Archive | December 2012

Dick Clark: A Pioneer In His Own Right

by Cheval John

A new year is dawning upon us.

It’s a time to reflect on what has transpired in 2012 whether it was good or bad.

Many new lives were created in 2012 that brought joy to families, friends, etc.

On the flip side, many lives were taken away that brought sadness to either the relatives, friends, acquaintances, etc. of those who were lost.

One person who come to mind is the legendary Dick Clark.

Clark passed away earlier this year at the age of 82 from a heart attack after going for his regular visit at a hospital in California.

He was a who was a pioneer who brought the genre of rock-n-roll to millions of Americans on American Bandstand during the 1950s.

Bandstand became the longest running television show in U.S. history.

Though Bandstand was his trademark, he also began a tradition in 1972 of bringing in the new year on national television from Times Square, New York called Dick Clark’s Rocking Eve that featured different recording artist performing their hit songs.

Who would have thought that the 40th anniversary of the Rocking’ Eve was Mr. Clark’s last and that he would not be apart of this year’s event.

Tonight will be a tribute the man who not only brought recording artist to prominence, but allowed to millions of Americans to take part in the tradition of bringing in the New Year from New York City.

Though Ryan Seacrest has been doing the same things as Clark with American Idol and co-hosting with Clark, this year’s Rockin’ Eve show will be different for him as he will not be able to celebrate with the man who helped him and others to get to where they needed to be in order to be successful.

That alone is why Dick Clark will be forever missed by his friends, family and the millions of people who became fans because of his “youthful” appearance and his signature line “For Now, Dick Clark, so long.”

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RG3 Proved That He Belongs In The NFL

by Cheval John

This year was supposed to have been a rebuilding year for the Washington Redskins.

But somebody forgot to tell Robert Griffith III, a.k.a. RG3 and the rest of the team that statement.

Behind the heroic play of RG3, the Redskins defeated the Dallas Cowboys 28-18 to claim the NFC East title and earn a spot in the playoffs for the first time since 2007.

Though RG3 didn’t have his best game today, he came through when it was needed.

Griffith III went 9 of 18 for 100 yards and rushed for 63 yards and a touchdown on six carries.

Many thought that RG3 was not going to do well at Washington because of their failures over the past decade and the fact the Mike Shanahan was the coach.

But RG3 thrived under Shanahan’s offense and made plays that made the casual fan tune in everytime he steps onto the field.

In hindsight, RG3’s decision to go the NFL was a risky proposition, but it turned out to be the right call and the Redskins are now going to the playoffs.

On the other hand, the Cowboys ended their season with another devasting lost and are wishing that RG3 would have stayed at Baylor instead of going to the NFL.

Brooklyn Nets Face A Major Cross Road With Williams

by Cheval John

Avery Johnson became the latest casualty to the star driven National Basketball Association (NBA).

Johnson was fired today from the Brooklyn Nets as a result of a slide that produced a 3-10 record in the last thirteen games.

Previously, he was the head coach of the Dallas Mavericks, where they produced four straight seasons with 50 wins or more and made four playoff appearances including one NBA Finals.

He was canned from the Mavericks after the Mavericks was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs in 2008.

Johnson came on board with the Nets in 2010 after they went 12-70 the previous season.

The Nets moved to Brooklyn at the Barclays Center before the season began after spending 35 years in New Jersey and were looking to make a name for themselves under the new ownership of Mikhail Prokorov and Jay-Z.

It seemed as if that was going to happen when the Nets started the season with an 11-4 record.

Johnson was named the Eastern Conference Coach of the Month in November.

Then they went downhill with a 3-10 record during the last thirteen games.

Point Guard Deron Williams haven’t performed well this season as he averaged 16 points a game and shot 39% from the field and 29% from the three-point line.

Instead of pointing the finger at himself and figure out how to improve, he threw Johnson under the bus last week by blaming his offensive system for his shooting woes.

Many suspected that it was the reason why Johnson was fired.

Honestly, I don’t know.

What I do know is that the NBA is filled with a bunch of prima-donas who don’t the fundamentals of playing basketball (with the execption of the San Antonio Spurs).

They want to be the superstar in a league that thrives on the marketability of the players.

In this system, the head coaches always loses because if the “star” player don’t like the way a particular system is run, in the case of Williams, then they can publicly throw the coach under the bus and can go to the upper-management and complain like little babies because they can’t get what they want.

This is why the NBA is so diluted and is not the same as it in the last two decades because these players who only care about themselves and not the team.

I don’t know if the league will ever recapture their essence because if Johnson, who reached 150 career wins in a short period can get canned because of a “star” player performance, then any coach can get let go in this “star” driven league.

As for Williams, well it seems as if he have gone past his prime and is now on the decline.

The dilemma for the Nets is how long they are going to keep him.

And how long will it take for them to realize that he is not part of the solution, but is a huge part of the problem?

Only time will tell.

The Mayans Were Probably Right After All

by Cheval John

Suupposedly, the Mayans predicted that on December 21, 2012, the world will come to an end.

Well, they were wrong.

With the writing of this article, we are still here and alive.

But, they were probably right on a few things on my part.

First, today marks the end of worrying about what other people think, being afraid of taking a risk and doing what I love: writing.

Over the last few years, I’ve been reading books that have allowed me to do things that I never would have imagined.

Books like “The Four Hour WorkWeek” by Timothy Ferris, “Rework” by 37Signals, and “The Education of Millionaires” by Michael Ellsberg.

Each have very important advice that makes a person believe that they can do what they have been longing to do for a long time and make a living at it.

In addition, they destroy the perceived thinking about taking a risk, what marketing is all about, and much more.

So, for those of you who are ready to go after your dreams and try something new, why not start it today.

I would recommend one of these books to jumpstart your journey.

After all, the Mayans were probably on to something here.

Bearkat Safety Earns Another National Award

by Cheval John

The awards keep piling up for SHSU’s safety Darnell Taylor.

Today, Taylor earned a spot in the 2012 Walter Camp All-America Squad.

The senior from Mesquite, TX led the team in tackles this year with 100.

He was named the Southland Conference (SLC) “Defensive Player of the Year” for the second year in a row.

Defensively, he played a critical role when the Bearkats won their second consecutive SLC title this year that allowed them to be selected for the NCAA FCS playoffs.

In the playoffs, the Bearkats went through three Big Sky Co-Champions in Cal Poly, Montana State and Eastern Washington to make it to the FCS National Championship Game in Frisco, TX for the second year in row.

It was the first time that the Bearkats have ever made consecutive appearances in the FCS playoffs and the title game.

They will have a second go-around with defending champion North Dakota State Bison on January 5 at 1 p.m eastern time on ESPN2.

Both teams played last year in the championship game with the Bison coming on top with 17-6 win.

The Walter Camp All-America squad honors players who made a significant impact for their respective teams from nine conferences and 24 institutions in the FCS.

The honor is named after Walter Camp, who is considered the “Father of American Football” because he developed the present game as we know it.

Here are the list of the Camp All-America Squad

2012 Walter Camp Football Championship Subdivision All-America Team

OFFENSE
Pos. Name, School Hgt Wgt Class Hometown
WR Erik Lora, Eastern Illinois 5-10 181 Jr. Miami, FL
WR Aaron Melette, Elon 6-2 220 Sr. Sanford, NC
TE A.C. Leonard, Tennessee State 6-4 245 Soph. Jacksonville, FL
OL Earl Watford, James Madison 6-4 295 Sr. Philadelphia, PA
OL Mike Sellers, The Citadel 6-0 290 Jr. Summerville, SC
OL Billy Turner, North Dakota State 6-6 300 Jr. Shoreview, MN
OL Chris Howley, Maine 6-3 295 Sr. Runnemede, NJ
C Corey Howard, Central Arkansas 6-1 290 Sr. Wichita Falls, TX
QB Taylor Heinicke, Old Dominion 6-1 295 Soph. Atlanta, GA
RB Miguel Maysonet, Stony Brook 5-10 205 Sr. Riverhead, NY
RB Zach Zenner, South Dakota State 6-0 215 Soph. Eagan, MN
PK Patrick Murray, Fordham 5-7 182 Sr. Mahwah, NJ

DEFENSE
Pos. Name, School Hgt Wgt Class Hometown
DL Caleb Schreibeis, Montana State 6-3 252 Sr. Billings, MT
DL Colton Underwood, Illinois State 6-4 255 Jr. Washington, IL
DL Brandon Thurmond, Arkansas Pine Bluff 6-2 260 Sr. Augusta, GA
DL Davis Tull, UT-Chattanooga 6-3 230 Soph. Knoxville, TN
DL Joseph LeBeau, Jackson State 6-1 245 Sr. New Orleans, LA
LB Jeremy Kimbrough, Appalachian State 5-11 240 Sr. Decatur, GA
LB Matt Evans, New Hampshire # 6-0 228 Sr. Hanover, MA
LB Stephon Robertson, James Madison 5-11 225 Jr. Alexandria, VA
DB Marcus Williams, North Dakota State 5-11 194 Jr. Minneapolis, MN
DB Darnell Taylor, Sam Houston 6-0 195 Sr. Mesquite, TX
DB Cooper Taylor, Richmond 6-5 235 Sr. Atlanta, GA
DB Jaquiski Tartt, Samford 6-1 220 Soph. Mobile, AL
P Andy Wilder, Northern Arizona 6-3 205 Jr. Scottsdale, AZ
KR Jerodis Williams, Furman 5-11 208 Sr. Prattville, AL