Patience for Success

 Happiness is a choice, why else would they have on a piece of paper that we have the right to the pursuit of happiness. You will always have the right to strive for that, but believe me, it is never something guaranteed. J Cole once said, "Anytime you base your happiness on something unattainable, you will never truly be happy. I used to base my happiness on success, but once I got it, I wanted more. I base my happiness on what I have." I sometimes believe that when we are striving to better ourselves we so badly want success and happiness to be synonymous with each other. Over the years social media has tainted the image of happiness and success. Social media has us comparing our lives to everyone else's highlights. When we see friends post pictures of lavish things or lavish places, we question ourselves to why we don't have the same. That doubt is what leads us to believing we are living up to what we should be, therefore, are not successful.
          As a sports journalist I always saw, or at least wanted my destination to be those big four letters, ESPN. Once I feel I accomplished the impossible and made it, the glitter didn't seem to be the gold. I was so focused on striving for success that I automatically assumed the happiness would follow right behind. I put so much pressure on myself to obtain this goal I had set to make it that I lost sense of the substance of to why I created this goal in the first place. Billy Jean King once said, " Pressure is a privilege."
         Over time, I have learned that success should not be measured by the destination, but simply by the journey. Instead of comparing yourself to someone else's success, compare yourself to your old self. Your happiness and success should stem from the process you create from bettering yourself day by day. The world has an interesting and diabolical way of making it seem like its all crashing down around you, and however, at the same time, can all be fixed with one simple deep breath and exhale

Dear Tim and Melanie...

Think about your best friend, it could be your wife, your husband, your parent, maybe someone you grew up with. The person who knows everything about you, who roots for you. A best friend is one who never hesitates to tell you when your fly is down or to give you some of the best life advice like, "always keep an emergency six pack in your trunk because you never know when there could be a party." 

But on a serious note, the ancient Egyptians had a beautiful belief about death that I think is always good to remember when going through life. They believed that when their souls reached the gates of heaven the guards would ask them two questions that determined if they would be able to enter or not. The first question would be, "have you found joy in your life?" I think you have found joy in your life with proof that we are here today and you are sitting next to this beautiful woman. The second question the guards would ask would be, "has your life brought joy to others?" I think I am living proof that that answer is clear. I think everyone here is living proof that that is clear. 

Throwback Thursday

Why is “Throwback Thursday” such a popular thing in our society all of a sudden. Why do we feel the need to share things that happen early in our lives with the world? 

Hearing the news about James Avery on the day before Throwback Thursday was un real. It automatically sent my mind back to the 90’s. Remembering all those classic episodes of Fresh Prince, the little life lessons they taught, and the effect it had on my adolescent over sugar saturated brain. It reminded me of how enjoyable the 90’s were as a kid. The 90’s were a simplistic time where your biggest worry as a kid was to be home before the street lights came on. Maybe our generation enjoys Throwback Thursday because it reminds us of how easy times were before. It brings a therapeutic vibe over us and possibly also a false hope that times will one day go back to those that we cherished. Its almost ironic that we use technology to remind us of the simple times. 

It’s saddening to see “characters” who played such an iconic role in your childhood makeup fade away. It sounds crazy now, but I think back then, at such a young age, it was easy to get attached to these fictional characters. Hey, it was the 90’s and thanks to Throwback Thursday we can keep hold of those memories.  

iNCOGNiTO

I think a lot of people are looking at this Incognito situation in a wrong way.  I think when the term "bullying" is attached to a situation there automatically has to be a party that is labeled "strong" and a party that has to be labeled "weak."  Unfortunately there is an image that follows that are constantly attached to these parties. Jonathan Martin currently has been walking around with the victim label tattooed on his forehead for all to see, well deserved or not that is the question. 

            The more I learn about the story its almost becoming harder to single handily blame Richie Incognito for his actions. I think the one major problem I have about this whole situation is with some of the teammates who considered Incognito an "honorary black man. "They believed with that label a pass slip came instructed with some actions he was able to partake in.  The video on TMZ of him calling Mike Pouncey a ni**a and Pouncey appearing perfectly cool with it is a little alarming. For that I think its for people like that to call Martin weak for walking away when you are sitting here letting someone talk to you crazy and not check that dude right then and there. Teammates said they were cool with him using that name towards them. I personally can't tell them how comfortable they can be with their teammates, but when thats clearly not the norm in the outside world, you can see why people are looking at y'all sideways when you come at the media's neck for critiquing you. I feel if you really are cool with him using that word to you and you think he's an "honorary black man" or "blacker" than Jonathan Martin, then bring Incognito to a real black neighborhood with you and see how your boys look at you when he uses that word towards you. Bring Richie out to Oakland, Harlem, Camden, Detroit, and let him talk to you like the "honorary black guy" and see how your boys look at you. 

          Don't get me wrong, I think Jonathan Martin should have stood up for himself and stepped to Richie Incognito for what he was saying. One thing that is annoying to hear are people who are like "if that was me I'd put my hands on him right there, be a man." If that is something you would truly do when you have a problem with someone that shows me that you clearly have never had a REAL JOB before in your life. I think people don't understand that the NFL is a REAL JOB. This isn't college or high school ball where people do this for fun or just to hang with their boys. People go to this with the intention on getting a pay check at the end of the day to provide for their family. You can't just fight whenever you have a problem with someone and not worry about the repercussions that can affect you and your family later down the road. Its unfortunate that both of their actions will now have a negative effect to their future down the road. I think at the end of the day who knows how this situation would have ended if Martin actually told someone about Incognito in the first place. This is just my opinion about this whole situation. 

The Entrapment of Fame

The paradoxial race to fame is one that many wish to travel, but are uncertain if they want to finish. Finishing is sometimes the victory in itself

Dear Dzhokhar, I Can't Hate You

"Dear Dzhokhar,

You don't know me, but you tried to kill my family.

You couldn't have known, but my brother ran bandit in the marathon and trained for months. My sister-in-law was an amazing and supportive wife as she always is and was ready to run the last 5 miles with him. Your bomb was at the finish line that they were trying to cross.

My mother, father and sister were waiting for them at the finish line. You didn't know it, but my mother thinks that she saw you down there. My sister is only three years younger than you, and you set off a bomb in front of her.

You don't know me, but you tried to kill some friends of mine.

One of my best and closest friends was working in the store in front of which you or your brother laid down a bomb. That bomb exploded, and gave her the worst day of her life.

I was a high school teacher, your bomb wounded one of my most promising students with shrapnel.

Dear Dzhokhar, you tried to destroy a community that I left behind for Rome, but from which I draw so much of my strength and identity.

You killed a child who was a part of the community who made me the man I am today. Martin may have grown up to be a BC High boy and his family is well-loved in the community which surrounds that school.

You tried to drive a city which gave me courage in the face of cancer into complete and utter fear. But you tried to do this to a city which knew how to make a 10-year-old unafraid.

Dear Dzhokhar, you may have crossed the threshold of the building in which I lived to compete in an athletic event, but we have never met, and you tried to kill my family, a friend, my students, and destroy my community.

Dear Dzhokhar, you failed. Did you ever think that you would make it out? The US captured bin Laden and Saddam. There was no chance you would escape. This is not the measure of your success, though. Dear Dzhokhar, you failed because Boston was neither bowed nor afraid. You set off a bomb, and the city gave blood for victims. You escaped initial capture and the city opened its doors to strangers. You were at large and making more bombs, and we gathered in prayer at Garvey Park and the cathedral. You went on a rampage, and people stayed home in an orderly fashion and opened their homes to the police during the search. Dear Dzhokhar, you failed, because light cast out the darkness, and the man who knew that his boat just didn't look right wasn't afraid to call it in.

Dear Dzhokhar, for all of this, I can't hate you... Today I thought about the fact that you are only 19 ... you are just a kid. You must have been so afraid. You were a victim like so many are victims. You were brought something you shouldn't have been brought into because you likely didn't and couldn't know any better.

I am glad that you are going to prison, and I hope that you will have many long years there in supermax in Colorado. I hope that no one I love will ever be threatened by you again, but I can't hate you.

I can't hate you because whatever you brought into Boston was enough hate for a good long while, I won't and can't hate any more.

I can't hate you because I remember being 19, I thought many things were a good idea which weren't. I never would have went where you were with that, but I was certainly not an adult at 19.

I can't hate you because, even though you did unspeakable things ... somehow you are still my brother and your death can never be my gain.

I can't hate you, and not just because I am a Catholic, and a Christian, and because in a couple of months I will be a priest, I am a human and I simply can't hate you.

Dear Dzhokhar, I still have hope for you.

The rest of your life will be in prison. I have seen men change their lives there. I hope that you won't be executed, because I know that we can hold you, safely, for the rest of your life.

I can't say what your story might be there but I know that I, as a Christian, and you, as a Muslim, believe God to be merciful... so I can't help but have hope for you...

Dear Dzhokhar, you're a kid. I can't hate you, or fear you. I am glad you are in custody, I am glad you can't hurt anyone else or yourself anymore, but I can't hate you.. and I WON'T fear you.

Dear Dzhokhar, I will pray for you. Next year, when my friend and my brother cross that finish line on Boylston, your brother's cause will have lost for good, but I will pray that you will know, somehow still, the love that my brother, sister-in-law, mother, father, sister, friends, and students all have given me.

Dear Dzhokhar, I will pray for you. When the first pitch is thrown on Patriots day at Fenway, I will pray that somehow you will know joy... the joy that makes us fully human and offers the possibility of real repentance... the joy that Red Sox baseball fills me with every year.

Dear Dzhokhar, I will pray for you next year when the first shot is fired in the annual reenactment of the battle of Lexington in Concord, that you will come to know that PEACE and LOVE are the only ways in which world will ever be changed.

Dear Dzhokhar, I don't and can't hate you. I am glad you are in custody, but you are just a kid, and you are lost. I will love and pray for you, because somehow your sin was turned for good, and my community and the people I love will only be stronger in the end.

Dear Dzhokhar, godspeed."

- Rev. Mr. Michael Rogers. 

A Breath of Life

I read this facebook status the other day and realized it was a MUST SHARE!

"I don't have a blog, but I have a story to share! Read if you're bored, I'll try to keep it brief. Today at work I was going to file a few folders.. Didn't even really notice the man standing at the filing cabinet I needed. I hear him say "hello, how are you?" In a strong accent. I say I'm good how are you, without looking at him, still looking to file my folders. He asks me what my name is, and if I'm new.. I say Andre, what's your name, barely glancing in his direction, focused on my work. I think this is small talk and the conversation is over. So then I hear "where are you from?" So I finally turn and fully face him and I realize he's looking me square in my face, and he's placed his work down on the table next to him. So I answer him and he reaches out to shake my hand and tells me his name and that he's from India. He continues to ask questions and I end up learning about his family here and in India, about his studies and why he's here, some of the differences in lifestyle. He tells me that people back in India are so much happier than here, with much less. He notices that everyone here wants to be rich. He says they live in communities that are so tight-knitted that he has to meet everyone he works with, and know them, and become a friend, and treat them like family. He's not comfortable spending so much time around people and just walking by all day. I learned about their wages for jobs, and other things. He offered me a piece of gum from India. I'm bringing this story up for two reasons. 1 because I want to know why we are so caught up and rushed with everything we do, that we no longer take the time to look up, breathe, and speak to people. I learned about 20 things and tried a piece of weird gum that I never had, within a span of 4 minutes. Leave it up to me and my American ways and I would have never even seen what this mans face looked like. What causes us to be that focused and rushed? Is filing a paper that important that I have to ignore a living breathing human being with knowledge and experiences? The 2nd reason I'm sharing this is because for the rest of that workday I had my head up and was alert, smiling at everybody, engaging myself in little conversation, making work secondary. I took alot from this simple moment, realized something id like to work on changing, and I felt the need to share just in case someone else may feel the same!" - Andre Privott

The Grammys (Come Correct)

Last night CBS aired the 55th annual Grammy's Awards and just like every other year there were plenty of surprises. These surprises may have not lied with who won, but maybe more so of what people were wearing. Apparently this year the Grammy's committee sent out a memo to artist of a set of rules for a dress code. Clearly the committee never learned about when you tell someone not to do something, well shame on you, especially when it comes to a bunch of rich people who have more yes men than divorce lawyers.  Some people came correct, but others clearly had a point to make. Exhibit A, Jennifer Lopez. She has preached that love don't cost a thing, and now that age is just a number. Clearly Casper had a say in the choice. I mean I'm not fashionista so I won't continue about what the female were wearing like I know about it. However, last night The Dream looked like he was in Drake's "Started From The Bottom" video, but never made it out the bottom. Money can't buy you intelligence, but maybe it does buy you self esteem, because your self esteem has to be mighty high for you to walk out the house and not turn around immediately. Mr. Sean Carter eloquently called The Dream's flea market self out though. No way in a balanced universe would Jay-Z perform a song called  "suit and tie"with the classy Justin Timberlake, and then purposely get caught standing next to a man who looked like he just got back from a B2K rehearsal. At the end of the day, when it comes to the Grammy's, the grandfather of award shows for music, you have to come CORRECT.

Rock Wall!

This past week I got to take a trip to ESPN for a meet and greet/interview. For me, being a sports journalism major, ESPN is the end all be all career wise in my eyes. I got to meet one guy who had been working at ESPN for 30 years now. He began working there as a janitor just around the building and now helps produce one of the most successful shows ESPN broadcast, ESPN First Take. He explained to me his whole journey from working from the bottom up and shared some advice I've never heard before. He told me, "life isn't simply about moving straight up, sometimes you have to rock wall." At first I didn't understand what he meant, but then I thought about how one climbs a rock wall. When your climbing a rock wall, you don't just go straight up, sometimes you have to reach out side to side and move horizontally in order to reach the top. Once he got his foot in the door, he managed to keep working his way up slowly until he reached what he wanted. He preached to me about how patience is one of the most over looked traits it takes to work in "the business." Overall, after that day, after hearing that advice, I am going to carry that with everything I'm trying to accomplished. Hope you feel inspired.

Effort Has No Odds

This past weekend the sports world was spoiled with a legendary matchup that we will never see again. Peyton Manning vs. Ray Lewis for a chance of playing for the AFC championship. What we had was a moment where greatness stared into greatness. Both have the accolades that speak for themselves over their illustrious career. At the end of the day and against all odds, the Ravens pulled out a charismatic comeback to advance to the AFC championship rematch against the Patriots.

              "Greatness is a lot of small things done well, stacked up on each other," said Ray Lewis. Those few words perfectly describe the career of one of, if not, the greatest linebacker of all time. He is living proof that you don't have to be the biggest or fastest to make a splash in this gladiator game. He prides his career on the effort that pumps through his heart at a rate that no other player has been able to duplicate.  It's like riding a bike, no matter how tired you get, it's never about that one pedal you are pedaling. It's about the next pedal, and if you can get to that next one, your bike will keep moving. No amount of championships can disguise a characteristic like this, and that is what differentiates between being remembered and leaving a legacy. 

#52

Lucas Saunders 2012 Highlight Tape Middletown, CT

Alex Bednarek, Berlin High School, Berlin, Connecticut

My Thanks

23 years of life and the list of things I am thankful for is already endless. First and for most, I am thankful for my beautiful family. I am thankful for my father who has instilled in me the ultimate level of optimism. The things he has taught have been some of the most simplest and yet complex things at the same time. I am thankful for my mother who has given me the drive that I live by. She has taught me to have so much confidence in myself that I never thought I would be able to carry. Words can't describe how thankful I am for my younger brother, my best friend. He has shown that age does not bring wisdom, attitude does.
          I am so lucky to have not one, but seven best friends. I am thankful for them no matter how much or little I see them. I am thankful for them for having the conviction of keeping it real with me the entire time I have known them.
         I am thankful for my entire Springfield family. I am thankful for the maturation process we have been able to share and the legacy, yes legacy we left on that school.
         23 years of life and I could go on for what I am thankful for. Thank you for the people in my life who have supplied me with the motivation that fuels me everyday even if you don't know it. Little lessons in life are the things that carry dreams into reality, and I am thankful for everyone who have been able instill that into me.

Running Up The Score

Sportsmanship is something we are taught at a young age in the world of athletics. Good sportsmanship is viewed as special as winning sometimes in the realm of competition. There comes a time when sportsmanship is also tested with character. In today's world when an opponent seems outmatched it is seen as bad sportsmanship to run up to score. But here lies the conflict of character, as children we are taught to always try our best no matter what. We tell kids try their best and give it their all, but we don't take into consideration what "good" sportsmanship ultimately allows for that. If your child is winning and the score seems to be getting out of hand, it seems hypocritical to tell your child to "ease up." The definition of good sportsmanship would totally support that idea, but the character we are built upon does not. I ask myself, why is it my duty to ease up when I have put in the hard work to become the best I can? Why do I need to pull back because I am working hard just to benefit someone else's feelings. As wrong as that may sound, imagine telling your child, "I want you to go out there and try hard, not to hard, but just a little." We live in a society where we want to have it both ways. We cannot punish people for putting in the time and effort to become great and them because someone else feels bad.

Middletown High School Boys Soccer 2012 Season Highlights

Hashtag Knickstape

Tonight is the night so many of us have been waiting for. The NBA season is finally here! As a Knicks fan, this is where we determine how high we want to put our hopes so that when they come crashing down we know how much face we need to try to save. With the new acquisitions to our team our average age may now be older than the original Harlem Globetrotters. However, I have much faith in Mr. Anthony after the showing he had in London. He is the last one in the core of the '03 draft who has not gotten it done, and this year he has to step up. Time to get it done Knicks Nation. 

          

Dreamers vs. Realists

“There are dreamers, and there are realists in this world.

You’d think the dreamers would find the dreamers and the realists would find the realists. But more often than not, the opposite is true.

You see, the dreamers need the realists to keep them from soaring too close to the sun.

And the realists?

Well, without the dreamers…they might never get off the ground.”

                                                                      - Eric Stonestreet

Everything ain't for Everybody!

"Never give up" may be one of the shortest cliches with one of the tallest orders. Its been about two years since I've graduated college and I still find myself figuring out what this degree Springfield gave me really means. I feel this little piece of paper has simply validated that I've simply only scratched the surface of the "real world." I definitely walked into college thinking my degree would be the key that would begin to open doors for me, but boy was I wrong.  The day after graduation has probably been the biggest reality check I've had since realizing money didn't "grown on trees."
           Sports Journalism has been my plan since graduating college and so far it seems after two years I have taken baby steps with that plan. I think the most annoying word a journalist can hear is "freelance." Freelance to me simply means no stability, and if there's one thing a college student is looking for when they graduate with thousand dollars of loans, its stability. I have been doing so many freelance gigs here and there that have offered that instant gratification of cash, but that doesn't mean much when bills come in. Patience is another one of those words us journalist hate to hear, especially when its coming from someone who has what you want. I've learned with patience though, sometimes you gotta pass on good in order to get to great. That life lesson wasn't learned without its fair share of trial and error.
           Many people wont understand the life of a journalist, hell, I barley do. The random hours and random pay will throw off even the greatest of minds. But I mean hey, everything ain't for everybody, certain people can deal with what it throws at you. I think after my many, many, many, MANY times of trial and error throughout the past two years have really confined my mind into how to flow throughout this business to get to where I want to be. Time is that one thing that seems to take forever when you don't want it to, but will fly by you when you are trying to hold on to every little bit. My parents still don't think I have a job because of the way freelance works. Its always hard to have people understand your drive, but there's one answer I've learned when people ask why you do it. "Why Not," is the greatest answer to all positivity. So to my fellow journalist, keep grinding, I mean hey, the older ones have to fall off eventually.

A Country Of Two Faces, But One Heartbeat

Not really a big fan of politics because it usually brings out the worst in many, but I just wanted to write a little something after the two conventions. It's amazing how our country prides itself on unity and yet we can find ourselves so distant from each other so often. Now I'm not saying its stupid to have two parties, because its important to have two views on what happens with our country. Different minds is what makes this country the greatest country in the world. I guess the interesting thing is the amount of hate, dislike, and disrespect each party could have for one another. The stubbornness that halts production and evolution of this country is also a problem we seem to face. I always thought it was interesting that the most powerful part of our country, the government, is so distance from each other when it comes to so many things. Take this for an example; what if we had a democratic and a republican army? What if we had members of the army who chose which battles they wanted to fight. I guess my point is that if we can have people commit the ultimate sacrifice, fight together for one cause, whether they are democrats or republicans, why cant the people who send them their act the same way. That may be an extreme example, but i guess just the principal of the unity theme we spread, our leaders need to learn to practice more what they preach. Thats my little political rant for the year.

Too Real!

                                                               Freestyler Kilan Martin