Got a Tumblr

So, years behind the rest, I have just found Tumblr and find it much more easier to use than WordPress…so check me out on there!

SwaggalikeRuss @ Tumblr

Song of the Day > “Lost Boys”

One of the best blends ever. Awesome beat and a couple of my FAVORITE verses.

Lil Wayne & Notorious BIG – Lost Boys

Song of the Day > Jimmy Wayne – “Sara Smile”

Amazing cover of the classic Hall & Oates song.

Jimmy Wayne – Sara Smile

Song of the Day > J. Cole – “Get It”

Shows his talent as a spitter.

J. Cole – “Get It”

from “The Come Up Mixtape, Vol. 1″

“Poach” of the Year

Not to be cliche, but the definition of a coach is “someone in charge of training an athlete or a team.” Sure that’s what it’s defined as, but anyone who has ever played sports will tell you that there’s more to it than that.

The true goal of a coach is, in the case of football, better his team as athletes, but also better them as men; teach them respect, courage, faith, and work ethic. In a way, a football coach is meant to be, and usually is, like a second father (or to some a first).

Tonight, in downtown New York City, the NCAA awarded Brian Kelly the Home Depot National Coach of the Year Award, after finishing a perfect 12-0 season with the #3 Cincinatti Bearcats and earning them a trip to the Sugar Bowl. But Kelly won’t be coaching his team, his surrogate sons in the most important game in their University’s history.

On this same night, it was announced that Brian Kelly has taken the job as Head Football Coach at Notre Dame. On the same night!

It wasn’t a complete surprise though. Sports news outlets, such as ESPN, have been talking about the possibility of him leaving for South Bend for some time, Kelly denied it and denied it, claiming he wasn’t interested in leaving Cincinatti. In fact, even though sources at Notre Dame say Kelly accepted the job weeks ago, Kelly is still, at this time, denying the move.

Call me old fashioned. Call me a overexpectant. But that doesn’t sound like the best coach in America to me. I can’t speak personally for anyone on the Bearcats roster, but I would feel deserted. What is Kelly telling his players with these actions? “Hey guys, even if you have hopes, dreams, and futures riding on you, it’s ok to turn your back on them…well, that is if the price is right.”

Let me tell you about another coach who was sitting at a table in New York tonight, up for the same award.

I briefly played for Chip Kelly at the University of Oregon. This year, Chip led the Ducks to their first Rose Bowl appearance in 15 years, after overcoming one of the greatest hurdles imaginable.

I don’t think I have to remind anyone of the events that occured on the night of September 3rd, but a season opening loss and “The Punch Heard ‘Round the World” left first-year coach Chip Kelly with one of the worst scenarios imaginable and a VERY vocal fan base, which for the most part wanted him gone.

After the loss in Boise, Coach Chip sat the team down and did something very unexpected: He read them “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.” A childrens book. The message was that just because you had a bad day, you can’t let it effect you. The team shook off the heartbreaking loss and came back to win 10 of their 11 final games of the season.

Now don’t get me wrong, it didn’t hurt that LeGarrette Blount’s backup, LaMichael James, ended up being one of the most prolific running backs in the nation, finishing with a Pac-10 freshman season rushing record, but there’s more to it than that.

Oregon hasn’t had a 5-star recruit since Jonathan Stewart in 2005. Alabama’s Nick Saban, another coach up for tonight’s award, has had 11 since then. Oregon makes best with the players they have. All-Pac-10 quarterback Jeremiah Masoli came out of high school without a single D-1 offer. Starting Offensive linemen Jordan Holmes, Mark Asper, and CE Kaiser were all 2-star recruits. Current NFL and former Duck standouts Patrick Chung and Jairus Byrd were also just evaluated as 2-star guys coming out of high school.

This past summer, my roommate and fellow walk-on, Nick Musgrove (DE #62), and I were late to an all-athlete BBQ at Jim Radcliffe, the Head Strength and Conditioning coach’s house. We walked up from the street, and the only people left were Coach Rad and Coach Kelly. Nick and I grabbed a plate and sat down to eat at a table. Coach Kelly came and sat with us, and for the next hour asked us everything about ourselves. “Where did you grow up?” “What was that like?” “Do you have brothers and sisters?” “Was your family pretty excited that you made the team?” In that hour, he showed a side to himself that only a few have seen, but it was fatherly. It was relaxed and it was insightful. He was waiting for every word to be said, and then, with the obvious desire to better us, he would offer advice or ask another question.

As I said before, I cannot speak for the 120 players on the Bearcat roster, or anyone in the Bearcat community, but I can say this: I know Chip Kelly. And I know that he would never EVER leave his team with such indecency and with such a lack of regard for their hopes, dreams, and futures.

There’s more to being a football coach than X’s and O’s, or halftime peptalks, or wins and losses. If you had given Brian Kelly the keys to that Oregon team on the bus ride to the airport after the Boise State loss, I doubt that the Ducks would be playing for the Roses in a couple of weeks. Chip Kelly is the best college football coach in the nation for what he does on and off the field with, and for, his players. I really don’t care who more people voted for. I really don’t. And knowing Coach Chip, I’m sure he doesn’t either.

Russell Smith

Talkin’ Heisman, etc.

I think that when looking at college football award candidates, they need to meet two factors: consistent performance throughout the season and stepping up to a higher level in their big games.

This morning, ESPN’s Joe Schad announced his award picks via Twitter, which matched up with most of America. They were:

Heisman Trophy (Most Outstanding Player):

1) Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska, DT

2) Mark Ingram, Alabama, RB

3) CJ Spiller, Clemson, RB

Davey O’Brien Award (Most outstanding QB):

1) Colt McCoy

2) Tim Tebow

3) Case Keenum

There are a couple local names that didn’t make these two lists, and to be quite honest, I’m appalled.

Colt McCoy is a class act and led Texas (along a very easy road) to the National Championship this year. Sure he had the aforementioned consistency, but let’s look at his two biggest games: Oklahoma in the Red River Shootout and Nebraska in the Big 12 Championship. Against the Sooners, McCoy had just one touchdown along with one interception. And in his win last night over the Cornhuskers, McCoy had three interceptions and didn’t throw a single touchdown. Sure he has 27 passing touchdowns on the year and a passer rating of 147, but who wouldn’t playing in this year’s Big 12. Oregon’s field general, Jeremiah Masoli, doesn’t have the same kind of season numbers that McCoy had, but in his 4 most important games (Cal, USC, @Arizona, and OSU), Masoli’s numbers were great. In those 4 games, he had a 65% completion rate, an average QB rating of 154, 12 total touchdowns, and only 2 interceptions. In the Arizona game alone, Masoli had 6 total touchdowns. That’s a whole lot better than McCoy’s one touchdown and four interceptions in his two big games.

C.J. Spiller is a man; there’s no doubt about it. He will be drafted in an early round and most likely be successful. Last night, in the ACC Championship loss to Georgia Tech, Spiller went off with 233 rushing yards, 4 TDs, and a yards per carry average of 11.7. The kid is a player, but are his season stats really that meritable? Oregon’s own LaMichael James has Spiller beat in every single season rushing stat column, including 331 more rushing yards and 3 more touchdowns.

I am not saying that I believe that Masoli or James should be named this year’s Heisman, but they are just two guys from one team. People need to see that there are much more prolific, deserving players out there than the guys with a 99 in their overall on EA Sports’ NCAA Football 2010.

Fall term wrap-up

Here I am on the lovely Tuesday of dead week, so I thought that I’d give an update:

School is going really well, and I’m expecting good grades this term.

I’ve been writing some new music, but don’t have anything recorded or that I’m in a great haste to record, but check back.

I’m still getting ready for marathon training that begins at the end of this month.

I want to thank everyone who has been coming by to see what I have to say. I’m going to keep this going, and hopefully get more consistent.

Be Well and Happy Holidays,

SLR

Villanelles

As Fall term draws to a close, my poetry class has begun writing villanelles.

 

“Insomnia”

The dark rings make their way around
the filled sockets that drive my stare.
And in this darkness there is no sound.

I press my busted hooves into the ground;
and take burning breaths of hot, night air.
The dark rings make their way around.

If I could dream, I’d leap and bound.
But I’m grounded here; it isn’t fair.
And in this darkness there is no sound.

In dreams, my square life becomes round.
And my dreams live on, though I am not there.
The dark rings make their way around.

Chasing lost thoughts that will never be found,
I can’t help but wonder what the morning will wear.
And in this darkness there is no sound.

My nightstand holds cures, waiting to be downed.
My turns are violent, rip and tear.
The dark rings make their way around
and in this darkness there is no sound.

 

“Belle”

Kiss her softly; love her slow.

Brush her neck and watch her swell.

With passionate pain we being to let go.

 

Keeping each other warm in the winter’s worst snow,

we learned to communicate and know each other well.

Kiss her softly; love her slow.

 

She told me her secrets so only I would know.

The only condition, I swore not to tell.

With passionate pain we being to let go.

 

We planted our seeds and watched them grow.

“Je t’aime,” I whisper to my sweet belle.

Kiss her softly; love her slow.

 

There were the rough times that hurt. Although

we were hard up for cash, we had nothing to sell.

With passionate pain we being to let go.

 

And after the years she began to sew.

In my freetime, I crafted the villanelle.

Kiss her softly; love her slow.

With passionate pain we being to let go.

Music Monday – Wiz Khalifa

Pittsburgh's own Wiz Khalifa performs

Wiz Khalifa bring a lot of influence to the table, having lived in 4 countries in his life. Khalifa, only 22 years old, is arguably one of the best young rappers in the industry and in 2006 was named an “Artist to Watch” by Rolling Stone. His 2nd full length album, Deal or No Deal, is expected out tomorrow.

Key Tracks:

When U Find

Name on a Cloud

All My Life (freestyle)

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

Lil Wayne’s “No Ceilings” Mixtape

Lil Wayne's "No Ceilings" Mixtape

 

If you are like me in not liking what Lil Wayne has become in the “Auto-tune Age,” don’t worry. This mixtape is right up our alley! With No DJ drops, and some of the best beats from other popular songs, this tape is an instant classic.

Key Tracks:

“D.O.A.”

“Wasted”

“Run This Town”

“Throw it in the Bag”