The Start of Sophomore Year

I apologize for the long break between posts. Now that I'm up and running again, I'll go through what's been going on in the last week or so.

A week ago today I moved back to ASU. I am in an off-campus apartment with three of my good friends from last year. The apartment complex is absolutely amazing, it's almost like I'm living in a resort. There is a pool and spa, a movie theater, a gym, basketball and volleyball courts, and billiard and foosball tables. Not to mention there are plenty of good looking women everywhere.

I started classes on Monday and finished my first week of sophomore year yesterday. Here are the classes I'm taking and my thoughts on each one.

Psychology- 500 people in this class. It seems easy so far and the professor is very nice. This is your typical college lecture class.

United States History- Boring class. The good news is it seems identical to my AP US History class I took in my junior year of high school. The bad news is I got a C both semesters in that class. There is a lot of required reading and my grade depends on four tests. I'm predicting this to be my toughest class this semester.

Spanish- My teacher is possibly the dullest teacher I have ever had. The course itself is easy, should be a guaranteed A.

Radio Reporting and Broadcasting- This should be my favorite class this semester. Basically covers everything I will need to learn as I go into the radio industry. This is probably the most important class I will have this year.

Principles and Ethics of Journalism- My professor is a writer for the Arizona Republic. It is self-explanatory on what we will talk about based off the title of the class.

On Tuesday the premiere of my new sports radio show "The Sports Lounge" aired. I am with two other guys on the show, which is an hour long. I didn't think it was anything special, but nonetheless it feels great to be back on-the-air. The show is Tuesday nights from 7-8 p.m. and you can listen by tuning in online to www.blazeradioonline.com.

Sophomore year has been great so far, and it's only going to get better. It feels great to be back.

Happy 50th Magic!

Today, August 14th, is a great day for Laker fans. Not only has it been two months to the date since the Lake Show won the 2009 NBA Championship, but it's also a very special day for a very special person within the franchise. Earvin "Magic" Johnson, one of the greatest Lakers ever, turns 50 today. The leader of "Showtime, and the five-time NBA Champion is one of the main reasons why the Lakers have such a rich and storied tradition. In his great career, Magic averaged 19.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 11.2 assists. Magic is known as one of the 50 Greatest Players of All Time, and is in the Basketball Hall of Fame. Here is a video showing some of the greatest moments in Magic's career with the Lakers. Happy 50th to Magic Johnson, the best point guard to ever play the game.

Weekend Wrap

The Dodgers have lost 10 of their last 15 games, and their lead in the NL West that was nine games at the All-Star Break is now only five and a half games. The Blue Crew lost three of four games to the Atlanta Braves this weekend, and now will travel to San Francisco for a three-game series with the Giants. This has to be the biggest series of the year for the Dodgers, as they can either get some padding on their division lead, or allow the Giants to pull to within two and a half games of them. It's likely that Dodger pitcher Chad Billingsley will miss his start on Tuesday because of a sore hamstring, so whoever gets the nod will have to bring his A game since Giants ace Tim Lincecum will be on the mound. Lincecum is 12-3 this season, and he has the best ERA in all of baseball at 2.20. They say all teams go through funks during the season, and the Dodgers are in theirs right now, hopefully they snap out of it and get back to winning immediately.

The New York Yankees swept the Boston Red Sox in a four-game series in the Bronx. The Evil Empire now has the best record in baseball at 69-42, an lead the AL East by six and a half games. I'm not a big Yankees fan, but there's nothing better than seeing Boston franchises lose.

Today is Derek Fisher's birthday, which reminds me that even though the Dodgers likely won't win a World Series anytime soon, I still have the world champion Lakers to cheer on. Only two and half months until the start of the regular season.

U2 is coming to the desert on October 20th for a concert at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale. Hopefully I'll be able to go as U2 is one of my favorite bands. The Black Eyed Peas will also be playing, so it should be quite the show. Let's just say I gotta feeling that October 20th will be a good night. (Hopefully you get my reference to the Black Eyed Peas latest song)

I can now say that I'm friends with people who have been infected with the swine flu! Two of my friends got the disease this past week after attending Hume Lake Christian Camps up in the Sequoia Mountains. One of them was supposed to go to a Jonas Brothers concert tonight, but maybe God got her sick so she would be spared of having to watch the performance? I'll be making fun of both of them for being infected, but in all seriousness I hope they both feel better soon.

I will be back at Arizona State in a week and a half. Hallelujah! 

The Return of Lamar

The biggest news this week in Los Angeles sports came on Thursday, when after 31 days of long negotiations, Lamar Odom decided to re-sign with the world champion Los Angeles Lakers. Odom agreed to a four-year deal worth $33 million if the Lakers exercise their option on the fourth year. 

Off-season moves appear to be over for the Lakers, as they were successful in bringing back their top five scorers and top four rebounders from the squad that won it all just a month and a half ago. The only loss for the Lakers was Trevor Ariza, who signed with the Houston Rockets.

With Odom back I'll go ahead and guarantee that the Lakers will repeat.

The Dodgers have flopped so far on their seven game road trip, going just 2-4. They play their final game of the trip tomorrow in Atlanta.

The Blue Crew made some changes to their team, as they traded for reliever George Sherrill in attempt to bolster their bullpen that has struggled as of late. 

I think the Dodgers made a huge mistake in not trading for Toronto Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay. The Philadelphia Phillies traded for AL Cy Young Award winner Cliff Lee, the St. Louis Cardinals traded for All-Star slugger Matt Holliday, and the Dodgers respond by trading for a closer? I'm sorry but a closer is not going to win you a World Series. The Dodgers needed an ace for the playoffs, and Halladay was that guy. Even if it meant trading away prospects, the Dodgers should have pulled the trigger. I don't think the Dodgers can get to the World Series with the roster they have now. Philadelphia has a great offense which nows complements a great pitching staff, and for whatever reason the Dodgers cannot beat the Cardinals, so I'm going to say right now the Dodgers will not make the World Series.

This is why Los Angeles will always be a Laker town, because the Dodgers never do what they have to do to win. They are complacent with getting to the playoffs and then losing. When is Frank McCourt and the rest of the Dodger management going to realize that getting to the playoffs is not enough? The Dodgers haven't been to the World Series in 21 years, which is truly unacceptable. I guess this makes me appreciate Lakers owner Jerry Buss all the more, because he settles for nothing less than championships.

European League Soccer powerhouse FC Barcelona came to the Rose Bowl to take on the Los Angeles Galaxy in a friendly match in front of more than 90,000 people. Barcelona won 2-1, with the lone goal by the Galaxy coming from David Beckham. I find it pathetic that LA fans booed Beckham every time he touched the ball because they are angry he played in Europe for a season, yet they gave Manny Ramirez a standing ovation after he came back from a 50-game suspension for cheating. Shows the true colors of Los Angeles sports fans these days. 

20 days till ASU.