Problems in Garyland

As you all know by now, I'm a huge Maryland fan. That being said, right now is a very tough time for a die hard fan like me. The team stands at 13-7, 2-4 in the ACC, and seems on their way to another NIT bid, which would be its 4th in the last 5 years. Now I can vaguely remember the days of Juan Dixon and Steve Blake, the 2 Final Four Apperances, the National Championship; Only to be stuck with recent memories of Dave Neal, Braxton Dupree, and a 41 point loss to Duke. Recently things have gotten even worse, if one could believe that. After the thrubbing at the hands of Duke, the Terps seemed on their way to a rebound as they were up on Boston College by 16 in the first half. But the Terps blew the lead in the second half due to hurrendous shooting and lost by 9. These losses, much like those to Morgan State, Ohio, and American, take a toll on you as a fan, player, and coach. In the past 5 seasons, Maryland has been 46-48 in ACC play, including 4 Ncaa Tournament games (2-2 record) and no trips to the sweet 16. Compared to the previous 5 seasons, where the Terps were 65-25 and had a 15-4 NCAA tournament record, with Final Four Apperances in 2001 and 2002 and a National Championship in 2002. And the crap has just begun to hit the fan when Gary Williams was asked about the recent recuiting struggles Maryland has been facing. This was in reference to the 2 recruits Maryland lost last year, Gus Gilchrist and Tyree Evans. Williams replied, "Yeah, and it wasn't my fault theyre not there, You know, that was somebody else's call. Gilchrist, a 6-10 Forward that could have helped the terps immensly in its depleted front court, left Maryland last spring for South Florida, where he averages 10.4 ppg and 4.9 rpg. Gilchrist decided to leave when Williams would not allow his personal trainer, Terrelle Woody, to join the staff. Woody now is on the staff at South Florida. Tyree Evans, on the other hand, committed to Maryland out of Community College, but when Williams looked into his criminal background and found some dirty laundry, rescinded Evans's scholarship. Evans now plays at Kent State, where he averages 13.0 ppg and 2.3 rpg for the Golden Flashes. The tension between Williams and Atheltic Director Debbie Yow is rising, and Williams may be on the hot seat if he can't get the job done on the court.

I support Williams on his two decisions. I would rather him run a clean program, even though we'd have a crappy team, rather than a successful team with demons in the closet. He has always been known to get the best out of his players, which I feel he is. I believe that Gary Williams is doing all that he can for this program. The state it was in before he got here, how he resurrected it, seems to be all forgotten right now. But the business these days is a "What have you done for me lately?" kind of thing. ANd lets be real, the Terps have been on a 7 year decline since the National CHampionship in 2002. Which may be the reason why the Terps arent getting the Kevin Durants, Michael Beasleys, and Carmelo Anthonys; harping on the past to a recruit may not be working. A promising and bright future is the best way to get the good recruits, and frankly I see no bright spots here. If I were AD, I'd give Williams one more year, with two four-star recruits coming in (if they don't decommit) Jordan Williams (6-8 245) and James Padgett (6-8 217) to add some much needed depth to a depleted frontcourt, and providing that the backcourt stays in tact, the Terps should make the NCAA tournament next year. If not, even with all that he has done for the Maryland Basketball Program, and the fact that his name should be on our court one day, Gary Williams will be gone.

What the...?!?!

So the other day one of my very close jewish friends (not going to call them out =] ) tried to introduced my to one of the worst "bands" i have ever heard in my life. Sorry but I have to do it. When a group like 3oh!3 comes along, it makes you really question the substance and quality of music these days. Basically this band is 2 white guys from BOULDER, COLORADO that rap over techno beats. Not a good start. Get this: With lines like "Bitches with the huge tits, new gat, new slips" and "I'm a vegetarian I'm not even scared of him" it makes you really wonder what the world has come to. Maybe people like them for the beats, cuz it certainly cannot be the lyrics. Last time I checked, Vegetarian and scared of him do not rhyme. At all. And one can assume that these two guys from boulder, colorado, do not get girls, do not have money, and do not have guns. Instead, they decided to write songs about the life they wish they had so some teenage girls and homosexual men will buy their CDs so maybe they can make a little bit of dough. Honestly, we hear enough of this sex, drugs, and...yeah just sex and drugs from all the other 35749687 rappers in the world today. I'd rather not hear it from two more wannabe Malibu's Most Wanted white boys. No Thanks.

To save us all, I've decided to let you guys know about a band that is way better. Pepper. They are 3 guys from Kona, Hawaii and play ska/alternative/rock. They have a very laid back flow, good party music, and good for long road trips. They aren't really a mainstream sort of band, so if thats what your looking for, then you won't find it here. They sound a lot like Sublime, and are greatly influenced by them as well. I am a huge Sublime fan, and trust me, Pepper does not let you down in any way. Some critics think that Kaleo Wassman (guitar/vocals) is trying to be like Bradley Nowell from Sublime, but the more you listen to these guys, the differences become more apparent. With that being said, Pepper is the closest thing to Sublime due to the fact that Sublime no longer plays due to Nowell's tragic death in 1996. I would recommend searching these guys up on iTunes if you have the time. Look at the Albums, "Kona Town" and "NO Shame". Some good songs are "Ashes", "Give It Up", and "No Control". SO give these guys a chance and tell me what you think. Peace.

No....just no

Now I'm not saying that i'm "fresh" or anything like that, or that I know whats up with all the latest fashion, I'm just stating my personal opinion. I've noticed several people around wearin furry hats from abercrombie or hollister or whatever preppy store it is. And let me tell you, it looks hurrendous. It looks like somebody just went in the woods, killed a beaver, and superglued it onto some cloth. Your not davey crocket, and were not in Russia or Alaska, so don't wear it. Honestly it is never necessary to wear one of these, no matter how warm it keeps you. Please just do us all a favor and end this latest fad. I mean how stupid can you be to really think that looks cool and what not. NO. Just NO. Never Again. Please. Bye.

Hip Hop is Dead ( Luda > Kanye )

People have been saying it for a while. I finally agree. After listening to Kanye West's new album "808s and Heartbreak" I have decided to give up on the genre completely. Kanye used to be in my opinion the hottest rapper alive until the release of this album. I purchased Graduation last year and it still is one of my favorite albums that I own. When I first heard his new single, "Love Lockdown", I couldn't decide whether to fall asleep or throw up. It was pitiful and boring. It just wasn't Kanye West. ALERT TO ALL RAPPERS: AUTOTONE SINGING IS NOT COOL ANYMORE AND NOT ORIGINAL. Thanks a lot T-Pain, look at what you have started. Now Lil wayne, and Kanye West want to be singers? come on now. Just stick to writing rhymes becuase thats where your talent lies. Now I'm not just saying this without backup information.I have listened thru every single song on the new album (as hard as that was for me.) I found that mostly all the songs sound exactly the same, and West uses the same voice in just about every single song. This might be acceptable if it were just one or two songs he did this in, but 11? The only songs I would possibly not switch the station if i heard them on the radio would be Heartless and RoboCop (just becuase of the beat.) I definately think that Ludacris' new album "Theater of the Mind" is much more high quality. With songs like "Last of a Dying Breed" and "Undisputed" and lines like "Call me Mr. Fix It, barrel stay hotter than a fresh batch of home-made buttermilk biscuits" and "Tell her she should blow me like candles on ya B-Day, Cause I've signed more lines then shes passed on the freeway" How can you deny that this man is not the hottest thing out right now? So underrated. On a ending note, all I can say is R.I.P. 2pac and Biggie becuase the industry is not the same without yall. Goodbye Hip-Hop.

Come on ACC!!

So I'm sitting here watchin the Rose Bowl, and I'm pissed off. Why? The ACC. I was happy when we got 10 of the conference's 12 teams into bowls this season. But now I'm just disgusted when those teams have gone 3-6 so far, and if Virginia Tech loses to Cincinnati tonight in the Orange Bowl it will be the icing on the cake. WHat happened? How did this go wrong? And How do we fix this??

In 2003, the ACC was dubbed, "Super Conference" when Boston College, Miami, and Virginia Tech joined the ACC. With Miami, Virginia Tech, and Florida State all in the same conference, many thought the ACC would produce a National Championship contender every year. Lets fast forward to 2009, where NO ACC school has even been in the title game, NO ACC school has produced a Heisman Trophy winner, and NO ACC school has won the Orange Bowl in a decade. IN fact, the last ACC school to win its BCS Bowl was FSU in 1999 when they beat Virginia Tech in the SUgar Bowl to win the National Championship. SO who is to blame for this failure? It's not Virginia Tech, who's been 51-15 since joining the ACC, But losses to Kansas and LSU on the big stage last year don't help the ACC's image. It's not Boston College either, who's gone 39-14 since joining and has produce Matt Ryan, the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. That only leaves Florida State and Miami. IT IS FLORIDA STATE AND MIAMI'S FAULT THE ACC SUCKS.

There's no other way to put it. Miami has been 37-25 since joining the ACC. The previous 3 years before joining the ACC, Miami was 46-3 and went to 2 National Championship games. Miami averages just 7 wins a season since 2003 and their best record was 9-3 in 2004 and the best bowl they've gone to was the Peach Bowl in '04 and '05. To sum it up, The Canes have basically just underacheived every single year as a member of the ACC. Before every season, they get hyped up and people say "This is the Year! Miami's gonna make a comeback!" What happens? They go 7-6 and lose to California in the Emerald Bowl. Florida State was one of the ACC's most dominant teams from 1992-2000, winning the ACC Title every single year and winning the National Championship in 1999. SO what have they done for the ACC lately? Since 2003, the Noles have been 50-27, including back-to-back 7-6 seasons in '05 and '06, and have only one the ACC once. Florida State hasn't been as bad as Miami, but Noles fans and ACC fans expect better.

But there is still HOPE for the ACC, as crazy as that sounds. Miami and Florida State seem to be resurging, as both teams were very young this year and did mediocre. If they can keep bringing in the big recruits, maybe they can return to dominance. Now lets not forget about the other ACC schools either. North Carolina went 8-4 under second-year coach Butch Davis and looks to be a team to recon with for years to come. The same goes for Georgia Tech, who went 9-4 under first year coach Paul Johnson. Even Duke, one of the worst football programs in the country went 4-8 in its first season under David Cutliffe (A good year for them, trust me.) Boston College, Miami, Georgia Tech, Duke, North Carolina, and NC State all have first or second year coaches. ANd they haven't done that bad either. As crazy as this sounds, the ACC is showing improvement. So the ACC will be "The Super Conference", just 10 years late.