SPORTS’ HOT TOPICS with Shannon Miller

We all know about Lebron James leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers, but there are many different ways people view this move. I’m here to give my perspective on the situation. As a fan of the NBA, I would have loved to see a superstar like Lebron stay in one city for his whole career. We’re all looking for the next Michael Jordan and would love to see the old rivalries that made this game great. We would all love to have the new Bulls-Pistons rivalries again, the Lakers-Celtics rivalries.  If Lebron James would’ve stayed in Cleveland he could have made a new chapter in history by making a new rival in either the Orlando Magic or Boston Celtics. Those potential rivalries could have been what the Bulls-Jazz were for me as a child watching professional basketball.

Lebron probably didn’t think of that and I don’t blame him. There is a long history of NBA greats that never won a championship. Karl Malone, John Stockton, “Pistol” Pete Maravich, to name a few people, and he doesn’t want to be on that long list whenever his playing days is over. That is where as an NBA fan I would have to put my selfish reason for entertainment on the back burner. I’m sure Lebron James grew up wanting to win a championship ring just like his idol, Michael Jordan, and he felt this was the chance to do it. For many years now Lebron has been saying that his number 1 goal is to win a championship and he needs the team around him to help bring a ring to Cleveland but it became clear that the Cavs themselves wasn’t able to make that possible for Lebron or themselves so Lebron seized the opportunity and took the chance to play with two possible Hall of Famers in Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh.

I think it’s clear that Lebron wanted a relevant chance at a ring and he felt that this was his best option. They have proven chemistry by winning a gold medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In conclusion, Lebron has to do what’s best for him in the long run. He knows he is the next generation of Hall of Famers and he wants to be considered as one of the best of all time, and the only way that can be possible is win two or more rings. As much as I don’t like the move to Miami, he has put himself in position to win rings for many years to come and the only things I can say to him is good luck and let’s see what the future holds for you. But remember the Championship is always won with a great bench. Hopefully Pat Riley can fill out a reasonable bench to bring Lebron his 1^st ring. ~~~~~

I Speak, You Listen – With Kendall Fitzpatrick

Well this is my 1st blog and my mind is racing about what topic I should address this time. I could go on about my true love in music and discuss new music artists like Drake who have risen to the tops of the charts everywhere and taken over radio the hip hop industry as a whole. I could also go on about my other passion and talk sports to praise my Chicago teams like the White Sox for their outstanding play as of late and the Blackhawks for staying focused and bringing the Stanley Cup back to the Windy City. Also speaking on sports, I could…address the decision LeBron James made to abandon his hometown in hopes of riding Dwayne Wade’s coattail to an NBA title, but I think I’ll save that for another time.

What has my attention now are the ridiculous gas prices that America is seeing. True they’ve went down over the past few years, but with the economy in the state that it is in now, people can still barely afford it now. At the Link and Option Center, I took the company van to fill it up and was absolutely astounded that it took $87.64 to top it off. It wasn’t even on “E” when I went in. If it’s an attempt to convert people over to solar powered cars or ones that run on electricity, I could possibly see it working. I just bought a ’97 Grand Marquis in great condition but honestly I’m nervous to start driving it for real because I already know gas is going to be an arm and a leg.

BP ought to, in an attempt to save face and get its place back in the heart of Americans, lower their prices dramatically. I mean their CEO’s have enough already. Why not work with the people and lower prices before solar power takes over the world and they have nothing, but that won’t happen because in a capitalist society like ours its all about the dollar. Well that’s all for now. Stay tuned for later blogs by yours truly. And remember…”When I speak. You LISTEN!!!”

That’s Jazzy – With Jasmine Battle

A Positive Outlook on Sports

Sports have a big impact on our community. It gives our youth a positive activity to participate in,  instead of hanging out with the wrong people and getting into trouble. I’m personally a fan of track and field, but my story of how I got into it is not a typical one.

When I was in high school I had an attendance issue. I felt like school wasn’t an important factor in my life, but I knew I had to graduate so I decided to join the track team. I joined the team not because I liked to run, but because I knew I had to attend practice everyday. I honestly didn’t even know that I could run. I didn’t know I had the endurance to do it until I got on the team. So I started going to practices, and at first I hated everything about track. The practices had my muscles hurting in places that I didn’t even know existed, but in the long run those long practices came in handy.

As I started to become accustomed to what we were doing, I began to learn the importance of teamwork and leadership. So track started to become what I loved to do instead of an excuse to come to school. I love running and I would still be running right know, but I suffered an injured during my senior year and that stopped me from doing what I loved.

I come to learn that I might not have graduated if it wasn’t for track. I encourage anyone who has passion and drive to join the sport that suits them best, because it can change you for the better. If you continue to do your sport all through high school they have excellent scholarship programs to get you into great colleges, so you can take your talents to the next level.

My advice to you is to do what makes you happy. In the long run, sports can better your life; take my advice I know from experience.

The Grind - With Christopher Harris

WHAT IS CRUNK DANCING? 

A lot of people don’t know what crunk is.

First of all, the word crunk was coined by Lil Jon because by combining the words "crazy" and "drunk." That gave us the word crunk. No, you don't have to be drunk to learn how to crunk dance, but you can always pretend. It’s all in how you want to do it. You make it your style. As for the crazy part, you do need it to crunk—it’s just a metaphor but crunkin’ needs that crazy in it. Crazy and drunk were just words combined to describe an aggressive form of dance.

Most people think you need fast music just to crunk, but you really don’t. For example, you can crunk to a “twist-heart beat”, which is a kind of slow song, but it really doesn’t matter. But to really get crunkin’, it’s like a mad type of dance, so you just find anger with in you and you bring that force out and just let go. When you battle, it’s really a play fight. So you’re really going to be swinging but you don’t hit each other for real; it’s just an act. 

Before its new use, the word crunk was a new way of saying hyped, or pumped up… Crunk originated in the mid 1990’s. It’s often paired with a Hip-Hop style of dance. Many popular dance crews and solo choreographers create and freestyle dance to crunk. Two of the most popular crunk dancers are Mike Song and Victor Kim. Crunk can also be paired with other styles of dance, such as Krumping, B-Boying, Funk-style, Popping, and Electro-House dance. They all have that angry feel to them.

Well that’s a little something on crunk that a lot of people don’t know about.

Fashion World – With Raunisha Maxwell

Today’s fashion is nothing but a repeat, most people feel as if it’s the new thing, but what some don’t realize is that it’s happened before. We’re taking fashion cues from back from the 70’s, 80’s—even the 90’s and giving it our own little twist. Such styles as flared jeans resurfaced in the early 2000’s, but back in the day, they used to be called Bell Bottoms. They were hip, cool and very big at the bottom; a hot trend then, but hey it had to die down again. So, as the years went on, we went back wearing straight legs. We call them skinny legs now and they have completely taken over. Skinny legs come in all different forms, shapes, and sizes. They have short ones, long ones, cut-ups, tie-dyed, and all kind of animal prints. I can honestly say I have a few pair of each kind.

One fashion trend I thought would never make it back to the shelves, but it did, are leg warmers. Normally worn over your pants just below the knee and down to the ankle, it’s a winter accessory, but you can also wear them while you’re exercising; staying in style while trying to stay fit. I recently noticed that cut-up jeans were chic again. Back in the day people used to take old jeans and just cut them up themselves. Nowadays we actually buy them off the shelf like that. I remember my mama told me I was a fool and she could have done that for me for free, “yes hilarious”! But hey it’s the new IT style wouldn’t you say.

That leaves me to the good old Pencil-Skirt; a fashion staple I believe will never go out of style. Usually I see them worn by women working in the business field as part of their daily flair, or to interviews, and even meetings. So if you’re ever looking for an outfit to wear to an interview or just around the office, I would probably say, no, most definitely say, go with the Pencil-Skirt.

Styles will come and go in your lifetime. So if you have an old pair of acid wash jeans, or some “Flashdance” sweats, don’t get rid of them just yet; store it in the back of your closet. They may be going out of style now, but most likely it’ll be back in decade or so.

My Career in Physical Therapy

By Niquela Elmore-Corbett

I was a freshman in college and not sure of what I wanted to do. While watching television one day, a commercial came on describing a career in Massage Therapy.  I thought that it was something that might be quick and easy and I was also interested in something hands on that would hold my attention. I decided to major in Kinesiology and this led me to pursue a career in Physical Therapy. 

This is a good field because there is always somebody who will get hurt and need assistance getting their body back in shape.  Physical Therapy is an ever changing field because there will always be new developments as a result of ongoing research.  There are many different opportunities within this field.  When I first looked into this as a career, I wanted to do sports related physical therapy; however that vocation is not easily accessible.  So now I’m interested in geriatric physical therapy. 

This might prove to be an important choice for me because as we age, serious injuries can occur on a more frequent basis. These injuries often require seniors to seek treatment from a physical therapist to help them recover.  And I’m not going to lie, I’m also interested in this field because physical therapists working with seniors get paid good money.  

Typically a therapist can earn a salary upwards of $73,000 to $100,000 dollars. One reason physical therapists in this specialty are paid so well is because few people really want to work with the elderly.  One downfall for physical therapy is that there is a high turnover rate within the field.  This is because therapy sessions require you to be on your feet for long periods of time.  In addition, there are long hours and significant travel involved.

This career will be challenging, but I’m definitely up to the test.

What Are They Getting Paid For Again???

The Lowdown - With Diontae Brown

Sam Bradford

With NFL training camp starting in just under two weeks, it seems to be a number of rookie draft picks who are still waiting to get paid. But the one everyone’s talking about is Sam Bradford, out of the University of Oklahoma, and the number one pick in the 2010 draft. Sources say that Bradford is expected to sign the richest contract ever for an NFL rookie; with his guaranteed money likely to be between about $45 to $50 million. I’m not against anybody making money and I’m a Bradford fan,  but I really don’t believe that you should be paying him so much money when he hasn’t even proven anything in the league. He may have broken records in college but the NFL is a totally different ballgame. Everybody’s faster, stronger and not to mention getting paid as well, which makes instant success a bit tougher to achieve.

JaMarcus Russell

I think everybody remembers that guy named JaMarcus Russell, a former number one pick and draft bust. I think the Rams need to reconsider their thinking when it comes to creating a fair contract. If Bradford is the starter for the 2010 season what do the Rams really expect him to accomplish? I doubt anyone has forgotten that the Rams only won one game last year and I personally don’t think they’ll win more than three this year. He does have Steven Jackson in the backfield which takes some pressure off Bradford, but what happens when he needs to convert third and long in the fourth quarter to keep the drive alive?

Matt Ryan

Let’s face it, not many first-year quarterbacks have had success early in their careers with the exception of Joe Flacco of the Baltimore Ravens and Matt Ryan of the Atlanta Falcons, who both led their respective teams to the playoffs as rookies. But the difference between those two and Bradford is that both teams had a running game and a sound defense. When you win only one game a season ago, I doubt that either was at your disposal.  Maybe instead of giving him so much guaranteed money, they should give him a bit less, and then add more incentives giving him something to work for. Bradford could prove me wrong and the Rams win seven games this year, who knows we’ll just have to wait and see.

The Climb - NBA Rookies Fight to Stay On Top

DeMarcus Cousins

By Ricky Davis

With outstanding rookies like John Wall and DeMarcus from Cousins Kentucky; Dominique Jones from South Florida and Derrick Caracter from Texas,   the NBA rookie ladder this year is up and down. The rookie ladder is a free-flowing, constantly updated chart that ranks the 2010-11 rookie class. If a rookie plays well he climbs; he plays poorly or if his game is weak, he hits the skids, sliding down a rung or two or three. The listing of the top ten rookies changes after every game. On day seven of summer league play in Las Vegas, Dominique Jones held his on against number one draft pick John Wall. Jones was taken by Memphis with the 25^th pick, and then traded to Dallas. He went 9-for-17, scoring 28 points, grabbing four rebounds and dishing out four assists. 

Dominique Jones

The Wizards got the win 88-82; John Wall scored 21 points and handed out 10 assists. Wall did it by just shooting 4-for-19, thanks in large part to the pressure defense from Jones. DeMarcus Cousins takes over the top spot after a big show in the Kings 79-78 win over the ‘Wolves. Cousins had 22 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists; scoring the game winning hook with only 2.9 ticks left on the clock. Cousins have been a beast and looks like a real threat in the race for Rookie of the Year. Texas stand out Derrick Caracter, now with the World Champion L. A. Lakers, finished off his impressive summer league play with 10 points and 6 rebounds in an 80-71 loss to the Spurs. L.A. finished 0-5 in Sin City, but Caracter may have earned a long look from the Lakers brass with his size, aggressiveness and array of low-post moves.