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nov

So, I decided I wanted to be a voice here and then I let it fall to the wayside in lieu of other things (homework, sleep, meals, rinse and repeat). It isn't as though I haven't thought about it at all. I've had ideas which have popped into my head from time to time which I thought would make neat posts. Unfortunately I get very distracted VERY easily and so these ideas haven't made it past the conception stage until now. Well... not RIGHT now. For now I'm just going to start by introducing myself. I'll get to the ranting and rambling later, I promise. :) That being said, hello, my name is Megan. Welcome to my little corner the world. I am a freshman here at Purdue West Lafayette. I am from Merrillville, IN (a city which I am proud to say is part of a part of Indiana affectionately known as The Region). I arrived at Purdue with the overly ambitious desire to triple-major in French Education, Spanish Education and Linguistics as well as minor in Psychology. I've recently come to my senses and decided to narrow things down to a major in French Education and a minor in Japanese. I work in the Windsor Dining Hall three days a week and I am happily one of the newest members of Purdue's Fencing Club (though I've missed the last few practices due to having a really irritating and persistant cold). In addition to being easily distracted, I am also easily amused and addicted to caffine (coffee and tea being my preferred sources). I absolutely love music and will probably being writing a few of my posts based on that topic. There are many more little bits and pieces of information that describe me and the things and do and love, but I'll get to those at another time. For now, I'm off to bed in hopes that I won't sleep through my first class of the day... again... :) Nighty night! *Wonders if anyone is actually going to read this...*
by Megan
created on 2009.10.20

nov

Hawkeye Fans! Do you think the Hawkeyes can go into Ohio State and beat them without their leading rusher, Robinson, as he's out until the bowl game with an ankle sprain? Do you think they Hawkeyes can earn that coveted Big 10 Championship and go to the rose bowl?
by IceHawk
created on 2009.10.30

jun

Okay, now we know the NBA playoff matchups. Ess, I agree, things look good for Cleveland with KG out. However, I have a funny feeling this may all just be a ruse by the Celtics. The team has not officially declared KG unable to play. Head Coach Doc Rivers merely said he doesn't see how KG will be able to play in the playoffs given that he had some trouble practicing. I think what might happen is that KG will sit out the first round to rest up for the rest of the playoffs. The Celtics probably figure they don't need him against the Bulls anyway. Then, if the Celtics get past the Bulls and KG comes back, it will throw off the Celtics' second round opponent and generate a lot of hype for Boston, which will only mean better ratings and more revenue. That said, I think Boston needs to be careful against Chicago. I don't see the Bulls pulling off the upset, but I think it will be close, because Chicago is a pretty good home team. I also think Detroit might make some noise against Cleveland, but not much. Otherwise, I like the Magic over the Sixers and the Heat over the Hawks. Philadelphia doesn't have an answer for Dwight Howard and neither does Atlanta for D Wade. That sets up a Cleveland/Miami and Boston/Orlando second round matchup. I think Miami may take Cleveland 6 or 7 games, but I see the Cavaliers making it to the Eastern Conference Finals. Joining them will be the Celtics if KG comes back. If not, then I'd take Orlando, but my guess is we'll see Garnett suit up for the second round. Between Boston and Cleveland, I'll go with Cleveland to advance to the Finals. They may not have the most talent in the league (aside from Lebron), but from what I have seen of the NBA this year, I think Cleveland plays the most team basketball. I think that is the key to their success and why they will represent the East in June. Out West, I am very excited to see the first round. All of the series will be good, because all 8 teams are just that solid. I think it will take LA 6 games to get past Utah, even though they are the 1 seed. Denver/New Orleans is another enticing series, but I think Denver will prevail in 6 or 7. Dallas/San Antonio and Houston/Portland will be, in my mind, the best series in either conference. I don't like how the Spurs matchup with the Mavericks and considering that Dallas has been on a roll lately, I'll go with the Mavs to upset San Antonio. I think Portland/Houston is a coin flip. I would consider myself somewhat of a fan of Portland, because I like their style of play, but I think they may have trouble offensively against the Rockets. Although he may be a head case, Ron Artest is one of the better defenders in the league and I think he will have success limiting Brandon Roy's scoring opportunities. Yao is also there to clog up the middle, so I'll go with Houston. That sets up Lakers/Mavs and Nuggets/Rockets in the second round. Take LA and Houston. The Zen Master will have his team prepared to down Dallas in 5 or 6 and I think Houston will slow things down and keep Denver from having success with their fast-pace style of play. I think Houston/LA wil be a great series and might go 7. I am really looking forward to watching the Yao/Bynum and Artest/Bryant matchups, epecially because Kobe and Artest got into a little tiff earlier in the season. Ultimately, though, I think the Lakers have too much talent and will advance to meet Cleveland. I don't see the Lakers/Cavaliers series being that great. It may go 6, but I think the Lakers shouldn't have a problem winning Phil Jackson his 10th NBA Championship. I think Odom will be able to guard Lebron effectively and will leave Kobe free to do his thing on the offensive end. Take the Lakers.
by Mark Duric
created on 2009.04.17

apr

It looks like the Bobcats didn't pull of that miracle, although as a Bulls fan I actually envy Charlotte. I'd prefer a higher draft pick to the right to bow out in the first round of the playoffs. That said, I think Chicago will give Boston a run for its money if they match up in the first round. KG is hurt and the Bulls have been one of the hottest teams in the NBA over the last 20 games or so. That's the East though. The West is far more interesting. In a word, I would describe it as sick. The eight seed is like 15 games over .500. When all the playoff matchups are determined, I'll be sure to offer my semi-expert opinion, so stay tuned.
by Mark Duric
created on 2009.04.13

apr

Greetings. This is the first in a series of posts about March Madness that I will be sharing with you. Why me? I'm the President of Club Basketball here at Northwestern and abs thought people might be interested in my thoughts on the tourney. Well, let's hope they're right. As for the tourney, I thought I'd share some of my upset specials, because they are what make March Madness so fun and because I want to claim all the glory tomorrow and Friday when I'm proven correct. Here it goes. In the Midwest region, I like Arizona over Utah. This isn't much of an upset, even though the Cats are a 12 seed. More shockingly, I'll take the 13 seed Cleveland St. over Wake Forest. Wake is too young and wil choke against a quality and experienced Horizon league opponent. The only other potential upsets I see in this region come in the later rounds. I like BC to knock off both MSU and Kansas to get to the Elite 8 where they will lose to the regional champion Louisville. In the West region, take the 9 seed Texas A&M over the 8 BYU. The Aggies are a quality Big 12 team and should not have a problem. The next upset is a classic 5/12 shocker. Northern Iowa is a veteran club with balanced scoring and will knock off the inconsistent Purdue Boilermakers. At the bottom of the bracket, I also like Maryland over California. Gary Williams has been around the block a few times and should have his team well prepared. In the later rounds take the higher seeds, except for Marquette over Missouri. Trust me, Mizzou is ridiculously overrated. Out East, I have all of the higher seeds advancing besides Xavier. In the upset of the tournament, they will lose to 2nd time dancer Portland St. in the first round. Don't ask me why. Reason doesn't really apply here (it is March Madness after all). Something in my gut just tells me to go with Portland St. Down South, things get a little more exciting. I think Temple and Dionte Christmas will not only knock off Arizona St. in the first round, but also Syracuse in the second. The key is Christmas. If he gets hot Temple is tough to beat. In the second round, I also believe LSU will advance past NC. Without Lawson, the Tarheels are vulnerable and the Tigers have enough talent to take advantage. Less of an upset will be Illinois over Gonzaga on Saturday, even though this will basically be a home game for the Bulldogs. Sorry Gonzaga fans, I think your rise in prominence over the past few years has been a charade. You'll be lucky to get past Akron. With Illinois advancing past Gonzaga, that sets ups an LSU, U of I matchup in the sweet 16. Take LSU. I see them making it to the Elite 8 a la UAB a few years ago. That's it. Those are my upsets. They may be crazy, but overall, my bracket isn't that radical. I do have 3 #1 seeds and a 2 in the final 4 (Louisville, Connecticut, Pittsburgh, and Oklahoma). Feel free to call me out tomorrow and Friday if and when I'm shown to be a complete idiot.
by Mark Duric
created on 2009.03.19