My Thoughts on Derek Jeter

I know I post a lot about sports topics. Part of me feels like I should give my devoted readers some variety, but this blog is titled MY thoughts. And I think about sports a lot....

It wouldn't be write to not discuss the departure of arguably the greatest role model involved in professional sports during our this generation. The captain himself. Number 2 is playing his final few games, as we near the end of September. And what's really cool is that his last three will be here - at Fenway. I looked into tickets, but they were far out of my price range. Kind of sucks, but I'll live. Let me reiterate - I'm a die hard Red Sox fan. This year I was able to go to like 5 games at Fenway. Although the rivalry between the Sox and Yankees has dwindled in recent years, I still hate them as an organization. That being said, there are few people in the world that I re2pect as much as Derek Jeter.

Jeter has been an amazing baseball talent since I was a little kid. I remember when he lead the Yankees to 4 World Series titles in the 90s. The smile that he had after every clutch hit, the excitement he expressed after every single win. I wrote a blog last year about the beauty of  baseball. I think Jeter perfectly exemplifies this beauty. The grace by which he plays, and the class by which he conducts himself off the diamond.

It's going to make me sad watching him finish his career. I hope that in 20 years, when I have children, I hope they love baseball as much as I do. I hope they cherish the history of the sport. I hope they reflect on some of the all time greats, and ask me what it was like to watch them play. I hope that they ask me what it was like to watch Jeter so I can tell them that he was so much more than a star shortstop. He was representative of all that is right in sports; in a world where there is so much that is wrong with them.

My Thoughts on Living in the City

So I've been living in Boston for nearly three months now. I won't disclose my address to you prowlers out there but let's just say I'm basically fluent in Italian now. Growing up, I was so fascinated with cities. The vast chaos that is urban America was always something I hoped to experience first hand. Now that I've been able to fully immerse myself in one, I've come to the definite conclusion that I love living in the city.

The amount of options that I have on a day-to-day basis for activities is astounding. For example, this Thursday I'm going to a battle of the bands show, Friday I'm going to a bar, Saturday I'm volunteering at an elementary school, and Sunday Em and I will watch football (at a Vikings bar). Last Saturday we went to a free concert. The Saturday before we went on a brewery tour. The variety of activities at our disposal is enough to make an active youth content.

I think the biggest reason I'm so happy to be living here is the availability of so many sporting events. Since I moved in, I've been to three Sox games (with one more scheduled for next week) and a soccer match at Fenway. I already have tickets to two Bruins games and a BC football game as well. I love being able to watch sports as often as I do, and being able to go to games at such convenience is all I could ask for.

I know, inevitably, I'll wind up in suburban America down the road. Family, kids, etc. is sure to be in my future, and that's great. But for now, I'm perfectly content with where I am, both literally and figuratively. I could see myself living in a city for the rest of my days.

My Thoughts on Ray Rice

Whether you are a sports fan or not, it's difficult to not follow along with everything that is happening with Ray Rice and the NFL. Quick recap: Ray Rice knocked his wife (then fiancé) out in an elevator in Atlantic City a few months ago. He was seen dragging her limp body out of the elevator. He was suspended for two games by the NFL after essentially admitting his wrong, and the NFL was highly criticized for their leniency. This week, elevator footage of Rice's haymaker was released, the NFL denied knowledge of it, and just today, it came out that NFL executives had actually seen the video.

The more I think about this, the more mixed my feelings are. I think Rice is a disgusting human being. What he did is unforgivable and I could never imagine what would bring someone to physically assault someone they supposedly love. But on the other hand, he has seemed apologetic. Every time I hear him speak he sounds deeply repentant. Do I think he should be forgiven? Absolutely not. But I think there are bigger issues that some dick head's domestic disputes.

In the words of Colin Cowherd, the NFL provides the number one tv program as well as the number one sports program, which is essentially like delta airlines being the number one airline and the number one hotel chain. The power that they wield on a national level is absurd. Which makes their cover up of this scandal all the more despicable. The fact that an organization of that magnitude had knowledge of such atrocious acts by one of their employees and didn't terminate that relationship immediately is beyond me. If someone I worked with committed a similar crime, they'd be imprisoned for a long time, let alone their job security.

Basically, my point is that all entities involved need to be held accountable for their actions. Rice belongs in prison. And the NFL requires some serious personnel restructuring.