Kevin Huber Stays In Cincy!

If you follow the Bengals then you know how desperate we are in need of a good punter. So in the 5th round of the NFL draft, the Cincinnati Bengals selected Kevin Huber from the Cincinnati Bearcats. I think this was a very logical, and good move to make. I have had the opportunity to watch Kevin Huber play on many occasions. He had gone to a high school just down the street from where I had attended high school. He went to Archbishop McNicholas High School in Anderson Township, Cincinnati Ohio. After graduating high school we went to the University of Cincinnati on a full athletic scholarship. With the Bearcats, Huber had been selected 1st team All-American in his senior year where he was also a finalist in the Ray Guy award (the Nation's top punter). Huber also led the nation is junior year in net yards in punting, and was recognized as one of the top punting prospects in the draft. I think the Bengals made a very good move in picking Kevin Huber, and my best goes out to him in the pursuit of an NFL career.

Bengals and Their 2009 Draft Selections

For every NFL fan every year, there is the Draft. As a Cincinnati Bengals fan I can't say enough about how bad their first round selection was this year. As every Bengals fan knows that the one thing they really needed help with last season was the offensive line. So, for that fact alone I will give the Bengals credit. But, in the past few drafts, to date, the number of lineman who have come in and made a difference to their teams have out-weighed the number of lineman who have. If you think back to last year's draft there were eight offensive lineman drafted in round one alone. The number one draft overall was Michigan's very own Jake Long. In his rookie year he was absolutely man handled by just about every team that faced him. With all this being said, I can't help but think that the Bengals' first round pick in Andre Smith, from Alabama was a bad idea. Yes, of course the Bengals desperately needed help on the offensive line, but stats have proven that if you draft for offensive lineman higher in the draft that you have just as much success as if you were to draft lower in the draft. For example, in the 1998 draft Matt Birk was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings and has been one of the most beneficial draft picks ever taken. He single handily had solidified the Vikings O-line. This isn't the first occurrence of a late round O-lineman making a difference either. But, if you think in years past, skilled player coming in and making a significance are few and far to come by. Personally, I think they needed to take either Michael Crabtree or Knowshawn Moreno. Let's hope that I'm proven wrong, for the Bengals sake.

Future is Looking Bright

With the way the season had ended last year our expectations for this year were very minuscule. But, with the addition of some expierenced coaches, a solid recruiting class, and some very good transfers our future is looking very good. With only one week of spring practices left the team morale is better than I've ever seen. All positions are very deep as far as depth goes. The team has that certain swagger about them that gives off a positive aoura. I have never been so excited to start a season before. I think the Lions are going to be on the prowl this year. We have a lot to prove and nothing to lose. We are going to go into this season with our heads held high, and we are going to give it our all. If I were a betting man I would put the MSJ Lions winning the HCAC championship this season.

Spring Ball Has Kicked Off!

Now with the spring season upon us, Spring Ball is as well. There hasn't been major changes as far as plays are concerned, but the changes both the offense and defense have made are going to pay dividends. The offense is going to concentrate on speeding up the tempo of the game, and playing much faster. Offensively we want to spread the field and use every part of our offense as possible. Defensively , we are going to be as strong as ever. We plan to attack offenses and keep them guessing. Our goal is to win another HCAC championship, but we aren't going to stop there. We also want to have a playoff birth, which may or may not lead us to our first national championship. Our goals are high, but they are definitely reachable. As a team we are going to push each other. We will not except anything less than perfection.

Baseball/Softball out of 2012 Olympics

In the spirit of Opening Day for Major League Baseball, I wanted to draw attention to the fact that basebaal and softball have both been takin out of the 20102 Summer Olympics. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) voted in a secret ballot to have both sports removed as of July, 2005. The IOC claims that they are both too Americanized sports and the rest of the world wouldn't be able to relate. What's funny is, there are over 120 countries that play softball, and in the 08' Olympics the Japanese won the gold medal. As for baseball, it became an Olympic sport in the 92' Barcelona Games. But, the U.S. team only has two medals as of the 08' Olympics. The American team won bronze in the 1996 Atlanta Games and gold in the 2000 Sydney Games. To make matters even worse than that, in this past Olympics (08') the U.S. team didn't even qualify for the Games. With all this being said, I want to know how the IOC could say that these two sports are too Americanized? I think it is a shame that a beautiful and diverse sport be left out of such a rewarding event.

Racism In Sport

When you think of sport, racism is most likely one of the last things you think of. But, in reality racism is woven throughout sport. For example, when you think of men's basketball right away, which race is most dominant within this sport? Everyone will tell you that the dominant race in basketball is the African American race. But, this racism topic goes even further. Within men's basketball you can separate each position by race and ethnicity. When you think of centers, they are predominately Caucasians and are usually American or Eastern European. Then there are power forwards, they are usually African Americans. Going down the roster there are small forwards, they are predominately African American or Caucasian Europeans. Then there are two different guards, the shooting guard and the point guard, and both of these positions are usually African Americans. The reason I mention these facts is not because I am racist, because I am not. I bring this up to heighten awareness, as much progress as our society has made in the past so many years, we still have a problem and we truly need as much help as we can get.

NCAA Regulations on Spring Practices

Now that MSJ is on spring break I thought I would forward the intention to spring practices. This year the NCAA has restricted Division Three football practices even more than before. As is it wasn't enough, that we are not allowed any contact, and that we aren't allowed to wear shoulder pads. Now, we aren't allowed to wear helmets either. I think the restrictions the NCAA is putting upon us is getting ridiculous. Pretty soon there won't even be a reason to have spring ball. Next, they are going to say we can't even use a football during practice. I mean, I understand not being allowed to wear shoulder pads, and I can level with the idea that we shouldn't be allowed to hit. But, not wearing helmets is taking it to an extreme. I just think it is getting silly, it's like we are playing flag football. Allowing us to wear helmets gives us the opportunity to condition appropriately. It also gives us players the chance to get used to our face-mask before the upcoming season even starts. When will this madness end?

D3 Athletes

As a Division three athlete myself, I have read many personal testimonies comparing DI and DIII sports. I have have heard the good, the bad, and of course the ugly. I have heard how many think that DIII is just an extension of high school athletics, or how DIII is just an excuse for fraternities and sororities to stay in shape. A few weeks ago I read a truly inspirational testimony about DIII athletes, and it went on to say how DIII athletes are the most dedicated and motivated athletes of all. It had said how us DIII athletes don't get paid, and aren't on scholarships. We play our sport because we love the game, we go to class, then we go to practice or weight lifting, whereas a typical student will leave class and go to sleep or play video games. The testimony really put things in perspective for me. It made me realize that coming here to the Mount is one of the best things that could have happened to me. It has taught me responsibility, organization, and how to put your own personal values into order. I wish I could share that testimony with every DIII athlete, and I will be trying to come across it again. If I find it, I will attach it to the blog.

Facilities and Room For Improvement

The Mount plays all home games at our very own Schular Field. As far as design goes it is state of the art, but I feel as if there could be many corrections and upgrades made to it. One major upgrade that I would make (personally) is there is only one set of stands, I would put another set on the visitor's side of the field. Another upgrade that I would make to the stadium is, I would put a weight-room next to or near the athletic trainers room. This could serve dual purposes. First, the trainers could use this weight-room specifically for rehabilitation. Second, in the off-season teams could use this weight-room to train in, and the weight-room in the Harrington Center could be left for students and students only. Other than these two suggestions this stadium is great, and will be one of the best stadiums in the HCAC for years to come.

Harsh Conclusions

After looking at this past season from a far, we had to sit back and diagnose what our weaknesses were. We had to accept the fact that we were probably one of the slowest teams in the HCAC (Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference). So to resolve this problem we are doing more and more running. We want to make sure that we are sound in all facets of play. We also felt that as a team we were sufficiently strong, so we are going to cut into our lifting program a little bit and replace some lifts with some more agility and running. As a starter on last year's team I feel as if the corrections we are making right now could be pivotal in our success next year. Let's all hope that the work we put in this off-season will pay dividends!

MSJ Football Fan Base

With the on going off season at a stand-still, and there is nothing going on football related, I figured I would take this opportunity to talk about the football fan base at the Mount. From personal experience, I've noticed that the stands at our home games are packed, compared to other games where we are away, and there are hardly any fans. When you come to a Mount home game you will see a plethora of different fans. You will find the obvious (players parents), student fans, alumni, professors/teachers, recruits, and on specified games you may see some youth teams as well. I think the combination of all these different fans leads for a pleasurable experience for not only the fans, but the players too. One of the best things about playing at the Mount is the post-game activities. Once us players leave the locker room after the game, what was once the pre-game tailgate then becomes the post-game tailgate, win or lose.

Football and Playing Motivated

Some people who play football, can't get in "the zone" unless they are motivated. For some it takes music, whereas for others it could be a coach giving that special pregame pep-talk. I know personally, that I like to do a combination of the two. It hypes me up to know that my coach is as excited as I am. But, I also listen to my I-Pod to put me in the right mind set. Nevertheless, football is a game of emotion, and if you're not motivated then you're going to play flat. So I encourage all football players to get hyped, and stay motivated before and during any game.

Coaching Changes!

Looking back on the 08' season, if you were to ask anyone of the players/coaches if we had the talent to win; nearly everyone would've said that, yes the players on the field had enough raw talent to win. But, why did we have such a miserable season then? Defensively the team felt as if we just weren't on the same page with our D-Coordinator. As of January we had replaced the former defensive coordinator with our very own coach, Brad Philips. As soon as all us players heard the news we were ecstatic. Since that move had been made there have been a couple of other coaching changes. Stu Shestina has stepped down from his position to continue his professional career. Coach Jeff Hill was asked to step down from his Cornerback coach position, and resumes as the MSJ track and field coach. From here out there are expected to be a few more coaching changes in the near future.

Super Bowl

As a football player and fan I had to post something about the Super Bowl. Overall, I thought it was a very good game. I can't stand the final outcome but I guess I can live with it. The Steelers winning their six Super Bowl was a crushing blow to a die hard Bengals fan like myself. I can't hate on them too much because they won fair and square, but I still wish the Cards would've pulled out a win. Oh well, at least the commercials were good!

D3 Football

Division Three football is very versatile. In the past five years Mount Union College has won four national championships. Other than that, nothing in D3 football is set in stone. From one season to another it is a guessing game as to who is going to win any conference. Another great thing about D3 football is they use the playoff system, whereas D1 football uses the Bowl Championship Series. In my opinion this is the only true way to figure out who is the champion.

The Who, the What, the Where, and the When!

Expectations for the 09' Season
Who: The Mount is renowned for our strong run stopping defense, so we will be looking for a big contribution from Alex Harbin, and the rest of the Mount's D-line to contain the run. As far as the offense is concerned, with us returning four of last year's starting O-linemen we will be looking to pound the rock!
What: With our disappointing season last fall, the Mount's record of three straight conference championships was put at a standstill. So we are trying to redeem ourselves as far as that goes.
Where: Scholar Field will be where all the action packed home games will be played this 2009 season.
When: The 2009 season.

Latest Changes

This past season was a real "eye opener", it made us realize how physically weak we were on both offense and defense. The whole team made a commitment together to get bigger, faster, and stronger. To help us in our pursuit of becoming bigger, faster, stronger we had added two more lifting platforms in the weight-room. With this latest addition to our weight room we now have 5 platforms, and will no doubt help us get stronger.

Off Season Changes

Once the final whistle had blown against our rival school (Thomas More), we all knew changes needed to be made in some shape or form. Thus far in the off season, there have been reports straight from the coaches saying we have over 500 recruits expressing interest in the Mount. Hearing this was a relief to us players, because after having a 5-5 season we all assumed that no one would want to come here. This past Friday was our first team work-out, it was very promising. It was one more step in the right direction.