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.
Members of Westboro Needs To Grow Up
by Cheval John
It seems to me that the members of Westboro Baptist Chuch don’t know when enough is enough.
The church is known for picketing funerals of soldiers who were killed while fighting to protect our country.
That alone is distasteful.
But what they are about to do crossing the line.
According to a report by Elizabeth Tenety of the Washington Post, these same members are going to picket the funerals of the people who was killed in the Sandy Hook shooting last Friday.
These people “believe” that this was God’s judgement on the state of Connecticut for legalizing gay marriage.
This alone sickenings me because they don’t seem to realized that most of the victims were children who were under ten years old.
They don’t understand the grief that the parents are going through at this moment.
All they care about is passing judgement on people in the name of God “believing” that they are doing his will.
What they need to understand is that it could have been their children in that mess.
They need to understand that those who survived this will be traumatized and will need all the support and prayers of a nation who cares about their well being.
What they don’t need is a group of idiots who want to go to funerals and protest all of their nonsense so that they can get their twisted message out there.
If they do go out to Connecticut, I really hope that along the way they realize that these were innocent people who were doing the normal routine of going to school and learning their ABCs and learning how to treat their peers with respect.
If that happens, that will be the greatest miracle that will ever happen in this nation.
Playoff Fever Spreading In Huntsville, TX
by Cheval John
NCAA FCS playoff fever has spread throughout the nation.
It’s not more evident than in the city of Huntsville, TX.
Huntsville, home of Sam Houston State University with a population of about 39,000, have been in a frenzy since the Bearkat football team have made the FCS playoffs for the second consecutive year after finishing the season at 8-3 overall and claimed a share of the Southland Conference title.
Now, they are one game away from returning to the FCS national championship game after they slaughtered Montana State Bobcats 34-15 in Bozeman, Montana last Friday.
Bearkat fans gathered either in Huntsville area bars or across the country (in the case of SHSU’s alumni base) to watch the matchup between the Bearkats and Bobcats that was televised nationally on ESPN2.
Many people who have lived in Huntsville and have been around to see the Bearkat athletic teams have said that they have not seen anything like this.
They have good reason to say that because before, the Bearkat football team have made the playoffs a total of four times since becoming a member of the NCAA Division I in 1986.
Those four playoff appearances happened in 1986, 1991, 2001, and 2004 under Ron Randleman.
After Randleman’s retirement in 2004, Todd Whitten served as head coach from 2005-2009 without much success and was fired.
When SHSU’s athletic director, Bobby Williams hired Willie Fritz, many were hoping for a renaissance of the football program.
After a 6-5 campaign in 2010, people started to believe that great things was going to happen in his second year.
Before the 2011 season began, the SLC’s pre-season polls expected the Bearkats to finished fourth in the conference because they only had 12 seniors on the team.
The Bearkats did the opposite: finished the regular season at 11-0, won their fourth SLC title (first undisputed), were the No.1 seed in the FCS playoffs and brought the Bearkat nation together.
From there, they defeated No. 7 Stony Brook, Montana State and Montana to reach the title game in Frisco, TX where they fell short against North Dakota State.
With the playoff fever amidst in Huntsville, the Bearkats know that they have to play extremely well against No.2 seeded Eastern Washington on Saturday at 3 p.m. if they want to make it back to Frisco.
What they also know is that playoff fever is amdst in Huntsville with a loyal fan base with who will be watching them on ESPNU and cheering them on to victory.
The Benefits Of Being Thankful
by Cheval John
Everyone have something to be thankful for today.
Whether it’s another day of life, having that dream job, or being with friends and family, many count themselves lucky.
For fans of Sam Houston State and Texas A&M, they have plenty of reasons to be thankful.
One thing that comes to mind is the fact that the Bearkat football team have made their consecutive NCAA FCS playoffs with the opportunity to make it back to Frisco.
While in A&M’s case, the Aggie football team proving that they belong in the Southeastern Conference after pulling off the 29-24 upset of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.
When the Aggies and the Bearkats faced each other last Saturday, it brought a sense of excitement and perspective for fans and alumni of both schools.
“I think it’s a great opportunity to play in a bigger stadium with a bigger crowd and with an SEC team,” Angie Taylor, Director of Leadership Initiatives at SHSU said last week before Saturday’s matchup in which the Aggies won 47-28.
“This year, it’s a good experience for them and I think it will be excited and it’s two local communities coming together and it will be a good turnout.”
The two communities, Huntsville and College Station are located an hour away from each other on highway 30.
Some of the 350,000 alumni or ex-students of A&M calls Huntsville home.
Though most are fans of the Bearkats, when it comes to facing their alma mater, there is no question of who they will root for.
I’ve adopted the Bearkats as my hometown team and I support them regularly,” Amy Lee, publisher of the Huntsville Item said last week.
“But I’m an Aggie graduate, so I have to root for A&M.
For some of 100,000 plus Bearkat alumni, living in Bryan/College Station and experience the A&M culture has been fun and interesting.
Bearkat graduate Michael Oder, who works for KBTX-TV, a CBS affiliate in College Station, covering the local scene including A&M athletics has been fulling for him.
“Living and working in Bryan/College Station is interesting,” Oder said.
“I think SHSU and A&M are two great universities that operate at different levels. … .A&M has a great energy.”
“With the move to the SEC, that only multiplied ten-fold.”
Bearkat fans saw the match as added exposure for the football team and the school.
Also, it brought in $300,000 dollars for the Bearkat athletics program when they played A&M.
With the FCS playoffs set to begin this weekend, many believe that this experience will be a huge benefit for the Bearkat football team.
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.
Share this: