A challenge for 2009

Since my weekly column didn’t run in Kenly this week and it was pretty timely as a New Year’s column, I decided to use it as an opportunity to introduce my SimpleBeacon articles.

A full rundown on the SimpleBeacon writings will be added in its page above, but a basic summary of them is that they are my humble commentary and exploration of Christianity.

Read more for my column!

Writers beware: 15 more words BANNED!

OK, maybe it’s not serious enough to deserve putting “banned” in all-caps, but it’s at least interesting….

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081230/ap_on_re_us/banned_words

Williams and Stewart: Providing nicknames we can believe in

Pic | daylife.com

Just because it’s a bye week for the Carolina Panthers doesn’t mean running backs DeAngelo Williams and Jonathon Stewart won’t be competing against other backs in the league.

Particularly LenDale White and Chris Johnson of the Tennessee Titans.

Since the Panthers’ Dec. 8 win over the Tampa Bay Buccanneers in which Williams and Stewart ran for a combined 301 yards, the four backs have been locked in an feud of epic proportions over….a nickname. Smash-and-Dash.

ESPN.com’s Paul Kuharsky quotes White after that game:

“If they want a nickname, I can nickname them: ‘Identity and Theft.’ I was upset because I made that phrase up myself. I mean I made it up. I don’t know about NFL Network and all those other guys. I heard somebody say, ‘Batman and Robin,’ that’s like cute, that’s for them. If they want that name they can have it. The ‘Smash and Dash’ is something I made up.”

After all, White said he had the nickname copyrighted following his and Johnson’s combined 317 yards against the Kansas Chiefs a few weeks prior to the Carolina-Tampa Bay game. And — AND! — there’s even an official t-shirt for the Tennessee two for sale at Krogers everywhere!

So what’s Williams and Stewart’s take on all this?

Well, other than dominating league rushing statistics — they’ve combined for 2,351 rush yards and 28 touchdowns for the 12-4 Panthers — the duo has announced the launch of their Web site, NamesWeCanBelieveIn.com, created by Williams. The site opens with an attack-ad style video, featured here if you Read More.

It’s not goofy. At all.

The intro video lays out exactly why the Panther pair deserve the nickname, referencing that epic 301-yard performance against the Bucs, renowned for having one of the NFL’s best rush defenses. The Web site also declares a new nickname for the pair: Double Trouble.

Dun-dun-dun. The plot thickens.

It’s all reportedly in good fun, according to Charles Chandler on the “Inside the Panthers” blog on charlotteobserver.com.

My goofball take on all this? It’s all just marketing hype by the two organizations to boost their sales of player merchandise and such. Not that I’ve got anything to base that on….but I do know there’s no chance Stewart or Williams put that web site together. Maybe came up with part of the concept, but what if it was a marketing dude who came up with the idea and is just giving them all the credit because hey, let’s face it, nobody would care as much if some dweeb in a cubicle created that site.

Just thoughts that mean nothing. I think it’s all some of the funniest stuff I’ve seen in the NFL in awhile….and man alive does the league need some humor. I just hope Roger Goodell doesn’t fine them for it. He’s fined everyone for everything else this season.

Note: White and Johnson have combined for 2,001 yards and 24 TDs for the 13-3 Titans.

Tony Romo to Jason Witten to Terrell Owens

The Dallas Cowboys’ soap opera script just got a little bit better in the midst of their thrashing at the hands of the Philadephia Eagles.

Two plays before Dallas QB Tony Romo fumbled to Eagles DE Chris Clemons for an 73-yard touchdown, he scrambled left before tossing across the field to TE Jason Witten for what officially qualified for a lateral. Witten then heaved a bomb downfield to a wide-open Terrell Owens.

Cute, ain’t it? Here, with all the drama surrounding the Romo/Witten on-field romance that so jilts Owens, the trio works together for one beautiful play.

For those of you not up to date on the latest NFL tabloids, Owens has felt in recent weeks that Romo and Witten, who are roommates, have been conspiring to exclude Owens from the offense as much as possible. (I’m sure it has nothing to do with the fact that Owens has dropped more passes than just about anyone in the NFL this year.)

Something to do with Witten getting more receptions and failing to attend TO’s birthday bash a couple weeks back. Romo also failed to appear.

I’m sure that had nothing to do with Witten’s ankle injury or Romo’s back injury. As Plaxico Burress has shown everyone, you can still party hard even if borderline DL.

Unfortunately (for the Cowboys and all who so enjoy their cheerleaders) it appears they’ll be eliminated from the playoffs unless they find a miracle comeback somewhere in the next 20 minutes. They’re currently down 34-3.

Looks like there’ll be no new year for the 2008 Cowboyrs. Wonder if Witten and Romo will go to a New Year’s Eve party with ol’ Terrell?

(Wait, check that…the Eagles scored again as I typed that sentence. 41-3, Philly.

Not such a bad season for Tom after all

He might’ve been sidelined all season recovering from that little knee injury and surgery ordeal, but apparently Tom Brady has made the msot of his off-time from 2008. The New England Patriots quarterback is reportedly engaged to supermodel Gisele Bundchen.

It’s not yet been clarified on whether or not the Brazilian supermodel will kindly drop her oh-so-difficult-to-say-and-spell last name, but scientists are relatively certain the couple’s kids will not lack for dates in their young adult futures, whenever that day arrives.

The wedding is in March, reports Chris Chase from Yahoo!’s Shutdown Corner blog.

Dwyane Wade being cool for Christmas

Check this story I just tripped over on Yahoo! sports, courtesy the AP sportswire. Dwyane Wade freakin’ bought a house for a lady. Cool stuff.

Movie Thoughts: Seven Pounds

[spoilers within]

Last year the seven Sneeds started the tradition of going to a noon showing of a movie on Christmas Eve. Last year it was Nicholas Cage’s National Treature: Book of Secrets. This year: Seven Pounds, starring Will Smith.

The movie was definitely a tearjerker, but has, according to my parents and family, been generating wildly negative reviews. I’ve actually not read any of those yet — probably will after writing this — but wanted to watch it without any preconceived ideas aside from what I saw in the previews.

After watching it today, I felt compelled to give it a review myself.

Martin Luther King was phenomenal

My final exam in PHI213: Reasoning and Critical Thinking this past semester was to write an in-class essay about three documents. Two of the documents concerned the Birmingham riots of 1963, incited by non-violent demonstrations by blacks who felt jilted by the treatment they received in town.

We all remember Martin Luther King, Jr. as a proponent of civil rights and a hero for blacks in America for the stands he took against white oppression, and he is forever ingrained in our memories for becoming one of the most prolific martyrs since Jesus Christ when he was assassinated.

The following is the portion of my final exam that focused on those Birmingham conflicts, how eight Alabama clergymen attempted to quell the black protesting, and how King essentially shredded their arguments without the slightest bit of animosity. Parts might be slightly confusing, since you haven’t the luxury of reading the letters as I did. I’ll try to find links to them to include in this post.

King was as phenomenal a writer as he was a leader, and this is just a small tribute to his legacy, for no other reason than to share with you all what I learned about him through this class. Read more for my essay.

Referees: why hate them so?

Referees of any sport are easier to hate than asparagus, and none catch more flack than the zebras on the floor at basketball games. If someone screamed at me the way some of those dudes get berated sometimes, man, I’d want to stick them through the goal myself, or at least go blow my whistle in their ear until they were deaf.

Went to a game tonight — double-overtime thriller for my sophomore brother in which he scored about 30. The refs didn’t really help to speed things along, either. I think they called twice as many fouls as my brother scored points, but in the end, Greenville Christian fought through the opposition by their opponents — wearing both white and striped gray — for an epic 83-81 win.

Nice work, dudes.

I typically pride myself on staying relatively calm at games when it comes to refs, but man alive, it seems like every game I’ve gone to lately the refs get progessively, exponentially awful. It’s really the main reason I used to stay away from li’l bro’s games. Refs drive me more bonkers than the stock market roller coaster of late. Problem is, they have as much affect on those kids’ lives as the stock market does on the kids’ parents.

But then, as I was driving back to Greenville with Katie, she pointed out something I’d never thought of before.

Congrats to UNC’s new all-time scoring leader, Tyler Hansbrough

Word up to Tyler Hansbrough, the University of North Carolina six-nine forward who broke Phil Ford’s all-time scoring record tonight in the first half against Evansville.

Hansbrough needed nine points to break the record of 2,290 points heading into the game. He hit a pair of free throws early on, followed by a trio of jump shots throughout the next 10 minutes — making a case against the doubters out there that he can play in the NBA?

He then scored his ninth and tenth points in classic Hansbrough fashion — posting up after giving a screen, then taking on two Evansville post players, with whom he collided as he went up for the layup.

A giraffe on ice skates would look more graceful, but he made it.

So congrats, dude. You might be the biggest goober to ever be the nation’s best player, but you’re way cooler than me. Why? Because you’re out there on TV and I’m sitting here watching 30 Rock while writing about you.

Hansbrough’s klutzing his way to the ACC’s all-time scoring record of 2,769, currently held by some dude from Duke named J.J. Reddick.

For a great column about Hansbrough by ESPN’s Rick Reilly, perhaps the greatest sportswriter of, um, ever, check this link here. Really is great stuff. Read about how Hansbrough plays for his older brother, Greg, who Reilly says might have been the best Hansbrough athlete were it not for a brain tumor the size of a baseball, the removal of which left him partially paralyzed on his left side.

And that’s just one cool thing Reilly digs up about the guy. Check it out. It’s good stuff.

Coming soon to bs.blog

To be posted within the next few days:

Why Stephen Curry can do all things.

Revisiting the Battle at Kruger.

Martin Luther King, Jr. essay I wrote for a final exam, reformatted and rewritten slightly specifically for this blog.

So stay tuned!

ESPN took my idea

It’s official (in my mind): ESPN steals ideas from my blogs. Check it: an exclusive interview between Stephen A. Smith and Terrell Owens, getting the Cowboys headliner’s side of the drama in Dallas.

(From ESPN.com) TO tells his side of the Cowboys’ story

more about “T.O. Tells His Side Of The Cowboys’ S…“, posted with vodpod

Barry’s back

TMZ.com got Barry Bonds on camera this weekend saying “I’m not retired” … about a dozen times in 60 seconds … but never got him to say where he’d be playing.

Of course my question is, who’s gonna take him?

Or maybe not. That’s just the question every other sportswriter in America’s going to be asking.

TMZ video and more if you “read more.”

Panthers go 8-0 at home for 2008

Just a quick shoutout here to my NFL team of choice, the Carolina Panthers, who wrapped up a perfect home season a few minutes ago with a 30-10 defeat of the Denver Broncos.

Nice work boys. Keep it up through the playoffs.

Sam Bradford’s awesome

Sam Bradford’s the 2008 Heisman Award recipient, even though Tim Tebow received the most first-place votes — congrats Sam.

More on him later, but just wanted to throw this video up here. Dude thanked God right off but didn’t preach it, which is awesome. I’m a fan of Christians in the spotlight who give credit where credit’s due, then move on. Great speech, especially the part where he says that, basically, his getting recognized with the award is the same as his team getting recognized. At least, he tried to say that — kinda stumbled over his words a bit, but I gotcha.

Here’s the vid from ESPN.com.

more about "", posted with vodpod

The other side of Terrell Owens

Now while Terrell Owens is undeniably one of the NFL’s more dramatic characters, there’s no way he’s as bad as some of the media is trying to make him look right now.

Dethroned for a day: a LeBron James ‘What-If?’

The Cleveland Cavaliers are absolutely destroying the NBA right now, and as kings should do, LeBron James has been leading the charge.

But there is a very real concern that is beginning to arise within the Cavaliers’ organization as they observe this nigh-supernatural domination, something that very well may dethrone the king of our basketball generation.

CSI: Pro Shop [a Rick Reilly instant classic]

If there were instant classics in the sports columnist world, this latest debacle depicted by ESPN the Mag’s Rick Reilly — who I’ve followed since I was a kid — would be a no-brainer.

And not just because my brother’s name is also Kramer.

[Read the column. You'll understand.]

All bow to Stephen Curry….no really, it’s OK

I would just like to announce that I’m not just jumping on the Stephen Curry bandwagon — I’m hopping on the horses (or mules or donkeys or whatever) dragging the thing.

Curry is leading NCAA Division I basketball with 31.3 points per game in addition to 6.4 assists per game to just 2.7 turnovers. The dude’s just a junior. He’s probably going to lead Davidson on another charge through the NCAA tournament in March that’ll be as frenetic as his shooting. I swear, the guy shoots every Davidson possession.

Oh yeah — another reason I’m officially a Curry fan: just realized on Sunday that Davidson was located in North Carolina. How clueless am I?

Freakin’ go Wildcats.

How good will Curry be in the NBA?

Jimmy V week

December 3-9 is ESPN’s second annual Jimmy V week, in which the network commemorates former NCAA basketball coach and commentator Jimmy Valvano in an effort to raise awareness about cancer along with money to invest in fighting it.

Check out jimmyv.org for all the information about the V Foundation for Cancer Research.

Click Read More to see a YouTube video of Valvano’s ESPY speech, which remains one of the most inspirational and relevant pieces of rhetoric not just in sports, but in all our lives.

Word up to DeAngelo Williams and Jonathon Stewart

Pic | Courtesy ESPN.com

Props to the Carolina Panthers’ running backs DeAngelo Williams and Jonathon Stewart, who combined for 301 yards and 4 touchdowns against the 11th-ranked rush defense in the NFL on Monday Night Football against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Man I crammed a lot into that sentence.

And word up to the rad celebratory dance pictured above.

Williams and Stewart make the first pair of teammates in NFL history to rush for 100 yards with an average of 6.0 yards per carry for two games in one season.

How good are pro athletes

Really, really good.

That’s all for now.

More on that later.

This is what I do….

….when people try to steal on me this spring. (starts at about 23 seconds)

Pretty sure that’s Sam Pepper on the mound.

Congrats to the Wilkeses!

The newlyweds in the center with my fiance Katie on your left and myself on your right.

I’d just like to say congratulations here to Anna Holloman-turned-Wilkes and her husband, Chris, who were married Saturday afternoon in the Holloman’s home.

For those of you who don’t know, Anna is my fiance Katie’s sister and my former babysitter. Oh, the stories I’m sure she could tell.

And Chris is a cool dude. Former pro baseball prospect at Pitt Community College, roomed with Freddie Bynum (Orioles stud), now mean on the softball fields from what I hear. I remember he told me sometime many months ago that he knew he and Anna were going to be together forever.

Congrats you two.

Attention, attention please….

I am pleased to announce my latest blogging project, Emphasis[shift].

Go check it out, comment, invite more people there.

How does it differ from this blog?

While this blog is little more than a random heaping of who-knows-what about my life, Emphasis[shift] actually has some purpose. It is my non-profit project, if you will. All the information you need – which really isn’t a lot – can be found at the blog site.

It’s basically just me writing about people and things and miscellaneous everything that I don’t think most other folks would care enough to write about. And they might not care enough to read it. But hey, I’m going to have fun with it while I can.

So yeah, go chiggy-check that junk.

(Sorry for that.)