Since I will be heading out early this weekend for three days of sports, I will post my picks so I don't forget. I will also post my article about the Duke-Davidson game by next monday and will update my readers on the outcome of my high school's state championship game that I will be attending on Friday evening.

Last week: 9-5
Overall: 50-19 (.725)

RAMS over Cardinals
Panthers over BEARS
COWBOYS over Lions
Jaguars over TITANS
BROWNS over Dolphins
Saints over PATRIOTS
REDSKINS over Raiders
GIANTS over Eagles
Steelers over RAVENS
FALCONS over Buccaneers
Seahawks over 49ERS
CHARGERS over Bills
Colts over BENGALS
BRONCOS over Jets
TEXANS over Chiefs

NFL Picks - Week 10

Here's some quick picks from what I expect to be a run-of-the-mill week in the NFL. Last week I was 12-2 to improve to 41-14 (.745) on the season. I'm catching up number 1.

Kansas City over BUFFALO
CHICAGO over San Francisco
Arizona over DETROIT
INDIANAPOLIS over Houston
New England over MIAMI
NY GIANTS over Minnesota
JACKSONVILLE over Baltimore
Denver over OAKLAND
CAROLINA over NY Jets
ATLANTA over Green Bay
SEATTLE over St. Louis
Washington over TAMPA BAY
PITTSBURGH over Cleveland
Dallas over PHILADELPHIA

I'm not stressed

I was amazed to see a full three articles of the Davidsonian dedicated to my dream of indoctrination for Davidson students: perspective. It was all about how (yada yada) students should worry more about engaging with learning than just doing work and relating with people in a way that reinforces that learning. And at some level, it sounds very simplistic but you would be astounded by the number of students at this school who are truly ruined by B- papers and who can't ever seem to have a nice weekend b/c of their work. I am saddened that they don't understand the perpetuity of work that they won't treat it as such. Work. I feel that work is to be done always with a critical eye. There are classes at Davidson where if you do the reading and the papers you really will gain the tools to function at a higher level in this society and to engage in things with a greater sense of purpose and perspective. But there are classes that you just do the work. While I feel that my Bio class is one of those bad ones, I still must walk the thin line of not passing up the opportunity to become educated about the global bubble on grain production and the pro's and con's of a hydrogen-based economy like that of Iceland. But that doesn't mean I should stress about jumping through all of the hoops on the syllabus. Students here will continue to make their lives miserable all week (except when they're drunk), but I have decided that I can't associate with that all the time. It is suffocating in many ways.
So yesterday, in my rebellion, I went out and took pictures of a campus that was empty of pedestrians during the afternoon sun. Check out my webshots to see them.

European Basketball

by Phillip Compeau

The 1992 Summer Olympic Games of Barcelona saw the proof of American domination in the world of basketball. The “Dream Team,” composed entirely of NBA stars, won rout after rout over international opponents in impressive fashion; the world watched American basketball stars demonstrate that they truly were quicker and stronger than their international counterparts. The memory of Olympic supremacy in 1992, and then in 1996 and 2000, is the image burned into the American thought pattern with regard to European professional basketball. We said that “European players are fundamentally sound, but they can’t compete with the more athletic Americans.” Right?
The fact of the matter is that Europe is leading a basketball revolution, and former Davidson players have found themselves in the middle. Of the college’s last twenty-three men’s basketball graduates, twenty-one have advanced to the European professional level, and Davidson claims sixteen alumni in European leagues now (including Class of 2005 standouts Conor Grace and Logan Kosmalski). Coach McKillop is no stranger to European basketball as well. For 25 years he has traveled throughout the European continent speaking at clinics, giving lectures, and running camps. He continues to expand his network of connections in Europe, and he has taken four of his teams on European trips, including a two-week tour of duty to Italy, Switzerland, and Slovenia this past summer.
It is a testament to the program at Davidson that so many graduates are able to mesh well in the European setting. Many might contribute this to the traditional style of play typical of the Davidson system, featuring tight-knit defense and a pass-oriented half-court offense. In the words of former Davidson player Frantisek Babka, who now lives in Prague, Czech Republic, European teams “are looking for more players that are coachable … and if you stay for four years alongside Coach McKillop, that’s exactly what you are.” But in a larger sense, Davidson’s style is not radically different from that of other programs; passing, screening and tough defense are simply fundamentals which the Wildcats emphasize ad infinitum, and which may have been somewhat lost in the modern American professional era of the point-scorer.
Perhaps more accurate factors in the rise of European basketball have been the increased depth, unity, and diversity of players of European leagues. With hundreds of teams across the European continent, there is much more opportunity for talented players than in the United States, where the NBA and its development league are the only real options for college players wishing to continue their basketball careers. In addition, many European countries offer multiple leagues on different levels of play, which permits more players the opportunity of developing their games and fosters a very healthy competition among players.
The Union of European Basketball Leagues (ULEB), a coalition of leagues from sixteen nations, has succeeded in uniting European basketball under the same rules, format of play, and even playoff system. In fact, Euroleague, which was founded in 1958 as a means for determining the best team in Europe, has steadily grown in size and popularity. Today, it offers annual berths to the sixteen best European teams, which go on to compete in a European league separate from the leagues of their respective countries; Euroleague’s most ardent advocates feel that it is evolving into the basketball equivalent of the UEFA European Cup of soccer.
As noted in the large number of Davidson alumni who choose to continue their play abroad, Europe is attracting greater and greater numbers of players from the four corners of the world, particularly America. What’s more, Euroleague has recently altered its rules concerning non-European players. Formerly, every member team could only sign two players who were not holders of a passport from a European country, but this restriction has been lifted for the 2005 season. This can only envision a greater influx of American players into the European system, which will no longer have to ride the coattails of the NBA but has developed into a powerful entity of its own. According to Babka, “The Americans playing [in Europe] are more trying to pick up the European basketball than the other way around.”
In addition to acclimating to the renewed traditional style of European basketball, Davidson graduates must learn to live in a completely new and sometimes alien environment. Although European leagues may not have the hype of the NBA, they are nevertheless a cutthroat world of agents and contract negotiations. Furthermore, the Davidson athlete must adapt himself to living in an unfamiliar culture and learn to speak a foreign language. The broadening of one’s horizons is a concept that Coach McKillop has always tried to foster as a central facet of Davidson Basketball, and Frantisek Babka believes that the lure of European basketball is just that: “It’s not the money. They can get a job here. It’s not the basketball either. It’s about finding a different way of life, and playing basketball in Europe certainly offers that.”

NFL picks

Here are my NFL picks for this week. Last week I pulled off a mediocre 10-4 to improve to 29-12 overall. Later this weekend I will post an article on the Night with the Cats and then European Basketball:

Titans over BROWNS
CHIEFS over Raiders
Falcons over DOLPHINS
Lions over VIKINGS
Chargers over JETS
Panthers over BUCS
JAGUARS over Texans
Bengals over RAVENS
Bears over SAINTS
Seahawks over CARDINALS
Giants over 49ERS
Steelers over PACKERS
REDSKINS over Eagles
Colts over PATRIOTS

Cross Country Champs

They knew it would be close. In fact, the Chattanooga women’s cross country team was favored going into the Conference meet this past weekend. In the end, it came down to one point that lifted the Davidson women to first place overall and the title of Conference champions. As they have been all season, the team was led by Brenna Burns ’08 who finished second overall with a time of 17:48.93, a time that set a Davidson school record. She was followed by senior Allie Martin ’06 and Megal Atias ’08 who all finished within the top five finishers at the meet. Freshmen Emily King ’09 and Caroline Sanker finished in 17th and 19th respectively, securing the winning points for the Wildcats. “We knew we all had to bring it together and formulate the perfect race to finish ahead of such an impressive team [in Chattanooga],” said Burns. “We had the goal in mind and everyone did what was necessary to get the job done.” More accolades were added to the Wildcat resume as head coach Jen Straub was tabbed as the Southern Conference Coach of the Year for the third time in four years.
The Southern Conference championship does not mark the ultimate goal for the ’Cats as they now look to compete in the NCAA Regional Championships in Greenville on November 12. After the outstanding performances throughout this season, it stands to reason that Davidson will make a strong showing in those regionals as they will try to earn a spot in the National Championships. “The Conference race made our team so excited for Regionals,” Burns said. “We should expect to go out there and mix it up with nationally ranked teams and make our best Regional showing in Davidson history.”
On the men’s side, Davidson raced to a fourth place finish overall in the conference with their top runner being Lance Harden ’09 who turned in a time of 25:56.07, strong enough for 16th place overall. That time, combined with Harden’s stellar performances throughout the season, earned him the award of Southern Conference Freshman of the Year. Jonathan Baker ’06 and Austin Mercadante ’06 rounded out the top three Wildcat runners. Harden remains a phenomenal story on a team with such strong leadership, as his goals for the season were merely to be eligible to go to the Conference meet in which he ended being the top Davidson runner. “In large part,” says Harden, “I think my individual success and the success of the team can be attributed to the leadership of our two seniors, Austin and Jonathan. They both set the bar high in terms of commitment, and the whole team has fed off of their pacesetting during workouts and races.” Like the women, the men will be able to compete one more time at the regional meet on November 12 where they will look to continue their success and have one more shot at eclipsing their personal bests and leading the Wildcats.

Senior Walk-on

Thomas Runge '06 just wanted to play college tennis. In a school where nearly a quarter of the student population plays a varsity sport, Runge has found an opportunity at Davidson to live out his dreams. However, he only gets one year. Runge is a senior walk-on on the Men's Tennis team in a place where that rarely happens. "A lot of people might not have tried out if they only had a year left," Runge says. "But I want to see how good I can get."
Runge says that he didn't start to play tennis seriously until much later than most people who play Varsity tennis, who often start playing youth tournaments at a very young age. As a result, he was not highly recruited coming out of high school and decided to try to walk on at Davidson. However, as a freshman, Runge did not make the team. "I did try out my freshman year, but I didn't really have that clear of a purpose," Runge says. When he didn't make the team, Runge tried to stay sharp by practicing with the girls team during his freshman year. However, faced with the large prospect of getting back on to the team, Runge moved onto different things the next two years and decided not to concentrate on tennis. But there was something urgently pulling him back to the game that he poured so many hours into. "I just couldn't stand watching the team from the sidelines," Runge attests. "After all that time, you miss playing a sport competitively and I felt that I had to prove it to myself that I could put forth the effort and compete in a collegiate match."
Runge worked all summer and earned himself a spot on a squad that is always impacted by his sense of urgency. "He plays like a guy with his back against the wall," says teammate Philip Compeau '08. "But, for him there really is no tomorrow." Runge's first opportunity on the court came several weeks ago when the tennis team hosted several Southern Conference opponents during their mock fall schedule. Although he dropped his two matches in third-set tiebreakers, Runge knows that the match experience will continue to give him confidence in preparation for the spring. As both a senior and rookie at the same time, Runge has the unique experience of learning from the veterans while being a leader through his sense of urgency and drive to excel in his brief opportunity to play a collegiate sport. "I definitely feel like I am working against a deadline, but as everyone at Davidson can attest, that comes with its own special buzz."

Sick of writing

Well last week I went 11-3 which is a vast improvement over my first week's 8-5 debacle. Hopefully I will begin putting up some more articles that I have written because it seems that by the time I hit the internet, I am so sick of writing. Well here's my picks for this weeks and look for a tennis article coming soon.

BENGALS over Packers
COWBOYS over Cardinals
LIONS over Bears
Raiders over TITANS
Jaguars over RAMS
GIANTS over Redskins
PANTHERS over Vikings
TEXANS over BROWNS
SAINTS over Dolphins
CHARGERS over Chiefs
BRONCOS over Eagles
Bucs over 49ERS
PATRIOTS over Bills
STEELERS over Ravens

NFL Picks

Alright well here we go with some NFL picks for this week last week I was 9-5 which should be greatly improved this week.


Chiefs over DOLPHINS
Lions over BROWNS
Packers over VIKINGS
Colts over TEXANS
RAMS over Saints
BENGALS over Steelers
EAGLES over Chargers
REDSKINS over 49ers
SEAHAWKS over Cowboys
BEARS over Ravens
RAIDERS over Bills
Broncos over GIANTS
CARDINALS over Titans
FALCONS over Jets

That's all for the NFL, for all those that are interested, there are some interesting ideas being published about the nature of the NBA over willrob's blog. Go check it out. I happen to concur with many of them

Bad Picks

Well today was certainly a bad day on the NFL front. My picks went south pretty quick yesterday. In the end, it makes me happy that the only team I really have to pull for is the Panthers. And Chris Weinke. When Jake was knocked out with a concussion on the final drive. Weinke came in to orchestrate an excellent drive with passes to .... Ricky Proehl? Wow.

I should say, though, that Steve Smith currently owns the title for best touchdown celebrations. After last week's calling of his mother and watching TV, this week he rocked his baby to sleep along with the Ford Field crowd. Wow, that's untouchable TO.

Basketball practice continues today as I get to interview Frantisek Babka, a former Davidson player who now lives in Prague. He had played ball professionally in Europe before suffering an injury. Apparently he is visiting the campus and coach wants me to talk to him. Pretty exciting.

Finally, the latest episode of our radio show is on the air. It can be found at www.listentowalt.com/sports.

NFL

I have decided to add a wrinkle to my watching of NFL games every week by making predictions on my blog. This way I can cheer for entire teams instead of just fantasy players. So here we go for Week 6:

CHICAGO over Minnesota
DALLAS over NY Giants
Carolina over DETROIT
Cincinnati over TENNESSEE
Washington over KC
Atlanta over NEW ORLEANS
PITTSBURGH over Jacksonville
Miami over TAMPA BAY
Cleveland over BALTIMORE
BUFFALO over NY Jets
New England over DENVER
San Diego over OAKLAND
SEATTLE over Houston
INDIANAPOLIS over St. Louis

I'm tipping my hat to the Dolphins and hoping they can upset the state rival Bucs. I also think that despite Jake Plummer's home record, New England is due for a breakout game. Belichek doesn't give up two TD's to Matt Schaub without saying anything.

So there we go! Bring it on Will

Replay

For some reason on this Thursday night, I find myself very tired. A long week filled with Fall Break, papers and, of course weird sports. In preparing for a more discussion-based radio show this Sunday, I have devoted myself to SportsCenter to find out about what is going on. I was amazed to see the weird play in Chicago where AJ Pierzynski made it to first on a called strike three. The catcher was walking to the dugout and the umpire had already called him out. Then when he made it to first, the umpire changed his call. He wasn't sure whether the ball hit the ground or not and decided to call Pierzynski safe. The White Sox extended the inning and went on to win the game.

After being a counselor/referee at basketball camp this summer, I am certainly slower to criticize refereeing than I would be. It is difficult to be in a position where the players question your call and then you begin to question it. You realize that maybe you really didn't see things right and that the player who is yelling in your ear has a point. Perhaps so. But then why couldn't they use instant replay. It hasn't destroyed the integrity of football. In fact, with instant replay the Braves would have gotten the final out in that historic NLDS game where the first base ump said that Julio Franco had his foot off the bag. Instant replay, salary cap, and playoffs. Every sport needs them now. I'm out.

Back

After a long hiatus, I have decided to attempt to blog some more. It was helpful this summer to be able to develop my writing style. And now that I have so many topics of interests, I will be able to further hone that ability without worrying about grades.

Life has taken me on an interesting trip since returning to Davidson. I have witnessed first-hand the politics of leadership as I have had to navigate the murky waters of definition regarding the Sports Marketing Association. I have published a newsletter to a readership of 1700 in the form of the Wildcat Report. I have struggled with the nature of sports as an institution, a career, and a priority. So what now? What does one do when faced with a mid-term about Egyptian and Safavid history? One studies, of course. But somehow, I haven't been able to accept that. I need more. More reasoning and incentive. And because of that frustration, I have been shunned. Not physically, but intellectually. No one wants to hear my crazy ideas for the fear that they might upset their system. They do their work and get their grades and tell themselves they are happy. But that isn't good enough for me. Until this week when I have been faced with no other option. I have to study or else. Else what? I get a bad grade? What are the eternal consequences of a C in Environmental Biology. I assume that it signifies laziness and incompetence. However, in the context that we always think of as the "real world," the system of Davidson College is irrelevant.
There are no core requirements in the real world. You clock in at 5:30, deliver the bread on time and don't get in a wreck. You work for the rest of your day. You work to have a life when you get time. Your work does not assume importance during your dinner, nor does it ultimately judge your character. C students at Davidson College are morally inferior, whether the administration wants to admit it or not.
Am I merely excusing failure because I didn't work hard enough? Perhaps. But I guarantee that I used more intellectual prowess in assimilating this treatise than explaining the Carbon cycle. And isn't the ability to make excuses the mark of success in this world? My lawyer parents have made a living off of articulating the excuses of others. Political advisors become world-renowned for their abilities to excuse the downfalls of an administration. Perhaps Davidson has accomplished its goal of preparing my bright mind for the future. So then why do I still stress out over my 40-page readings. That's a subject for next week.

Done

Well, today was my last day of work at the bakery, and it was kind of bittersweet. As much as I look forward to going back to school and getting into that, I felt like I really poured out a lot of time and energy into something that seems so nameless. All of the cooks at these restaurants and guys who clean and take out the trash. They are just nameless bodies working tirelessly, and easily replaceable. It is very humbling to know that within a week, most people won't remember my name. It seems that we aspire to such grand achievements and legacies that when our work is measured in delivery efficiency that is recquisite merely by a driver's license and baseline competence, we, I am certainly brought down to Earth. But even then, I do have confidence that my five weeks at the bakery was helpful to the others around me. I found myself comparing my summer to other possibilities of mission work or foreign trips and I found that I believe so much emphasis, especially within the Christian culture, is based on changing lives forever. Perhaps I am just going through that overly cynical period of questioning but I do feel so much stronger that my hard work and respect for the Honduran immigrants with me had an impact. Let me not even say that...no impact. Because not everything we do has to "impact" others for our own personal success. The help of others has become more self-glorification than ever before. I enjoyed being sincere with them. Being a co-worker who didn't call them spics or call them gay. I could care less whether they go to church tomorrow morning or not. That is not the point, and the more that it becomes the point, the more ridiculous this entire walk is. I don't know...that certainly was a tangent. But, in the end, I definitely feel blessed to have done what I did. I wish that more people would have that experience.

Birthday

Yay! It's my birthday! Thank you to all the people who called or wrote. It meant a lot to me. When I came into the bakery today, I was met with the news that we had a power outage and so only ran enough power through extension cords to run the ovens. So work went on as usual except with only one light and no A/C. And today was the hottest recorded day of the year with heat indexes topping 110. Whew! What a birthday. You know it's sad when everyone is calling you to talk and you can't get out of bed because you are so exhausted and dehydrated. Well I am back at it tomorrow, no rest for the weary. So I'm signing off. Thanks again everyone.