Cory's blog

Opening weekend of college football.  What more is there to say?  It’s what fans and students and everyone around the country has been waiting for for nearly 8 months now.  Fans have been waiting to see whether Alabama can repeat this year.  Can Tim Tebow be replaced at Florida, or Colt McCoy at Texas?  But in Sioux City the focus isn’t the Gator’s or the Longhorns, it’s the Morningside Mustangs.  After falling to Sioux Falls in the Quarterfinals last year, many fans wonder what will this year bring for the Mustangs?  As the leaves begin to change and the weather turns, the anticipation begins to build, and build, and build higher with each day coming closer to the opening kickoff.  Game time isn’t until 7 P.M., the only night game on the Mustang’s schedule, but the most dedicated of fans are already tailgating at 1.  The hot dogs and brats are being fired up on the grills.  The pop and beer are flowing and doing their best to satisfy the best of fans until the opening kickoff.  Footballs are being tossed around on a perfectly clear day.  No breeze, no clouds, temperature close to 70 degrees, how can things get any better people ask.  The parking lot is starting to fill up and its only 3 o’clock, cars are jam-packed in the stadium lot already, now the tennis court is starting to fill up and people are firing up their grills from over there now.  Doane’s football team arrives around 3 and immediately files off the bus and head straight to Elwood Olsen Stadium to start warming up.

On August 16, 2005, Morningside College renamed Roberts Stadium as Elwood Olsen Stadium in honor of Elwood Olsen, a Morningside alum, who was the vice president of business at Morningside for 30 years. A partnership between Morningside College and the Sioux City Community School District was formed in May of 2004 and over 2.6 million dollars in renovations was dedicated to the stadium and turned it into one of the finest facilities in the state of Iowa.  Morningside is not the only team to play in this fantastic facility, several other local high schools’ share the stadium and enjoy the luxuries of having a college field for home football and track events.

Walking the turf field, the players realize just how fast the field is going to be.  Quarterbacks are trying to get a feel for how the wind is going to be blowing when the sun goes down and the lights are stroked on.  Running backs and receivers are trying to get a feel for the turf and trying to keep their feet under them when making sharp cuts on their routes.  By 5 o’clock, all parking lots are full, the streets are filling up and everybody is tailgating their food favorites.  Morningside players are fully dressed and stretching out by 5:30.  As game time comes closer and closer, the intensity and anxiety for the season to start keeps rising.  Fans are filing into the stadium by 6 and grabbing their popcorn and hotdogs to keep them satisfied till half time.  Players on both sides are shaking hands and putting their hands to their chests for a rousing national anthem by the inspiring Morningside band team.  7 o’clock, ball is kicked off and sent booming to the end zone, the fans go nuts and the atmosphere is electric.  It’s football season again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fF93X8xVbIg&feature=related

Watch this video.  Watch it from start, to finish.

Now, where to begin……..

What the hell!!  Honestly, how can somebody be that hateful and so incredibly horrible!  I have never, in my entire life, heard somebody that insanely stupid.  I can’t even put into words how enraged I am by this woman.  How dare she protest against the men and women who protect us and keep us a free country.  How dare she insult these people who allow her to be this dim witted and let her say what she wants to say.  I know it’s a free country and all, and we all have the right to say what we want.  But there comes a point where some people cross the line.  This woman has more than crossed the line.  She’s completely insulted every single American who has seen that video.  She gives every American a bad name for her insolence.  Here was one of my friend’s suggestions as to how to deal with her,” First, she should be run over by a semi, then she should be shot, then she should be burned at the stake, and lastly, she should be drawn and quartered.”  That would call for her to die 4 times over, and to my friend, he still didn’t think that would be doing her any justice.  So what should be done with this woman?  Post your comments below on how best to handle her.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/commentary/news/story?id=5546879

Sports is a way of life for many people in this country and around the world, most of the time, sports is the only news that people want to hear about.  This story about Jason Campbell and the Oakland Raider’s, is the story that I, and many other Raider fans have been waiting to read about all summer long.  For the past seven years, the Raider’s have been the low point of every NFL team; the constant laughter and embarrassment of the league.  But now, with the addition of Jason Campbell, the Raider’s will bring back that “Commitment to Excellence”.  Throughout the 70’s and 80’s and early 2000, the Raider’s were right up there with the Cowboys and Packers in fan base and labeled as “America’s Team”.  For seven years, the NFL has suffered because of the Raider’s, they’ ve lost money and even to a certain extent, credibility.  With Jason Campbell, the Raiders can return to greatness and maybe even return to the playoff’s this year.  Very, very good article written by Roy S. Johnson and thanks to him for finally giving the Oakland Raider’s their due, its been long overdue.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/preview10/team/_/name/oak

Reading this article and seeing that the consensus pick for the Raiders is a second place finish in the AFC West absolutely amazes me.  Simply because most people for years have harped and poked fun at the Raiders for their completely hopeless attempts at trying to put together a football team that could compete with the average joe’s.  But this past off season has been the complete opposite of previous years.  Instead of owner Al Davis spending the millions of dollars on players that aren’t worth a dime, he goes out and spends his money on smart draft picks such as MLB Rolando McClain and DE Lamarr Houston, and also picking up great players in trades such as QB Jason Campbell and linebacker Kameron Wimbley.  With these additions, the Raiders finally look like a competent team that could possibly compete in the AFC West, and possibly squeak into the playoffs, thats a pretty big if, if I might say so.  My hopes are that the Raiders finally break the double digit loss totals from the past seven years and that they finally become a .500 team.  Go 8-8 and I could be perfectly happy for the rest of the year knowing that things are finally turning around in Raider Nation.  The addition of Jason Cambell alone is reason for optimism as the article suggests, all he has to do is manage the game, and don’t self implode on himself and the Raiders stand a very good chance of winning 8 maybe 9 games this year.  There is a lot reason for optimism in the Oakland Raider camp.

Nick Buth is a Senior here at Morningside College.  Nick came to Morningside from the metropolis of Danbury, Iowa.  He is a Mass Communication major as well as a Graphic’s Design major and he is trying to slip in a Photography major as well in his last year.  He’s trying to get his money’s worth out of this place like the rest of us.  Nick unfortunately loves the Twins and enjoys taking pictures of the new Target Field whenever he has the time (they’re great pictures by the way!).   He enjoys hanging out with friends and rooting for the Twins, driving seems to relax him for whatever odd reason too.  Nick is also the Station Manager for the Student run radio station here at Morningside, KMSC.  On another note, Nick is a computer whiz, most notably with Mac’s.