The NFL Has A Black Eye

~Anthony Constantino

Most of those who follow the NFL or are somehow involved with the league, knew there would be growing pains for the replacement officials. The evidence has been mounting for three weeks now that this is indeed the case. However the Packers/Seahawks Monday Night Football game showed something worse than growing pains, it showed that the current officials are hopelessly incompetent.

There have been countless examples throughout the first three weeks of regular season play that illustrate the fact that these officials are unable to control these games and lack the proper knowledge of NFL rules and proceedings.

First, let's look at the lack of control. Regardless of the experience or overall knowledge these referees have, they all know at any level that referees must maintain control and order during the game and all of its proceedings. Think of this like the Judge in the courtroom. It doesn't matter what level of football you officiate; referees know that they are the peacekeeper/mediator and must act accordingly. All seven officials must work as one organized group to control all the action in between and outside the whistles.

The Falcons/Broncos Monday Night Football game is a prime example of re-placement officials being unable to control teams and players. Play after play groups of players were congregated near the sidelines, the only problem being that they weren't exchanging pleasantries. Shoves and slaps on the helmet were exchanged between the players when disagreements arose. The officials were nowhere to be found as they were fumbling around with their penalty flags and rulebooks, pleading with the heavens to help them out. By the time this game hit the third quarter it looked more like hockey than football. All the while I am watching this game unravel thinking to myself, "Surely there will be an ejection here, things have gotten way out of hand." Much to my surprise no flags were thrown by the referees to regain control. Bad call after missed penalty after procedural error piled up on the referees, leaving the Broncos coaching staff irate. This happened in prime time for all the casual and die-hard football fans to see. Tuesday morning after Week 2 concluded, we were left thinking that it couldn't possibly get worse. The came the Packers/Seahawks game on Monday Night Football.

Before we get to that let's also look at how these replacement officials are simply unfamiliar with NFL rules. In the San Francisco 49ers/Minnesota Vikings game, the 49ers used all three of their timeouts in the second half. However, after using those timeouts the 49ers were allowed to challenge two close plays. Since the 49ers had no timeouts at the time of those challenges, by rule a challenge could not take place. Or should I say, should not take place. The referees in that game proceeded with both challenges, making a mockery of the game. The lone bright spot in this situation is that it did not effect the result of the game.

For those who are Bills' fans, you've experienced an injustice as well. NFL rules state that when under two minutes in the 4th quarter, the only player on offense who can advance the ball is the player who fumbles. Running back Shonn Greene fumbled into the end zone and linemen D'Brickashaw Ferguson recovered it. Since the fumble occurred outside of the end zone, Ferguson could not legally recover the fumble. By rule all scoring plays are reviewed, and yet these referees still arrived at the incorrect ruling.

During the Sunday Night Football game between the Baltimore Ravens and New England Patriots, the final scoring play was not reviewed, as the rules dictate. This led to Head Coach Bill Belichick making contact with an official to demand an explanation. We should never get to this point, and it is directly the fault of replacement referees not knowing the rulebook and losing control in nearly every tightly contested game in prime time.

Now we arrive at the Packers/Seahawks debacle. Let's ignore the amount of bad calls and blown penalties. Let's ignore the penalty that happened on the game's final play, which was the clearest form of Offensive Pass Interference (OPI) as described by NFL rules you could ever imagine. Hell, the NFL could use the play to teach future officials what OPI looks like! Let's ignore the terrible initial call of a touchdown on that Hail Mary too (If you have not seen the play click here). The fact of the matter is that all scoring plays are reviewed. This rule means that even if a touchdown happens via an atrocious decision by an official, that crew has a chance to fix their egregious error before making a terrible mistake that could decide the game. So the ref goes under the hood, with the game hanging in the balance. The evidence is overwhelmingly in favor of a turnover and not the simultaneous possession rule. Yet the official upholds the call and awards the game to the Seahawks. This is THE nightmare that the NFL was praying would never happen: replacement referees making a terrible call that awards the game to the wrong team.

So what have we learned? The replacement referees are in over their head. The speed of professional football, especially the NFL is much too fast for these officials. Keep in my mind, most of these replacements are turned down by Division II college football, as well as Division I. This means we have Division III college or even high school officials struggling to keep up with the game. They have never worked a game in front of more than 20,000 fans. They also seem to have no idea how to control what happens during the process of an NFL game.

These referees are not fit for the NFL game and it shows. However, the NFL Owners and Commissioner Roger Goodell continue to operate with their head in the sand. They pretend these officials are getting better and improving each game. This insults our intelligence as fans and undermines Goodell's push to "maintain the integrity of the NFL". The ball is in the court of the NFL. The fans have been cheated for three weeks now, and they do not deserve it. Pay the regular officials their small percentage of the multi-billion dollar bottom line and stop dictating how the world should turn and what fans should think.

K-Mart: A Blue Light Special of My Own

 

 

 

  

                            

 

~Mike Wolcott

 

 

 

          I attended the Buffalo Bills home opener last weekend. My friend Heather had an extra ticket to the game and was nice enough to invite me to come along with her. Prior to the game, the two of us met up with a few friends in the parking lot for some tailgating (drinking). While tailgating, a man approached us to see if we were interested in purchasing Buffalo Bills t-shirts. When I asked if he had size large, his reply was "Yea man I gotta size large for you and I gotta size SEXY for the young lady!" Heather was not interested in a size sexy, but I purchased a large and the man was on his way.

          When I tried on the shirt the next day, I was disappointed to find that it was too small (maybe I should’ve gotten a size sexy, it probably would’ve fit perfectly ha). The shirt was useless to me, so I figured that I might as well give it to someone who could use it. Later that day, I brought the shirt with me to the gym to give to my friend Dan, who is slightly smaller than me. It was a perfect fit for Dan. Unfortunately, he forgot to take it with him when we left.

          As we were leaving the gym, I told Dan that I was on my way to the next door K-Mart. "What are you going there for?" asked Dan. "I need to buy some things" I replied, "Deodorant, razors, and bread (I needed bread for my sandwich the next day)." Dan looked at me with a puzzled look on his face, "They sell bread at K-Mart?"

          When I stepped through the doors of the "Big K," I realized it had been a long time since I was last there. I chuckled to myself because the employees looked like they were out of the 1950s, and I was the only non-employee in the store. At first I struggled to find what I was looking for because the layout of things made little sense. Eventually, I came upon the only bread sold in the store. The bread was labeled as "King Sized White Bread." I didn’t want white bread, nor did I want "King Sized" bread, but I really didn’t have a choice.

          I didn’t have my choice of breads, but I did have my choice of checkouts. As I said before, there was no one in the store other than a handful of employees. I handed my purchases to one of the cashiers, and noticed some really nice Buffalo Bills shirts hanging on the wall. "Maybe I’ll start doing more clothes shopping at K-Mart" I thought. I took a large blue Bills shirt down from the wall as a replacement for the one that didn’t fit from the previous day. I handed the shirt to the cashier who put it in my bag.  When I got home, I realized that she had forgotten to scan it.  It was my lucky day, a free shirt to make up for the one that I got screwed out of the day before.  I learned two things that day: everything evens out in the end, and they DO sell bread at K-Mart.



 

 
                                      

2012 Buffalo Bills Season Predictions

~Tony Constantino

~Mike Wolcott

~Loren Kelley (Guest Contributor)

~Mike Wach (Guest Contributor)

Hello A&M blog readers. As always, thank you. Entering the 2012 season, Buffalo Bills fans seem optimistic once again. The signing of Mario Williams, along with the additions of Mark Anderson and Stephon Gilmore, has created buzz around town. The common sentiment among fans is that the team is primed to end their 12 season playoff drought. It is safe to say this team will have the attention and the hearts of Bills fans in their hands. In this entry, we thought that it would be fun predict the outcome of this year’s Buffalo Bills season. We’ve asked two of our friends to join in with their predictions. Enjoy!


Mike Wach

With the obvious offseason success stories the Bills had as well as a seemingly strong draft that filled in positions of need, it is easy to get excited.  I too am excited, but for more than being caught up in the fervor of Super Mario. The biggest reasons the Bills will make the playoffs this year are more about their opponents than themselves. Boasting a cupcake schedule filled with the NFC West and AFC South, many other teams would be able to ride into the playoffs easily. However, there is the infamous "this is Buffalo" factor of this team seemingly being able to snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory frequently. Therefore I say they are in for a tremendous fight for a playoff spot. I believe the Bills are playoff bound due to the existence of the Wild Card. I believe teams like New England, Houston, and San Diego will have minimal trouble in winning their respective divisions. I see the AFC North going to either Baltimore or Pittsburgh and the loser of that race getting the first Wild Card position. The second Wild Card figures to be an insane scramble between the rest of the contenders: Denver, Cincinnati, NYJ, Tennessee, and of course, the Bills.

Within this pack, I predict the Bills will emerge. The Jets turned into a complete circus by the end of last year and God's Golden Quarterback (Tim Tebow) will not quell that wildfire in the least. Prepare to watch the wheels come off, Jets fans. Cincy came out of nowhere last year to grab a playoff spot and look for them to go back to nowhere this year. Andy Dalton will be in a sophomore slump now that teams know to take the Bengals a little more seriously. The Titans offer a challenge but I believe they come up with the same result as last year, namely being in the hunt, but just missing out. Lastly, Denver offers the biggest challenge for the Wild Card and it should be obvious that Peyton Manning can will crappy teams to victory. However, with a defense that was suspect last year (see Denver vs New England in playoffs), a punchless wide receiver corp, and an overall lack of talent around him, I don't think Manning will pull it off this year. Watch out for Denver in the future though. Finally, there's the Bills. Buffalo has a shiny new defensive line that is sure to make QB's suffer, a healthy team (at least at the moment), and an offensive plan in place that can work when your quarterback doesn't have broken ribs. I say the Bills manage their way through and easy schedule and eek into the playoffs for the first time since Bill Clinton was in office. Whether or not they go any further is a different story all together. You can take my predictions for that after Week 17.

My prediction: 10-6, with a Wild Card berth by the smallest of tie breakers.


Loren Kelley

Before I give you my prediction, I'm going to make some points to help you understand where I’m coming from. Generally speaking, Bills fans do not use their brains to make reasonable predictions. Instead, fans have dreamlike expectations each year, only to be let down. We tend to think of the years from 1988-1999; Super Bowls, playoff games, and solid drafting. Every year since then, fans let their excitement get in the way of a rational assessment of the team. The Bills will draft a so called “future superstar,” or place heavy responsibility on the shoulders of a player who would be a 2nd stringer on other teams. Let’s face the damn facts, if you woke up every day in the morning to someone shitting in your cereal, are you going to continue to wake up with a smile as you put shit filled flakes in your mouth? No.

Last year I placed a bet with friends on the outcome of the season. At the time, the Bills were playing well and stood at 5-2. Despite this, I knew that a collapse was imminent, and made a $20 bet on a 7-9 finish.  For those who have forgotten, we finished 6-10.  I can hear fans now, ''Ohh well we got this guy now, or how about this other great prospect that isn't worth a damn to another team?'' Didn’t fans have the same optimism about Rob Johnson? Trent Edwards? Not to mention every coach since Marv Levy. The track record speaks for itself. I understand how some fans might say that you have to be there for your team through thick or thin. I however, prefer to have a team earn my respect, rather than be a cow taken to the slaughter each and every year.

My prediction: 7-9. Deal with it and don't tell me about how the last 6 or 7 games of the year SHOULD BE wins. They should be, but WON’T BE. This is the Buffalo Bills, remember?

Mike Wolcott

For yours truly, it is hard to buy in completely. As a long time Bills fan, I’m conditioned to expect disaster and disappointment at every turn.  Just about every season, the Bills give reason for hope, but ultimately disappoint.  Looking back to the start of last year’s season, fans were optimistic because of the signing of Shawn Merriman and the drafting of Marcell Dareus.  Two years ago, it was a new head coach and running back that created excitement.  Three years ago, Terrell Owens came to town.
 
As for this year’s Bill team, I have two major questions. The first question is: how good is Ryan Fitzpatrick? He looked like a completely different player in the second half of last season after breaking his ribs.  Obviously I don’t expect him to be Dan Marino out there, but part of me hopes that he can be a proficient (if unspectacular) starting quarterback. This remains to be seen though, and if Fitz plays like he did in the second half of last season, it will be another disappointing year for Bills fans.
My other major question is: how much better will the defense be?  Most of the optimism for this year’s team comes from the additions that have been made on defense. The Bills defense was absolutely abysmal last season, probably the worst that I have ever seen (ranked 30th). The only time they stopped anyone was on some freakishly tipped interception. The Cowboys, Dolphins, and Chargers all scored touchdowns on the first three drives of their games against the Bills last season. There’s no question that the free agent signings of Mark Anderson and Mario Williams will help this season, along with the drafting of Stephon Gilmore. That being said, I am still left wondering how much better will a handful of players make that defense? The defensive line looks great, but the starting cornerbacks are first and second year players, and the linebacker corps is weak. Super Mario may be a superstar (as he should be for 100 million), but a middle of the pack defense is the most that a reasonable Bills fan can expect.
How well Fitzpatrick and the defense fair this season is really anyone’s guess.  I predict an efficient offense and an improved defense. I definitely have my reservations/questions about the team, but I also feel that there are reasons to be optimistic. The 2011 Bills went 6-10 and were riddled with injuries. The 2012 team is both improved and healthy, and has the second weakest strength of schedule in the league.  For those reasons, I am hopeful that the Bills will be in contention for a Wild Card berth at the end of the year. Here I go again, I’m buying in to a team that always seems to let me down. 

My prediction is 9-7. If the cards fall the right way, we could see a Wild Card berth.


Tony Constantino

The Buffalo Bills have been one of the most disappointing teams in all of sports over the last decade. Outside of Buffalo, the Bills have been considered an afterthought to most football fans. This offseason, Ralph Wilson signed a few larger checks than he normally does and the Bills were pulled into the spotlight. With well over 100 million dollars spent in free agency, the Bills were the talk of the free agency period. However money spent does not hang championship banners in any league, great teams do. Last season concluded for the Bills with many questions to answer: What happened to Fitzpatrick? Where is the rush defense? Can anybody on this roster sack opposing quarterbacks? Who is Scott Chandler? etc... This season begins with another batch of questions to answer: Who is the 2nd wide receiver? Why is Kelvin Sheppard the starting middle linebacker? Can Fred Jackson stay healthy? Can the Amish Rifle take that next step? and so on...

I will say this, the Buffalo Bills have potential. Nobody in this town wants to hear that the Bills are a season or two away from contending for a playoff spot, but I deem this to be a reality. A good defensive line can mask a lot of problems on any defense, just ask the New York Giants. However, the linebackers in Buffalo are extremely weak and the cornerbacks have little to no NFL experience. Stevie Johnson is a 2nd receiver playing as a number 1 option until further notice, and the Bills have no number 2. Scott Chandler is the worst starting tight end in the NFL. The Bills have the easiest schedule I have ever seen, and that cannot be ignored. In fact, if this team makes it to the playoffs, the schedule is the biggest reason. You can only play the team that stands in front of you, and you have to play all 60 minutes each week.

My prediction: 8-8. The groundwork will be laid, and this season will be a sign of things to come.     

Penn State Aftermath

~Anthony Constantino

It is no secret that Penn State has had the worst scandal in the history of college sports take place on its campus. This scandal has engulfed a legendary head coach, a college campus, and the surrounding community. The monster that is Jerry Sandusky will rightfully spend his remaining years in a jail cell for the crimes he committed at the college. In the wake of Sandusky's sex abuse scandal, there are many questions to ask, and many answers we may not want to hear.

What perplexes me about this story is that most news outlets are reporting on what this scandal will do to Penn State football, or what ripples will be felt by the rest of college football. There is almost no discussion about the victims of these horrendous crimes committed by Jerry Sandusky. There are no sanctions that can heal the victims and help them deal with the emotional damage done to them by Sandusky. While I was waiting to see just what the NCAA would do to Penn State, I couldn't help but think that the sanctions were somewhat of an appraisal. The NCAA was ruling on the value of the innocence of children. That is really what Sandusky took from these vitctims. In my eyes no price was too steep for Penn State to pay.

The first domino fell as the NCAA brought the hammer down on Penn State. The public didn't need to wonder very long about what punishment was in store for the Nittany Lions. Penn State was fined 60 million dollars as well as banned from postseason play for the next four seasons. They also face a significant reduction in scholarships with 10 initial scholarships lost and 20 total scholarships each season for the next four years. To make matters worse, all current players enrolled at Penn State are allowed to transfer immediately without penalty. However, what may hurt Nittany Lions fans and alumni the most is that their beloved coach Joe Paterno, will have all his wins from 1998-2011 vacated. This means the most winningest college football coach is no longer Joe Paterno. His win total dropped from 409 to 298. This scandal tarnished his legacy at Penn State, and now NCAA sanctions will drastically reduce his legacy.

Although he reported Jerry Sandusky to his Athletic Director, Tim Curley, Paterno did not do enough. In fact after Sandusky was investigated, Paterno still allowed Sandusky access to the Penn State athletic facilities. This would be an avenue for Sandusky to continue molesting children. Simply put, that cannot be allowed. I have to conclude that Paterno was an enabler to child sex abuse. If Paterno cared so much for his former assistant, he should have tried to get him help. Instead the people sitting in the highest chairs at Penn State, those who are given the responsibility to protect the college from issues such as this, chose to cover up the crimes and protect their public image. To make matters worse, they continued to let innocent children become victims of Jerry Sandusky under their reign.

Joe Paterno accomplished many great things while always pushing academics alongside athletics at Penn State. His "great experiment" was an initiative to recruit great athletes that also made the grades in the classroom. Paterno wanted his players to become better players, people, and upstanding citizens in society. After their time at Penn State "JoePa" hoped each and every player would leave with a college degree. Penn State was praised for how great it was academically and athletically for decades. Unfortunately, the higher a program is built up, the further they must fall when tragic missteps occur. In this case Joe Paterno was an enabler to Sandusky sexually assaulting children.

Enabling child abuse in any form is almost as bad as committing the crime itself. One of our primary goals in society is to protect our children and preserve their innocence. Joe Paterno was a man of value who had to know this. Simply saying, "Joe Paterno should have done better, shame on you Penn State." is not enough. The term institutional control comes to my mind. Penn State grossly fell short in this department. The death of Joe Paterno and the firing/resigning of every person in power at Penn State does not suffice as punishment.

Penn State University must deal with some hard times after such a disgusting scandal took place on their campus. In my opinion Penn State received a punishment worse than the "death penalty", and rightfully so. These sanctions are more accurately described as a "slow death penalty". As severe as the punishments are that were levied against Penn State, they will most certainly change the culture at that university, and the university needs that change desperately.

Stop Caring So Much About What People Think

~Mike Wolcott

      Several weeks ago I attended the Allentown Art Festival with my former girlfriend, Lindsay. I am not a connoisseur of art by any stretch of the imagination, but I did enjoy walking around, observing people, and looking at some paintings. One of the stands at the festival was selling really cool looking walking sticks. These things were badass; they had antlers on the top and faces carved into the front. I wanted to buy one but realized it didn’t make any practical sense. For a moment I wished I had a torn ACL.

       After an hour or so of walking around, Lindsay and I ordered two chicken gyros. We sat down on a curb to enjoy them (I know how to treat a lady!), and began to observe people as they walked by. Lindsay started chuckling at an old man walking by with a smile on his face, a goofy looking hat, high socks, and a hoodie tied around his waist. Lindsay found him amusing and made fun of him, but I immediately felt a sense of respect for this man. He seemed relaxed and was having a good time. He clearly did not give a fuck about what people thought about him.

       I observed many more people as they walked by that day. There was no shortage of "Jersey Shore" looking guys with tattoos and slick hair walking around with a contrived strut. There was also no shortage of chicks with fake tans and makeup laden faces wearing $80 jeans. These guys and gals obviously cared immensely about how they were perceived by others and had chosen to conform to mainstream society. As I observed these folks I kept thinking about the happy man with the hoodie wrapped around his waist and the goofy hat. This guy had it right; he simply didn’t give a fuck.

       Why do we care so much about what people think? My father always taught me that trying to impress others is futile. Most people are more concerned with the pimples on their own face than they are with anything concerning anyone else. I can’t remember the last time I said, "Wow that guy drives a really nice car, I’m so impressed, I wish I was his friend," or "Wow that guy shot an 82 at Elma Meadows golf course, I really wish I could be more like him!" The truth is that most people are so wrapped up in themselves that they couldn't really care less about you. Stop trying to impress them and stop concerning yourself with what they think.

       Caring less about what people think of you is incredibly liberating. For example, when I first started going to the gym I was embarrassed to do certain workouts because of how weak I would look. Eventually I realized that it was time to stop concerning myself with others. Nowadays, all my focus goes into getting the best workout possible for myself. I couldn't care less about what the the 5’8 200lb guy next to me with no neck thinks. He’s probably not going to remember me two minutes later and if he did, so what?

        With all this said, at the end of the day we are only human, and it’s natural to seek some level validation from others. Many of us don’t have the benefit of being able to dress like the old man from the Art Festival (if we want to attract the opposite sex). I understand all this, but a major problem arises when we allow other people to dictate our actions or define who we are. Why should we let the fear of what other people think determine who we date, where we work, what music we listen to, and what clothes we wear? Stop conforming, and stop trying to impress other people. Instead, define yourself, and take pride in being a person that YOU are happy with. Stop caring so much about what people think.

Teaching Odyssey

Written by Guest Contributor:  Justin Moretta

      

      

       I am an unemployed teacher. I graduated in May of 2011 with a master’s degree in education. Acquiring said master’s degree cost my wife and me approximately $30,000. This monetary sum is significant. However, the true cost of my pursuit of a teaching job is the hours I’ve spent preparing and the emotional rollercoaster I have been on for the past year.

       My preparation to become an educator included hours of studying educational theories from Horace Mann to Spencer Kagan. I learned about differentiation, scaffolding, AYP, formative assessment, Bloom’s taxonomy, benchmarks, rubrics, and countless other educational buzzwords that would allow me to speak the language of teachers and administrators. Experienced teachers taught me important lessons about things like backward planning and classroom management. I was made aware of terrifying statistics about child abuse, drug abuse, and teenage (and pre-teen) pregnancy. The classes were often boring, repetitive, and lacking in pragmatism. The classes that were useful and/or interesting were just frequent enough to keep me engaged.

       Those few gems, some interesting and kind classmates, and my monetary commitment kept me enrolled and engaged long enough to reach my next challenge, student teaching. The first level of student teaching is mostly observation. Like most people, I hadn’t been in a high school class since I was a high school student. I immediately began to identify with the students and it took some time and effort to look at the classroom with the perspective of a teacher. With that new perspective I saw how difficult it was to engage 30 teenagers in a lesson. Thanks to a wonderful cooperating teacher, I also saw that it was possible, and I knew that it was a challenge I wanted to tackle.

       The night before I had to teach my first lesson I kept imagining all the nightmare scenarios that might play out. I was sure the kids would recognize me as a fraud. That they either would just ignore me completely, or worse, that they would attack me and make me look like an ass. The first 20 minutes or so were a blur. Then, my heartbeat slowed a bit and I realized things were actually going according to plan. The kids were listening and participating. I had somehow managed to keep the panic out of my voice and limited the amount of sweat on my brow. I wasn’t any Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society, but the kids enjoyed the lesson. What’s more, I enjoyed the lesson and I knew that I wanted to do it again.

       The next step in the process was full-time student teaching. I would be in charge of several classes for a longer period of time. My time would be split between a high school and a middle school, approximately 6 weeks at each. The high school assignment was first, and I was sent to a misery factory. Everyone in the place was depressed. The teachers, the administrators, and especially the students entered the building everyday as if it was the first day of a life sentence. I was assigned two 11 th grade classes and one 10th. They were all a struggle to work with, but one 11th grade class was nearly impossible. The cooperating teacher informed me that it was the worst behaved class she had experienced in 25 years of teaching. She told me that I would be allowed to observe her teaching the class for a week and then take over on the following Monday. After two days she literally threw her hands up and informed me that I would be taking over the next day. On my first day with this class, in response to some request for quiet or attention, a student told asked me, "Who the fuck are you? You aren’t my teacher. Why would I listen to you?" My response was something about the fact that I would be his teacher for the next few weeks and that he had better pay attention or his grade would suffer. He laughed and walked out. After the class I asked the cooperating teacher if I should have written him up and/or sent him to the office. She informed me that the administration frowned on issues like that being brought to their attention and that it was better handled inside the classroom. She did not offer any suggestions on how to handle the situation in the classroom.

       Eventually things settled down a bit. I was able to get the students to listen and participate in lessons and started to make some progress. That’s not to say that there weren’t still issues. During a reading of "Coming of Age in Mississippi", just as the narrator is telling of the beatings she received at the hands of segregationists, a student stood up in class, declared, "I have to fart" and then let go an emphatic fart for all the world to hear.

       Just as I had learned how to deal with these distractions and get the classes back on task it was time to leave and move on to my second student teaching experience. This time I was placed in a small, affluent middle school. I was given two 7th and two 8th grade classes to work with. Upon entering the classroom for the first time I was horrified to see the students hovering around the teacher’s desk and in many cases literally clinging to her. The students loved her and she ate it up. She was far too permissive and creepily involved in their social lives. She knew who everyone was "dating" and she readily dispensed relationship advice. She also did altruistic things for the kids. For instance, she brought in a nutritious lunch everyday for one student whose parents were either unable or unwilling to provide it. Anyway, this all added up to a great love affair between the students and the teacher. I was there to replace the teacher, at least for six weeks. It did not go well. I battled the best I could for six weeks and, with generous scoring, may have earned a draw.

       During this time I was applying for jobs all over the place. I was living on Long Island and applying there. I was also applying for positions around Boston and Buffalo. The only real interview I was able to land was at a suburban Buffalo school. I went in brimming with confidence, and considering it was my first teaching interview I thought it went very well. The principal went so far as to tell me he had a number of candidates to interview, but I had set the bar very high. I left feeling certain that I would be brought back for the second round of interviews. I was not brought back. The principal informed me that I had given a great interview, but others had given equally good interviews and also brought years of experience to the table.

       Those words would become a haunting refrain throughout my search to land a teaching job. I have lost out on jobs in three other school districts because I lack classroom experience. One assistant principal went so far as to tell me she wanted to hire me, but the principal felt compelled to go with someone who had experience at the grade level.

       Each of those disappointments has been a bitter pill to swallow, but the job that I allowed to slip through my fingers is the one that truly plagues my mind. The initial interview was a joy. I connected with the department chair, and we clearly had a rapport. I was sure I would be asked back, and this time I was correct. The second round of interviews consisted of delivering two mini lessons to a group of students and staff who would act as the "class". Without going into details about why, my lessons flopped. I had worked hard on the plans; I was excited and confident heading into the classroom, and I almost immediately realized that things weren’t going well. The students weren’t responding the way I hoped. The teachers in the room looked bored and/or disappointed. I did my best to add energy and enthusiasm to the room, but nothing seemed to work. By this time I had taught hundreds of class sessions, (in the fall I was hired as a long-term substitute and had my own class for 4 months) and I had never felt so lost in front of a class.

       After the lessons the teachers and the students asked me questions about the lesson and how I felt it went. I tried to put a positive spin on it. I pointed out the highlights of the lessons and tried to convey how strong I felt my lesson plans were. What I wanted to do was to explain to them that I wasn’t sure what had just happened, but that I really was a good teacher. That this was a fluke. That every classroom evaluation I had ever been given was overwhelmingly positive, and that if they gave me my own class they would really see what I could do. Of course I couldn’t say those things. I was left knowing that I had blown it.

       For the next two days I waited around for the ax to fall. I knew it had not gone well, but I would allow myself to hope that others had failed as well. Maybe they would see my passion for the job and my skill at planning and decide they had to have me. Maybe my initial interview went well enough that it would carry me through. I would vacillate between these hopes and the certainty that I had failed. It was an agonizing wait.

       Finally, the email came and I was informed that they would not be bringing me back for the final round. All the emotions that had built up over the months of pursuing a position and especially the last two days of waiting exploded in my head and I was lost. I blanked out for a few minutes. My wife and my dog were there trying to comfort me, but it was of no use. I walked away from them and once I was alone I just collapsed. To get so close to something I had worked so hard for and to let it slip through my fingers was too much to bear at that moment. I felt like my brain was on fire and I could not control my emotions. It was the most visceral experience of my life.

       I have not fully recovered. I replay the lesson all the time. I think about all the things I could have done differently. I think about how different my life could be if I had landed that job. In my mind, everything would be perfect if I had just gotten that job.

       I would like to tell you that my resolve has been hardened by these rejections, and that I won’t give up on my dream. However, I don’t know if I can continue down this path. I don’t know if my ego, my wallet, and my sanity can take much more of this. I have written the happy ending to this story in my mind a thousand times. Reality, however, keeps getting in the way.

On LeBron...

~ Anthony Constantino

Two full NBA seasons have passed since LeBron made his infamous "Decision" on national television. Nobody could have known just how much grief, criticism, and hate he would receive for that hour long special on ESPN.

To be fair, there are different "sects" of people who dislike LeBron. There are people who cannot stand him because he left Cleveland, citing that he turned his back on his hometown. Another group is simply fueled by his show on ESPN alone; these people found the special to be an arrogant and selfish move on LeBron's part. A third group has derived their anger from LeBron teaming up with fellow all-stars Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh. The last group of people could not stand the Heat "Pep-rally" in which James famously said, "Not 1...not 2... not 3..." and so on. This declaration was referring to how many championships he thought the Heat were going to bring to Miami. There are also people out there who belong to several of these groups or even all of them in some cases. I think that covers just about every reason to dislike James outside of same division hatred, which is unavoidable.

During his 2 year term in South Beach, LBJ has been to the NBA Finals in both seasons. The Miami Heat have one NBA title to show for their most recent efforts. I find it difficult to root against this man after going through all that he has. He was the crown jewel of the NBA in Cleveland. Fans of all teams seemed to love him and he could do no wrong. Upon his departure, most of his supporters jumped ship and turned their back on him for any assortment of the reasons I provided above. Seemingly overnight LeBron became the villian of the NBA and one of the most hated people in sports without any type of criminal activity or social wrongdoing. This irrational hatred needs to be quelled. I'm looking to help dispel the unchecked hatred I see.

Before you read any further, there are two things you must know: 1) I am by no means a LeBron apologist. I am not making excuases for him, nor am I agreeing with every decision he has made. I am simply presenting the facts and working with those facts. 2) I am not a fan of the Miami Heat, so there is no bias to call me out on here. That being said, I see no reason for such a negative outburst against James given all the facts surrounding his time in South Beach.

First, for those of you who don't know LeBron is from Akron, Ohio. Akron and Cleveland are nearly an hour apart. Simply put, how would you react if I referred to your hometown as Rochester, when you knew your hometown is Buffalo? James did not turn his back on his hometown at all. He played out his contract and gave Cleveland 7 of his best years of basketball. The Cavaliers gave James very little supporting cast to work with during his time in Cleveland. LeBron played with Antawn Jamison, who has arguably never been among the 50 best active players in the NBA during his career. LeBron also had the "pleasure" of working with Shaq, who was nothing more than the "Big Has-Been" by the time he arrived in Cleveland. Was LeBron supposed to carry the Cavs for his entire career? I don't think so. He owed nothing more to that city and quite honestly gave too much to them. Need I remind fans he took less money to play on the Miami Heat?

The next big problem people have with James is that he went on ESPN with a one hour special entitled, "The Decision" in order to announce to the world where he would be playing basketball in 2010. LeBron has admitted that he wishes he would not have announced his decision on national television. However, the money generated by "The Decision" was donated to the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. Knowing that information, I do not care what LeBron went on-air to say. Using that stage to donate to charity does not come off as selfish to me. James used his popularity to do something good for communities across the country. If that was the result of his biggest mistake as a professional to date, I would say he is a pretty innocent man and doesn't deserve such harsh criticism for it.

Another issue people have is that LeBron teamed up with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh to form the most talented trio of superstars in the NBA. I would argue that teams with stars are what drives the NBA. Larry Bird had McHale and Parish. Magic had Kareem and Worthy. Jordan had Pippen. Shaq had Kobe. Duncan had Ginobili and Parker. These are just a few examples. Stars do not win titles on their own, they need some talent around them. If you criticize LeBron for not winning on his own, realize that you are discrediting all the NBA legends that won within the same model. Kareem left Milwaukee for L.A., Shaq joined Bryant, and Parish headed for the Celtics. Some players choose where they are traded, others move via free agency. I would also like to emphasize the presence of the word "free" in free agency. Players have the freedom to go where they want after they play out a given contract. That doesn't make James any worse than the next superstar free agent to leave the first team he played for.

The last issue fans have with LeBron is that he participated in a Heat "Pep-rally" before his first season with the team. In the Pep-rally, the new "Big Three" in Miami attempted to generate some excitement for the upcoming season. Bosh, Wade, and James rose up from beneath the stage with smoke all around them. Bright lights flashed as they ambled across the stage defiantly. The Heat had risen in Miami and were poised to make a deep run into the playoffs for years to come. LeBron spoke confidently that the Heat would win, "Not 1, not 2, not 3, not 4, not 5, not 6, not 7... [championships]." He said he truly believed in that. This turned many people away from James as well as the Heat. What so many don't know, is that the Pep-rally stunt was orchestrated by Pat Riley and the higher-ups in the Heat organization. As if signing James and Bosh wouldn't increase ticket sales enough, Heat management decided to stir the pot a little more and have the three stars parade around the stage to create more hype around the Heat. This greatly damaged LeBron's image, which he has still been unable to repair.

I look at many of the reasons people hate LeBron James and shake my head. This article puts many of those reasons to bed. Many people do not like the business side of sports or choose not to come to terms with that reality. With each passing season, sports become more about what happens off the playing surface and less about what happens on it. That does not make it sensible to display unconditional hatred toward an athlete throughout his career. This is something we all need to understand. James might be the most unselfish superstar I've observed in my lifetime. He is the most gifted player since Jordan and is already one of the 10 or 15 best players the NBA has ever seen. Hate him if you want since it is indeed your perrogative as a fan, but now you know the whole story. King James finally has his crown and he deserves it. I hope he wins 10 more before he calls it a career.