a sign when the Raiders win back-to-back games. This is something they have not done since 2008. With no professional team in Los Angeles, the Raiders have been my team growing up.
Let’s just say it has not been easy to be a Raiders fan. Still amazes me that the second largest city in the United States is still without a professional football team, yet a town with 100,000 people (ahem Green Bay) sports a football franchise.
In any case, there was some promise with Bill Callahan when the Raiders made it to the 2003 Super Bowl, only to get embarrassed. Rich Gannon threw four interceptions, and the Raiders were blown out. You know it’s bad when the Super Bowl MVP is a defensive player (that year it was Dexter Jackson).
The Raiders were at the top of the mountain, but the Buccaneers pushed them down the mountain, injured and unable to climb back up.
Are the Raiders back? Of course not. But it is extremely gratifying to hear that not only have the Raiders won back-to-back games over Denver and Seattle, but that they have outscored their opponents 92-17 during their winning streak, committed no turnovers, and had over a 1,000 total yards.
I can finally hold my head up high and say that this Sunday’s game in the Black Hole against the Chiefs actually means something. The Chiefs are off to a surprising 5-2 start and atop the AFC West, and the Raiders have an opportunity to get that much closer to the concept of a postseason.
It’s been seven miserable years. Lane Kiffin was a disastrous hire, and JaMarcus Russell was the biggest bust at QB since Ryan Leaf.
The Raiders brought in Jason Campbell, who has not been what Raider fans expected, but Gradkowski has shown signs of life, but how about Darren McFadden?
276 rushing yards and three touchdowns the last two games? McFadden is finally proving his worth since being drafted by the Raiders in 2008 from Arkansas. It almost appeared that the Raiders would be given a hard lesson on “Bust 101,” with two first-round draft picks that failed to live up to the hype.
But McFadden’s matriculation is long overdue. He has the quickness, speed and size to be a prominent back in a league stocked with talent.
And so the major success for both the Chiefs and Raiders has been just that: the running game. The Chiefs have Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones, and the Raiders have seen the much-needed production from McFadden.
The ground game plays such a vital role in football, especially in the NFL because it takes pressure off the quarterback and allows teams to incorporate the play-action pass, creating a balance in the offense that makes it efficient and effective.
I am looking for McFadden to have a break out game, and the Raiders to use their dominant defense, productive offense as far as rushing and ball control and the offense to score points!
Russell was bid his farewell, and it has paid off for the Raiders. They say patience is a virtue, and it really is possible to witness a Raiders team that is above .500 after Sunday, and in the thick of the AFC West race.
To put it in perspective, if the Raiders win, this will be the first time since 1994 that both the Chiefs and Raiders simultaneously had winning records.
Told you this game means something. To all the Raiders fans out there, we have something to talk about and be proud about.
Better yet, the Cowboys are 1-6. What now?!
by Timothy Weisberg | Nov 4, 2010 | Blog
It appears the third time will be the charm for Moss, who was claimed by the Tennessee Titans Wednesday afternoon off waivers, shortly after the Vikings let him go.
I hope the Music City offers a phenomenal catering service to Moss’ liking.
Media reports circulated a bizarre case of displeasure from a player: the Vikings’ weekly catering service.
Apparently the food was not to Moss’ liking and he let the catering staff and entire Vikings roster know.
“What the [expletive]? Who ordered this crap? I wouldn’t feed this to my dog,” a player who witnessed the incident said, according to Yahoo! Sports.
So he will not speak with reporters, felt “not welcome” in New England but the irony of it all is that the Titans are welcoming him with open arms.
Not welcome? Yelling that you wouldn’t even give your dog the food catered to you in front of your teammates is a perfect way to alienate yourself.
Life is the Randy Moss show, and its evident the word “team” is something he fails to comprehend, let alone fit into his vocabulary.
But he has been given a second chance, a third coming to be exact (this is his third team of the season). The Titans were the 22nd team in line to could pick him up, the first being the winless Buffalo Bills.
According to media outlets, the Titans were the only team who were willing to claim him.
It appears nobody is worthy of taking the risk but the Titans, who take in a player that is certainly difficult to deal with, but also take him in halfway through the season, making it an even bigger risk.
You can argue that the professional level is where the deviation from the concept of a “team” begins–free agency, claiming players on waivers, mid-season trades, among other factors are what constitute a business industry more than a collective bunch with a common purpose.
But Moss is the absolute monarchy of the NFL. His desires, wants and needs predominate over everyone else. He not only wants to eat his cake and have it too, but wants the baker and giant life-sized Randy Moss cake all for himself.
You give him an inch, he wants 3,000 miles.
But the Titans are in dire need of a go-to receiver, and made it clear they were not taking any chances with receiver Kenny Britt. But the chances they are taking with Moss are astronomical.
How he will fit into the offense only time can tell. But Jeff Fisher might be the diligent listener and mentor Moss needs to bring him back to reality and out of the Randy Moss world.
This isn’t the Truman Show. The world doesn’t revolve around Moss.
Maybe Moss can recommend a catering service for the Titans. Better yet, he can offer to cook.
But if the food is not to his liking, just take the environmental route: use it as compost!
If you won’t feed it to your dog, you can use it in your garden or landscape.
by Timothy Weisberg | Nov 1, 2010 | Blog
In the blink of an eye, Randy Moss’ second stint with the Vikings lasted as long as a Las Vegas marriage.
In a surprising move, Moss was waived by the Vikings Nov. 1, ending his Vikings reunion. Moss was not officially on the NFL’s Monday waiver list, and thus could be available to be picked up by a team as early as Wednesday
If no team picks him up, the Vikings will be forced to pay Moss the remaining $3.888 million of the $6.4 million he is expected to make this season.
In a game of deal or no deal, it appears as if Moss is a done deal. Moss was fined by the NFL for $25,000 for failing to cooperate with the media, a group he has not talked to since Oct. 13.
Apparently he plans to divorce the media as well, because after the fine he told reporters he would not talk with the media for the rest of the season.
“For the league to fine me $25,000, I’m not going to answer any more questions for the rest of this year,” Moss said. “If it’s going to be an interview, I’m going to conduct [it]. … I’ll ask myself the questions, then give y’all the answers. So from here on out, I’m not answering any more questions for the rest of this season.”
Wait, so was that quote on the record? You are talking to the media now aren’t you?
Moss has recently taken arrogance to a whole new level. He will be the interviewer and interviewee, and I suggest he refers to himself in the third person.
Better yet, he should hold off on the waiver claims, and like Lebron James, hold an hour-long special called “Claimed on Waivers” to announce the team that picked him up on waivers.
And what will the wager be? “I have decided to take my talents to a winless team.”
Okay so maybe Buffalo has first dibs on him, but if the Patriots are in the mix, the irony of it all will be so over the top, you might see a thin Rex Ryan.
Moss is what we call “wasted” talent. Another phenomenal athlete who only thinks about himself and himself only. I am waiting for the day he refers to himself in the third person 100 percent of the time.
Who likes Moss anyway? It slimy and feels strange when it touches your feet in the water.
Now that would be something. Seeing Moss in a Bills uniform. I would totally sport a Randy Moss Bills jersey. In fact, getting waived might have just made Chan Gailey drool a little bit.
The Bills need something of a divine miracle to put themselves in a position to win, and why not start it off with Moss.
So the Vikings made sure the door did not hit him on the way out. Vacation time is over.
The lack of motivation to play must be evident if Moss was willing to leave a now NFL-best 6-1 Patriots team because he did not feel wanted.
It’s hard to want someone when all they do is live vicariously through themselves. Just don’t expect Moss to pretend to moon the Lambeau Field crowd anytime soon.
And what has happened in Minnesota since moss came to the Vikings? Absolutely nothing. He should make a reprise role with the Oakland Raiders. But he didn’t do much for that team either when he was with them.
Moss is the Manny Ramirez of the NFL; he bounces around from team-to-team like a pinball, ticks off the front office with his arrogance and selfishness, before they finally kick him out.
The former Vikings star (first stint) is now a 33-year-old lame duck who has lost any desire to play football in a team-oriented atmosphere.
It is safe to say that he will be claimed off waivers, because he is a standout receiver, but he will make as much an impact on another team as a placebo pill will on my body: absolutely nothing.
It’s the pro ranks. There is no “I” in team, but there is an “I’ in win.
Randy Moss moons fans at Lambeau Field
by Timothy Weisberg | Oct 31, 2010 | Blog
Cornell University is an incredible private research institution that offers students endless opportunities. But with great power, comes great responsibility in this superhero analogy.
Cornell makes sure that you deserve to be here. Whether its the academics, the countless hills you must walk up, the unpredictable Ithacan weather, or the “oh shit, the prelim is tomorrow?!” routine.
I feel like i have let people down, but at the same time feel that this an all-important lesson in my matriculation as a student, young adult and another 20-year-old very prone to common mistakes.
I always use this quote but it always applies to real-life situations it can never be overused: “Experience is a hard teacher; it gives the test first and the lesson afterwards.”
Take my Evolutionary Biology class: I just took Introductory Biology over the summer, a class that although introductory, put a major emphasis on the major eukaryotic lineages, evolutionary theory and concepts, yet did not provide me the study skills and diligent preparation needed for the course I am currently taking.
First prelim I bombed: got a 37. And it wasn’t out of 50. Only thing worse than that is turning in a blank test, and hoping your name on the paper solidifies a sympathy point.
They say every Cornellian faces his first semester woes, and boy have I hit it right on the money.
Ithaca threw me down on my ass and made me hit the ground so hard I bounced twice, and my tailbone was sore for a month.
The tailbone of course is a vestigial organ, or a a physical attribute that has lost most, if not all of its original function. Thank you for that lesson Evo Bio! Too bad the phylogenetic trees left me as dumbfounded as a deer approaching headlights, only knowing for a split second it was going to get hit very, very hard.
Suffice it to say, I can’t say I have learned how to assimilate into the rigors of Cornell academia, but I have sure grown as far as knowing what to expect when that good ole’ prelim comes around.
This semester I have:
Been given the smallest dorm room on the entire floor
Gone through two roommates
Failed two exams and one assignment
Gave the Daily Sun an incorrect headline which led to my demise as far as a career there
Stepped in a pile of puke in the bathroom and had those same shoes stolen (why someone would do that I do not know)
Got lost on my way to New Brunswick, N.J. and ended up in Suffren New York, 60 miles up the Hudson River and was lost in New Brunswick before I found my friend, only to have my suitcase stolen by a hobo. And this wasn’t Meet the Parents; Gaylord Focker didn’t have that darn airline lose his checked bag, I lost it for good.
Relapsed on caffeine…who didn’t see that one coming?
In the meantime, I am stuck here and must survive another six weeks or so before I can officially say I came out alive and well.
To my step dad Dennis and mother, I am sorry. I feel like I have let you down. I did so much to get here, took your money and wasted it away on my education I did not appear to take advantage of.
But this time…no more fucking around. Oh wait. There is a prelim Monday I have to study for. Shit.
Time to go study. Thanks to all of those for your continual support.
by Timothy Weisberg | Oct 29, 2010 | Blog
Please allow me to reintroduce myself for those of you who don’t know, my name is Steve Blake and this is my welcoming address (calmly steps into three point shot and swishes away).
An unlikely hero stepped up on opening night for the revamped and reorganized Los Angeles Lakers. That man was Mr. Steve Blake. Superman didn’t come to the rescue, there was no Batman saving Gotham City, not even a Black Mamba to provide a deadly strike to its opponent. Is Blake “Kick Ass” in this superhero analogy?
In his first career game in a Laker uniform, Blake calmly waited behind the arc as Kobe attempted to drive between three defenders, before dishing it out for Blake for the three that put the Lakers ahead, and kept them ahead, 112-110 with 18.8 seconds to go.
Signed to a four-year, $16 million dollar deal in the offseason, Blake and other reserve guard Shannon Brown put up seven threes, and bailed the Lakers out like a bondsman. The Achilles’ Heel, if there was on for the back-to-back champs, had been their depth and bench play.
When Steve Blake is a “reserve,” you know there’s got to be some depth. And what can Brown do for you? To steal commentator Reggie Miller’s pun line of the week: score 16 points off the bench, including an electrifying fourth quarter that put the Lakers back in the game.
What Laker fans have been waiting for became a reality Tuesday night: an unlikely hero, in an unlikely scenario, playing an unlikely role.
What can we say? Down by as much as fifteen to the Houston Rockets, you can’t count them out. There is a reason they have been to three straight NBA Finals and won two straight titles; they play like champions.
While Blake wasn’t one of the Lakers who received a ring during the pre-game ceremony commemorating the Lakers’ 2010 season, Blake was Mr. Clutch.
And Brown was serving up points like a UPS delivery man. What CAN Brown do for you?
The question now is: what can Blake do for you? Kobe had six game winners last year.
But that was then, this is now. The revitalized Lakers. An unlikely hero succeeding in a clutch situation.
This is Steve Blake. Former Washington Wizards/Portland Trail Blazers/Milwaukee Bucks/Denver Nuggets/Los Angeles Clippers player. For those of you who don’t know.
