1. American Airlines Center teams
It’s basketball season and hockey season in Dallas. The Stars are already underway and the Mavericks have just kicked off the preseason. Victory Park is beginning to see some athletic life. The Stars are coming off yet another early exit in the playoffs and the Mavs are coming off a year everyone would like to forget. Both teams have a lot to prove this season before some changes will have to be made. This concerns the Stars more than the Mavericks. Either way, both teams should bring people to the AAC and create excitement well into the post-season.
2. Albert Pujols
There is not much more than can be said about one of the greatest players to step on the baseball field in a long time. In the “steroid era,” it is comforting to watch a guy come from literally nothing, playing in a small junior college, drafted in rounds people don’t even think about and somehow find a way to the Majors. Not only did he find himself on the roster, but has started doing things no one in the history of baseball has done: consecutive years with at least 30 homeruns, 100 RBIs and four seasons in a row with at least 40 homeruns. He has won a World Series and an MVP award, but he keeps working and improving. He came into the league as a third baseman but was moved to the outfield to keep a spot in the line-up for him. When he finally moved to first base he made it a point to do it well, and ultimately won a Gold Glove. Pujols is what baseball should be in an era stained with cheaters.
3. Points in Case
I stumbled on to this Web site after studying continuously for about three and a half hours and was in need of some easy amusement. Pointsincase.com is a Web site full of things only college students could find funny; satirical stories, columns and random conversations sent in by college students across the country. Some will leave you scratching your head, some will leave you feeling uncomfortable and others might just go right over your head, but then in that glorious moment you will come across that one that makes you laugh so hard you can’t breathe and brings tears to your eyes. WARNING: The Web site does include some vulgar language and topics, so know what you are getting into before you sign on. Also, this may be humor that is only funny at 3 a.m., so if you don’t like it, don’t judge me.
4. The Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys are off to one of the best starts in team history. Tony Romo has shown that even when playing a terrible game, Dallas can still manage to get the win. The 5-0 ‘Boys will take on fellow undefeated team, the New England Patriots, this weekend. Win or lose, you have to be impressed with what this team has done early in the season. After several dissapointing seasons, it looks like a run to the Super Bowl would not be out of the question. Texas Stadium is pretty much sold out for the rest of the season and should host some exciting games in the future. All I have to say is, “How ’bout them Cowboys!?”
5. Ken, the Sig Ep chef
This one may seem a bit strange, especially seeing as how my next selection is Jimmy John’s, but I insist it is not. When you come back for your second year of college you still encounter a lot of the same questions people ask you when you come as a first year, “Where are you living?” being the most prevalent. Well, there are usually two reactions when I say that I live in my fraternity house. One being, “Isn’t that gross?” The second, “Isn’t the food terrible?” Well no, it is not. That is because of the chef that feeds us lunch and dinner every Monday through Friday. Ken is a five-star chef and teaches classes at the Art Institute’s Culinary School. So thank you, Ken, for keeping us well fed and happy.
6. Jimmy John’s
But like I said, chef-prepared food in the Sig Ep house is only available Monday through Friday, and during normal dining hours. And most people can agree that there is nothing better than a Jimmy John’s sub at 2 a.m. after studying, or whatever else might keep you awake until the early morning hours. You walk in, at least one person says hello, and you walk up and pick a number. Some people may have a variety of sandwiches that they chose from, feeling like one thing more than another day-to-day. Not me. I know what I like and there is no reason to change. A No. 10 tastes good all the time. Nothing like a sandwhich full of roast beef and everything else that goes along with it. Before a football game, after a football game, or in some people’s cases, during a football game, Jimmy John’s always delivers what you need.
7. MLB Playoffs
It’s October and only the best of the best are left throwing the cowhide and swinging the maple. The weather gets colder as things in baseball heat up. No, your team might not be one of the eight left in contention (neither of mine are), but that doesn’t dilute it at all. You can root for the underdog or cheer against the hated evil empire, which is now gone, or that player you just want to see win it once before he retires. So turn on the television and watch; things may be more interesting than you expect.
8. “Burn Notice”
Sadly it was just a summer show on USA, but if you watched, you’re waiting for next summer for more reasons than just being out of school. “Burn Notice” is a story of a former CIA secret agent who was blacklisted and dropped in Miami with no money, no contacts and no way out. He is monitored by the FBI and helped by two friends, a trigger-happy ex-girlfriend and a former Navy Seal, and his mom. Former agent Michael Weston, played by Jeffrey Donovan, is forced to work odd jobs to help pay for rent and food all while trying to find out who blacklisted him and why. “Burn Notice” is just one season deep, so there is plenty of time to catch up and get ready for season two.
