Super Bowl Live Blog!

I've really wanted to do a new live blog for a while now, and this is my chance. The chat starts Sunday at 5 p.m. CT! If you are partying or just chilling and watching the game at home stop by for some football talk!

Super Bowl Wagering

Sunday's Super Bowl will be big business. Over at Medill Money Mavens I wrote a bit about Super Bowl commercials. (If you have not yet checked out 1secondad.com, I highly recommend you do, especially because it only takes about a minute total to watch all of the spots.) This morning though in Sporting News Today there was a betting sheet with all the possible wagers you could make on the big game.

Now, while I would never recommend you gamble away your hard earned money, here are my thoughts about a couple of the bets.

What Vegas thinks: It appears that Steelers 27, Arizona 20 is the popular score assessment by Vegas. That's the score you get if you combine the Pittsburgh over/under and the Arizona over/under. Also, the game is going to be close. (Theoretically.) Steelers by 1-6 points (3:1) and Steelers by 7-12 points (7:2) are the most popular scoring margins. That is closely followed though by Arizona 1-6 points at 4:1.

If the Cardinals get backed up, watch out: The most unlikely bet this year, at Yes: +800, No: -1,300 is if there will be a safety in the game. There's not much of anything that I would bet $1,300 on, especially not with the Steelers' defense lurking. There must be someone crazy enough out there to try it, otherwise this would be lower, right?

Running backs and wide receivers score touchdowns (or Vegas is just as terrified of Larry Fitzgerald as Steeler fans): The odds for player who scores the first touchdown actually have an equal number of players from both teams in the Top 6. Arizona WR Fitzgerald and Pittsburgh RB Willie Parker have the best odds at 5:1.

Smashmouth Steelers - not really: Vegas wants you to think that Steelers feature a smashmouth, downhill running attack. At least, the over/under of 113.5 yard rushing by Pittsburgh makes it seem that way. In fact, the Steelers only cracked that mark seven times during the regular season (and once, against the Chargers, this postseason). The Cardinals gave up 110.2 rush yards per game during their regular season, and their run defense has only gotten better. I would take the under here.

Weirdest line: Jersey number of the player that scores the first touchdown - Odd: -300, Even: +240. Reasoning: Parker (#39), Fitzgerald (#11), Heath Miller (#83), Anquan Boldin (#81) and Steven Breaston (#15) all wear odd numbers. On the off chance it is a quarterback sneaking in both Ben Roethlisberger (#7) and Kurt Warner (#15) wear odd numbers as well. Watch out though for Santonio Holmes (#80), Hines Ward (#86) or Edgerrin James (#32), they could win someone cash.

There are also a bunch of lines out there that combine two sporting events on the same day. Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers are playing at the Detroit Pistons on Sunday. Here are two lines combining the events:

1) Pittsburgh points +1/2: -110 vs. Lebron James points -1/2: -110
2) Pittsburgh & Arizona total punts -1 1/2: -110 vs. Lebron James successful free throws +1 1/2: -110

In case you're wondering, Lebron averages 27.9 points per game (there's that 27 again) and 7 free throws made per game. I'm leaning towards the punts on #2.

Whether you've got money on it or not, this should be a great game.

Northwestern v. Indiana

What a game! Northwestern held on for a 77-75 victory over Indiana in a game that was in doubt throughout. Plus the Wildcats dunked! (And I have photographic evidence.)

Go Northwestern! Go Jeremy Nash! (He scored 10 unexpected, but always helpful, points.)

Also, it was really weird hearing loud cheers for the opposing team while watching Northwestern play in its home arena. It was like I was watching a neutral site game at points.

Good thing the officials still realized it was in Northwestern. Plus, Craig Moore and Kevin Coble are clutch anywhere.

Yes I took the photo on the left from Section 210, Row JJ, Seat 13. The sight-lines in Welsh-Ryan Arena are absolutely amazing. My camera also allows me to shoot fast over great distances, an excellent combination.

More about the game is available on Chicago College Basketball.

"Trust Me" on TNT and cable television

Mondays got a little more crowded on my TiVo last night.

The much anticipated, at least in Chicago, debut of TNT's new drama "Trust Me," which is about Rothman, Greene & Moore advertising agency, starring Tom Cavanagh (Ed from "Ed") and Eric McCormack (Will from "Will & Grace") has intrigued me.

I think that Conner and Mason have character roles that Cavanagh and McCormack are comfortable portraying and that gives the duo good chemistry during the show. I am not quite sure however what the role of Monica Potter, who plays Sarah Krajicek-Hunter, will be.

The plot for the first episode wasn't particularly compelling during the pilot episode. Often though plot is ignored in order to set up relationships and the general storyline, and that's what happened during this first episode. The little plot we did see appears to have room for growth. The show will certainly be more interesting than yet another chapter of "Heroes." (Yes, I have finally removed that blight from my Season Pass list.)

I think my change reveals two things. 1) That NBC made a big mistake by waiting until after the Super Bowl to release new episodes of "Chuck" and "Heroes." Both are going to see their audiences dwindle after the big night. 2) That cable continues to produce much more relevant and interesting content that is drawing viewers away from network television.

It used to be that I watched only network shows on Monday night. (Which, by the way, is my night for television.) Now, only "Chuck" and "How I Met Your Mother" are in solid standing on my TiVo. Shows like "Trust Me" and ABC Family's "The Secret Life of the American Teenager," are more compelling and better written than "Heroes" or "The Big Bang Theory," which more-and-more feels like it is giving in to stereotyping about the Physicists it revolves around.

Network television needs to find something new. Because trust me, the old stuff certainly isn't working.

Milk, Some Oscar Conjecturing

I went to see "Milk," starring Sean Penn on Sunday afternoon. The theater was packed for the 1:20 p.m. showing. (Did you know you can get tickets for $5.50 to the first matinee at some movie theaters? Wow!)

As I was standing in line waiting to purchase my ticket, an older woman said, "I wonder why so many people are here." I offered my unsolicited conjecture that it was because Oscar Nominations had just come out, and "Milk," "Slumdog Millionaire," and "The Curious Life of Benjamin Button," had all been nominated for Best Picture, and had early show times. When I told her I was going to see "Milk" she said, "Oh I don't need to see that, I remember that."

In a way, I think that's what makes historical dramas some of the best material for films. "Milk" and "Frost/Nixon" were both films that relied on historical drama that people of my generation were unable to witness first hand. There is still quite a bit we don't know about Watergate and a lot to be done the in Gay Rights movement, but both of those movies were able to use the filter of time to put the stories in their proper context.

Director Gus Van Sant (who also directed "Finding Forrester" and "Goodwill Hunting") did a great job of filtering history, but also of keeping strong emotional ties. The movie has a great pacing. The narrative provided by Harvey Milk (Sean Penn) speaking into the tape recorder, really helps to provide a strong backbone from which the material can organically grow.

The movie is nominated for eight awards, including Best Picture and Sean Penn for Best Actor. Though the award it might have the best chance of winning is the Oscar for Original Score. Danny Elfman does a great job of providing a musical backdrop for the stunningly powerful emotions this movie was able to conjure. (Though, A.R. Rahman's fusion of Indian and Western music in the "Slumdog Millionaire" soundtrack may win.) I've seen three of the five Best Picture nominees. I would be hard pressed to pick between "Milk" and "Slumdog Millionaire."

There is great power in the simple way Harvey Milk's story was told. I would highly recommend you see "Milk."

An Online Journalist's Toolbox

Due to the proliferation of the internet, there are a lot of free technological tools available. As journalism moves forward into the 21st century, I think it is necessary to keep in mind what exactly is out there. There's no sense in reinventing the wheel, or trying to use a wrench when a crowbar is really what's needed. (Excuse the cliches.) Here are some of the tools I think are the most compelling and easiest to use for journalists working on the Web.

The Staples:

• Wordpress and Blogger - These two blog platforms do different things well. Blogger is really simple to use, hence the reason I started blogging with it. Wordpress allows for more customization, and seems to do better in SEO optimization. (Which is a little odd, because Google owns Blogger.) Either platform can be turned into a compelling blog. But it's good to know where to start.
  
• Twitter and TinyURL - Micro-blogging appears to be the wave of the future. I only started Twittering very recently, as my low number of followers will attest to, but every so often one of my blog posts will get a couple extra hits thanks to Twitter. A note of caution, be careful about what you say online. TinyURL just makes life easier, by shortening every URL to 25 characters, a blessing when you've only got 140 characters to make a point.
  

The Add-Ons:

• PhotoSynth - This site allows you to create 3-D images that can be viewed from multiple angles with technology developed by Microsoft. (Sorry Mac users.) CNN loves this technology, it was used a lot during the Inauguration as users could upload photos and CNN could then "synth" them into one cohesive image. On a much smaller scale, I made a synth of my desk which you can view here.
• COVERITLIVE - When you need to do a live-blog, do it right with this Web site. Cover It Live offers an impressive array of tools, from live polls, moderated chats and prepared remarks which you can display during the course of the chat. Cover It Live makes the live-blog more of a conversation than a typical blog post with comments. Newsweek and Yahoo! Sports are just a few of the companies already using the technology.
• Swivel - This site makes making graphs and charts easy. It gets a little unweildy if you don't format the information exactly to the site's specifications, but the charts it produces are of high quality.
• Google Sketch Up - Not sure what a journalist could use Google Sketch Up for yet, but there has to be some sort of application. The fact that a 3-D modeling tool is available for free is enough to make my jaw drop, and waste a few hours experimenting with it.

The Ways to Go the Extra Mile:

• Blog Pulse - BlogPulse is a service of the Nielsen company that shows trends in blog conversations. For instance, you can compare NBA v. NCAA Basketball posts and realize that there's a lot more talk out there about the pro guys. (Don't ask me why.) Still, this is something journalists can use to find those always important trend stories.
• Webmonkey - This isn't just for journalists, in fact it's designed at Web developers, but as those two roles crossover more and more, this is a good resource to help answer questions that arise. Webmokey provides a lot of information about things like CSS and JavaScript. When you have to do it yourself, find out how here.
• CSS Validator - When you're done making your site pretty, make sure it works here with the CSS Validator. It just makes everyone's life easier.

A big thank you for most of the items on this list goes out to my New Media professors at Medill. They're always willing to share sites that have interesting Web applications. Are there other sites and tools available out there that you think journalists should be aware of? Let me know in the comments!

Tyrone Wells - "Remain"

Tyrone Wells' album, "Remain" is categorized as "Folk" In the iTunes catalog, but in truth is that his music has a pop-folk vibe that favorably compares to other artists I've recommended on this blog before, including John McLaughlin and Matt Nathanson.

The album's title track, is a great song. It has a strong rhythmic opening and carries it throughout the track. It is something I could see reaching the Adult Top 40. (I feel pretty confident in this assertion, since I've recommended other such artists, like Gavin Rossdale - whose "Love Remains the Same" is #9 this week, in the past.)

Overall, "Remain" as an album reminds me of Matt Nathanson's recently released "Some Mad Hope." There is a good variety of music available in the 12 tracks. Other favorites of mine on the album include "Along the Way," "Enough" and "In Between the Lines." "In Between the Lines" is a particularly beautiful track melodically. I think it really captures the best of Wells' tonal quality, especially in its opening. "Remain" is a very balanced album.

Currently Wells' song "More" is being used as the main theme for A&E's new show "Intervention."

Wells is on tour at the moment. He is coming to SPACE in Evanston on February 20. Other tour dates include March 3 at the Highline Ballroom in New York City and March 5 at Jammin Java in Vienna, VA. (I think that covers the all my geographic bases.)

If you want to hear some of his music, check out Wells' Myspace, or watch these YouTube videos.

ESPN's way, or the highway

News outlets throughout the country, of all sorts, are going through a very difficult time. But there is a right way, and a wrong way to go through that transition. The bloodletting of staff that is currently going on at major sports outlets such as SI.com and ESPN.com is an example of how media properties should not deal with the current revenue crisis.

On Inauguration Tuesday, as Barack Obama stood at the Lincoln Monument and promised change for this country, ESPN.com made some drastic changes as well. One, the creation of the TrueHoop network of blogs, was a change for the better. The other, the release of Kyle Whelliston, the writer of the Mid-Majority and one of the few voices left covering the college basketball teams outside of the BCS Conferences, was a change for the worse.

The loss of Whelliston is a big blow for all college basketball fans. It appears to have been done for purely financial reasons. ESPN only shows the Top 25 scoreboard for college basketball because those are typically the only schools the casual fan cares about. On ESPN, Whelliston’s product was lost among the masses. Too many college basketball fans only care about the big boys. Whelliston's stories, about players like Chicago State’s David Holston, Samaritan’s Feet and Davidson – before they were Davidson – don’t have the star power of articles about Tyler Hansbrough and North Carolina, or “The Minutes” by Pat Forde. (Not to rag on Forde of course, when not writing gimmicky front-page articles, his reporting and writing is absolutely spectacular.)

Now that the “Sports Bubble” has burst however, and outlets like ESPN.com are forced to trim their staffs, the first people to go are people like Whelliston, people who cater to a niche audience. There’s a place for his type of sports reporting online, heck there’s a demand for it, just not when it gets lost amongst the shuffle attempting to cater to the massive general audience at ESPN.com.

The college basketball segment of ESPN.com is one that is going to be hit particularly hard according to reports. As someone who wants to be a college basketball reporter someday, the moves sadden me. As a fan of college basketball, I wonder about the network’s commitment to me and my needs.

Still, the other move though makes me think that maybe the Worldwide Leader does get it. Maybe ESPN does see the direction the internet is moving and will continue to embrace it. Two years ago, on Feb. 13, 2007, ESPN bought the TrueHoop basketball blog and gave a job to its author, Henry Abbott. Since that time TrueHoop has become one of, if not, the best NBA blog on the planet. 95 percent of the information I want to read about the league is on that site.

But since the NBA is one of ESPN’s most valuable properties, and includes a television contract between ESPN/ABC and the NBA which runs through 2015-16, ESPN has decided to give its NBA fans even more coverage. I am sure that the recently announced TrueHoop Network will soon become one of the best sports blog networks anywhere on the internet. ESPN has the incentive, cachet and will to do it. And most importantly, it already has the talent, in Abbott, to make it happen.

What will happen to college sports coverage though as the talent slowly dissipates away? What will happen to SI.com as writers like Paul Zimmerman, Alexander Wolff and Richard Hoffer are forced to leave? Will the talent drain in those organizations be so deep that they won’t be able to give the fans the coverage they want, the coverage they deserve?

I know that every media outlet is struggling today in order to make the cost and revenue lines of the balance sheet meet. Advertising has taken a precipitous dive, especially from the auto industry – one of sports’ most important backers, but someday that advertising is going to come back. When it does, it’s not going to go to the places that protected their bottom lines, it’s going to go to the innovative and talented people that are still around. I hope that organizations are smart enough to see the distinction.

Signal Patterns Personality Test

I stumbled upon Signal Patterns while attempting to find out why I like sad songs but happy movies and books. Unfortunately, the music test didn't prove to be helpful in that regard. I was really not a fan of almost anything they played. (I think that's partly because I've become conditioned to overly-synthesized pop music.) Still, I did get to learn more about my personality from their "Personality Patterns" test. After answering some questions I got these results: Creative, Competent and Curious.

All those traits are related, they come from the same little 10th of the personality pie on Signal Patterns. In concert, they also do a good job of beginning to describe me.

Creative

You are good at solving problems, coming up with original ideas, and seeing connections between things, connections that most other people miss.

You do not shun abstractions and concepts in favor of the concrete and tangible.

People with a high score on the "creative" trait often are employed in such fields as finance and scientific research, and enjoy avant garde and classical music as well as literary fiction and scholarly non-fiction.

Competent

You strive to master everything you undertake. You tend to learn quickly and do not shy away from challenges.

You are not a "que sera sera" type of person, nor do you go easy on yourself when attempting to master a new skill or get a job done.

Curious

You like to get to the bottom of things. You're not content knowing what someone did; you want to know why they did it.

You don't simply take things as they are and move on; you're not content skimming along on the surface; you don't feel you're wasting time by digging for the meaning of things.

I think those descriptions are pretty decent descriptions. The next few adjectives in the string were:

• Optimistic
• Calm
• Unflappable
  
• Astute
• Intellectual
• Assertive (not sure how that got in here)
• Steady

I don't think I could've picked nine better adjectives from 90 if I had tried. Still, I'm a little baffled about how Assertive got into the mix. People who are assertive "behave in a confident and forceful manner, take charge of the situation, raise your hand in class, stand up for what you think is right, and lead others." I mean, I'll speak up in class, but I don't try to be a leader. I don't think I'm really wired for it.

Sorting it by broader categories, I fall primarily into the Stable (emotionally speaking) and Open (think curiosity, not walking up and talking to people) sectors. There is moderate amount in the Agreeable sector followed by small amounts in the Extroverted and Free Spirit sections. There's not much at all in my personality in the Independent, Traditional, Reserved, Conscientious or Emotional sectors. I think in general that it all makes sense.

Here's my "badge" in case you were interested. Or, check out Signal Patterns for yourself and let me know how your badge turns out!

Cheesey Movie Season

Now that the movies that are looking for Oscar nominations have all hit theaters, it is time for a few that are a little less dignified. This time of year is one of my favorites though, because I love romantic comedies, and there are tons of them being released over the next few weeks in anticipation of Valentine's Day dates.

I still want to see 'Rachel Getting Married' and 'Milk.' But since I went and saw 'Slumdog Millionaire' (loved it!), 'Frost/Nixon' (really makes you think) and 'Revolutionary Road' (um... read my thoughts) already, I think it is time for some lighter cinema fare. The type you don't have to think about and can just sit back, relax and smile about.

Starting January 30, those movies hit theaters! 'New In Town,' 'He's Just Not That Into You,' and 'Confessions of a Shopaholic' all offer easy to digest movie fare.

'New In Town,' starring Harry Connick Jr. and Renee Zellweger comes out first. The short plot summary is, "Renee Zellweger is a Miami businesswoman who is transferred to rural Minnesota and is forced to re-evaluate her big-city values." I am not the biggest Zellweger fan, I watched the 'Bridget Jones' Diary' movies for Hugh Grant's impeccable comedic timing, but I'm interested in seeing Connick Jr. play the male lead and the Miami to Minnesota transition. I liked Connick Jr. is 'P.S. I Love You,' in fact he might've been the only thing I liked in that movie, so 'New In Town' should at least be amusing.

When it really gets going though is the weekend of February 6 when 'He's Just Not That Into You' comes out. I have no idea if the movie is going to be as funny as it looks, but considering the all-star ensemble cast and the source material, it will at least try. The summary, "A group of interconnected twenty- and thirtysomethings navigate relationships that vary from dating to marriage."

New Line Cinema appears to be shooting for the stars, literally by casting Ben Affleck, Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Connelly and Scarlett Johansson altogether in the same film. Still, I wonder if, among all those stars, Ginnifer Goodwin might be the character who stands out, we'll see how much screen time she gets. The trailer looks really fun and has Erin McCarley's "Love Save the Empty" in it! I can't wait to see this movie.

Finally, the last movie, and the one that scored the posh Valentine's Day weekend release date is 'Confessions of a Shopaholic.' I recently read the book, and well, it was absolutely ridiculous. Rebecca Bloomwood is one of the funniest characters I've ever encountered in chick lit. They've moved her to New York City for the movie. (Makes me sad that there will be no British accents.) But, to make up for it they cast Isla Fisher as Rebecca. A brilliant decision. This movie should be a lot of fun as well.

Overall, I think this is one of best times of the year for the movie industry. There should be some good times over the next few weekends.

Post-Post Thoughts: If you're interested in learning more about the marketing of movies, you should check out this article from The New Yorker.

Also, I have been following some of the news coming out of Sundance, and judging from the buzz there are least two movies that I would like to see. '500 Days' stars Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt and looks like a charming independent film. You can see the trailer here. It won't be released until July 24, 2009, so I guess I'm going to be waiting for a while. Another movie about which there's not as much available online is 'Paper Hearts' starring Michael Cera and his real-life girlfriend Charlyne Yi. Some clips, and more about it, can be found here.

Kurt Warner deserves a place in Canton

For once Joe Buck said something poignant during a football game. As Kurt Warner stood on the sidelines before Donovan McNabb's last desperate gasp Buck said, "Do you think there's ever been a drive that put a guy into the Hall of Fame?" The answer to that question now should now be, "Yes."

Warner has earned his place among the greatest players to ever play the game of football in Canton, Ohio. In two weeks, he will take the second team of his career to the Super Bowl and play in the league's premiere game for the third time in his career. Warner has won in both St. Louis and Arizona and is a two time league MVP.

The most recent NFC Championship just added to Warner's already considerable legacy. In 1999 Warner came from the Arena Football League and stocking supermarket shelves to lead the Greatest Show on Turf. He won an MVP, was named a first-team All-Pro and threw for 4,353 yards. Warner broke his hand while on pace for a terrific season in 2000, but he came back and did it all again in 2001.

Still, until this season, that three-year run in St. Louis appeared to be a flash-in-the-pan. Warner's 1999 season was one of the best in NFL history. But critics questioned Warner's ability to throw and win outside of Mike Martz's quarterback-friendly offensive system. While Warner might never reach the 109.2 quarterback rating he put up during that magical run at the end of the 20th century, the 96.9 rating he put up in Arizona this season is incredible.

More important than his potent arm though is Warner's leadership and composure. The 38-year-old Warner has never had anything handed to him either. He only became the leader of the Rams through a horrific knee injury to Trent Green. Warner was not supposed to be the starter this season in Arizona, it was supposed to be USC darling Matt Leinart. Still, Warner competed, earned his spot and has made the most of it.

Since then, he's taken a team with talented wide receivers, Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin, and an aging running back, Edgerrin James, and turned them into one of the most feared offenses in the NFL. And that offense has carried the Cardinals to the Super Bowl.

Warner has been an NFL MVP, a Super Bowl MVP, a Pro Bowler and a All-Pro. He has played at the highest level of any quarterback. Warner is ranked third all-time in passer rating behind Peyton Manning and Steve Young. Warner has quarterbacked some of the most prolific offenses in NFL history. He has helped usher in the heavy passing attacks that are featured so prevalently on teams like Arizona and, more importantly, proved that those offenses can be part of a Super Bowl caliber team.

When the Cardinals got the ball on that final drive, after watching Philadelphia take the lead with eight minutes remaining, Arizona fans probably didn't feel too comfortable, but they should have. The Cardinals had a Hall of Fame quality quarterback leading them down the field, leading them to an NFC title and carving out his place in Canton.

Revolutionary Road

I went to see the movie Revolutionary Road on Saturday night, by myself. When I first saw the trailers I was curious about it, when it started getting Oscar buzz I figured I should see it.

The movie was finely acted by Kate Winslet, and while Leonardo DiCaprio is far from my favorite actor, I was surprised by the emotional range he was able to convey. My biggest problem with the film however was that for all the screaming, sex and talk of love, emptiness and hopelessness, I never felt the emotion.

Now maybe it is because I've never had to deal with things like owning a home, having children or making a marriage work, or the fact that I continue to recklessly pursue my dreams no matter what, but I had a terrible time relating to the subject matter in Revolutionary Road. To me it felt like there was a thick wall between the characters on the screen and myself. The entire experience was like being a psychiatrist and listening to someone's very well detailed memoirs. It was very clinical.

The movie is also perplexing in the fact that the plot goes almost nowhere in the first hour and 45 minutes. Seven eighths of the way through the movie it is back at the exact place it started, and only then is there a chance for some sort of conclusion.

As I thought more about this movie and this review on my walk home, I realized I was sad. Sad for the people who were trapped by their houses, jobs and children. Sad for the people who felt they had no other option. So I guess, in the end, the movie accomplishes its original intent. It makes you feel the pain of its two main characters. I just don't like how it got there.

Excuse Me While I Rant

Two things are really bothering me today.

One, the cold weather in Chicago, I have absolutely no control over. The temperatures are going to be frigid - like -25 degree wind chill frigid - no matter what I do. I can't light a magical fire that warms up the entire Midwest. I can't stop the 14-25 mph winds. Weather is uncontrollable.

The second, is my continued frustration by what I perceive as an attitude of journalists to settle. And this one I think I have some ability to change, because I at least know some of my classmates read this blog. So, please excuse me while I rant for a bit about this topic.

-Rant begin.-

I attend one of the finest journalism schools in the nation here at Medill. There's no doubt that some of the brightest minds in journalism, from new media to broadcast to print end up here at Northwestern. However, it frustrates me that so many journalists just accept the status quo. How many are willing to say, "Well, this is what people have expected for years, so that's what we're going to give them." That's not the right way to be a journalist. We can do better.

Instead of accepting the fact that we can't get a hold of some highly placed source to fill out our story, we can try calling them. At least make the phone call. And don't make the phone call thinking, "I doubt this person will even want to talk to me." Make the phone call thinking, "I'm doing this person a service, I'm giving them a chance to tell their side of the story. I'm also doing the reader a service, I'm giving them the chance to hear an important piece of the story." Be professional, but be confident, be a little pushy. Get a fact or a comment and use it in another phone call. Prove to them you've done your research.

It frustrates me to no end when one of my Medill colleagues says, "I can't talk to them, it'd be impossible." It's not.

There are days when it's going to feel impossible. I spent one of my final days in Business & Economic reporting last quarter in a frustrating attempt to figure out who Mark Thomas, the man who bought Midway Games, was. Unfortunately, all I was able to discover was that, "He is a very private man who thinks the company is a good investment." (His lawyer's words.) But, during that day of phone calls, emails and countless Google searches, I learned something. I worked hard to make sure I knew as much as I could before I called the lawyer. I got over my strange fear of talking to lawyers on the phone. I was frustrated by my eventual inability to get anything more than The Tribune, The Wall Street Journal and The Los Angeles Times had already discovered, but at least I tried.

Trying is half the battle. I hope that as young reporters we haven't already become so jaded as to not try as hard as we can to deliver the best story possible for our readers, whether we work for the Medill News Service or The Wall Street Journal.

-Rant end.-

Note, I didn't mean this as a personal commentary on anyone. I am amazed by the stories that my friends, colleagues and fellow students at Medill discover. (Check out Medill Reports, or Medill Money Mavens - where the Advanced Econ students are already doing some interesting things, if you don't believe me.) I just think there's just a general malaise in the news industry right now that we can help change. There are new and exciting things to be done that can help move this industry in the right direction again. Let's do that.

Six Musicians You Should Know About

There is great music in the world, but it is hard to hear all of it. With that said, don't miss out on these six artists. They all bring something different and special to the table. Each artist comes with a recommended song and a YouTube clip!

1) Matt Nathanson - Recommended: "All We Are" - YouTube! (Matt plays all we are.)

Matt Nathanson has been making music for a long time. His first album, "Please," came out in 1993 and he has continued to make quality music ever since. His best songs combine slow, rhapsodic guitar with his strong vocal tenors. Because of this, most of his songs have not made it to the "hit single" category. His best known single is probably "Suspended." His most recent album, "Some Mad Hope" is really good. I reviewed it here.

2) Matt White - Recommended: "Paradise" - YouTube! (Music video for "Love.")

Matt White is well known for a couple songs including "Love" and "Best Days." His songs ramble a bit melodically, but they are bouncy and fun to listen to. He really seems like he gives part of himself to you in the song. I happen to like his voice a lot too. I talked about Matt White before in my blog here.

3) Haley Taylor - Recommended: "No More Wishing" - YouTube! (Music video for "No More Wishing.")

Hayley Taylor is an artist that I have not mentioned before on this blog. That is because I had not heard her music until last night's episode of How I Met Your Mother. Taylor's song "No More Wishing" instantly captured the imagination of many of the 11.5 million people or so that watched last night's episode if YouTube is to be believed, and with good reason. Her voice is comfortably between wispy and full, which allows her to pack a lot of emotional punch into "No More Wishing."

4) Jon McLaughlin - Recommended: "OK Now" - YouTube! (Music video for "Industry.")

Not really sure how I can sing the praises of Jon McLaughlin anymore than I already have in this blog. If you have not checked out his debut album "Indiana" or his follow-up "OK Now" still I don't know why you're reading a music post that I wrote. "Indiana" contains some wonderful piano parts in the title track and "Industry." "OK Now" has more guitar and even stronger vocals and song production quality. My review for "Indiana" is one of my most popular posts and is here. My thoughts on "OK Now" are here.

5) Daniel Powter - Recommended: "Am I Still the One" - YouTube! (Powter performing for "Bad Day.")

To most people Daniel Powter means one song, "Bad Day." He is far from a one-hit wonder of an artist. Well, at least he should be. "Bad Day" hit #1 on almost every U.S. and foreign chart. No other song this Canadian artist has produced has come nearly as close. Lately, Powter, along with Linda Perry, was featured on Thursday's episode of Grey's Anatomy. The song, "Am I Still the One" has the potential to put Powter back into the Top 40. It is a great song. If you like "Bad Day" check out "Songs from Under the Radar," Powter's latest EP.

6) Erin McCarley - Recommended: "Love, Save the Empty" - YouTube! (McCarley performs "Lovesick Mistake" acoustic.)

Erin McCarley's debut album, "Love, Save the Empty," has been reviewed in a lot of places. Including a few songs I looked at last week. She's got a great voice and a new style of music that's somewhere between folk and pop. It's really enjoyable to listen to.

Hope you enjoy these artists! Let me know your thoughts. (What, you were expecting Clay Aiken?)

TV's Next Innovation

There has never been a better time to watch television. Not only are there hundreds of channels available through cable or dish networks, there are all sorts of time-shifting devices, LCD televisions delivering crystal clear high definition pictures and Dolby speakers with perfect audio.

All these advances are great, but I have one that I think is even better: The ability to mute one voice during a television program.

I can imagine tons of uses for this particular piece of technology. For instance, while watching the BCS National Title game on FOX last week millions of people could have muted Thom Brennaman instead of listening him bestow constant praise on Tim Tebow.

If you mute just one person during a television show you could mute the really annoying characters as well. Sure, you might miss a plot point or two, but not ever having to hear an awkward piece of dialogue from Blair in Gossip Girl or Lily Smith in Privileged or Izzie Stevens in Grey's Anatomy would make the shows much more enjoyable. (Unfortunately, some characters, like Meredith Grey, would be impossible to mute without missing way too much. Oh how I wish...)

Still, it is the rare case when you desperately need to mute a character during a network drama or sitcom. Most often I want to mute a sports announcer when one of three things happen.

1. The announcer is a former athlete that criticizes everyone too harshly. (The Troy Aikman syndrome.)
2. The announcer has an obnoxious air of superiority. (The Joe Buck syndrome.)
3. The announcer says way too many obvious things. (The John Madden syndrome.)

Since Buck and Aikman now work together on FOX, calling every important NFC Playoff game, this has gotten even more unbearable recently. During the Eagles v. Giants game, when I came up with this theory, I could just hit mute and enjoy the experience about 1,000 more. Without having to listen to Aikman constantly pretend like he could step onto the field and play better than Donovan McNabb and Eli Manning at that moment, the game became much more fun to watch. Without having to listen to Buck's pontifical moments I was spared the necessity of screaming, "You're wrong," at the television. (Man does he annoy me.)

But besides the extreme case of Buck and Aikman, there's usually at least one announcer worth listening to during a broadcast. So wouldn't this technology be awesome? What announcers/characters would you mute?

Impossible Standards

The 1940's and 50's had Cary Grant, the 70's had David Cassidy and the '80's had Tom Cruise before he was crazy. On screen or on stage these men were smooth, suave and sophisticated. They were a perfect form of half the human race, something women idealized. (Even if Archibald Alec Leach, a.k.a. Grant, did have five wives. It's no wonder he used a stage name!)

Today though there seems to be more guys than ever for girls to idealize. Every entertainment outlet, from the Disney princes in childhood to television and movie stars offers a new brilliant leading man. For every girl that thinks Patrick Dempsey, a.k.a. McDreamy, is the perfect man there's another that thinks it is Jim from The Office or Twilight's Edward Cullen.

The men of the 2000's are combining into an unyeilding force capable of creating impossible expectations no matter what a guy manages to do in life. And, unlike many of the idealizations women most often long for, us normal guys don't have a writer preparing our every move.

This impetus for this post came from a number of things, but one was a G-chat status after last night's Grey's Anatomy. It said: "Omg, that last grey's scene just made patrick dempsey 10x hotter."

I have a few problems with this pronouncement. One being that now - since some writers on Grey's Anatomy thought it would be a good idea for Derek to show his sensitive side by having the foresight to do whatever Cristina (Who was the cause of the problem anyways!) would do to solve Grey's doldrums, and then dancing with her when that was presented as the solution - every guy will be expected by the 10 million women who weekly watch the show to be just as sensitive (and possibly just as good a dancer).

But at least Derek has his problems. It could be worse, the standard could be someone who is not even a man at all, and still in high school. Edward Cullen, a vampire who is hundreds of years old, has captured the fancy of millions of women, from tweens to middle age. Sure, amazing strength, incredible beauty and deep inner turmoil (have to have that thing which makes you seem a little vulnerable) are every woman's dream. Last time I checked though, Cullen only existed on the pages of a book.

Movies, television and literature are creating unreasonable expectations for the men of the world. I hope though the women living with us realize our limitations.

P.S. One good thing did come out of the Grey's Anatomy episode on Thursday - "I Am Still the One" by Daniel Powter (with Linda Perry).

P.P.S. Congratulations to Slumdog Millionaire. Way to clean up at the Golden Globes on Sunday night!

Saturday Night Live with NPH!

Neil Patrick Harris was on Saturday Night Live last night, which obviously would've been reason enough to watch it, but they added a double-whammy with Taylor Swift as the musical guest.

I thought that NPH was great. With all Saturday Night Live shows it's easier to find the material funny if you can relate to the subject matter. That's probably why I thought the sketch that the entire cast, including NPH as Mark from Rent, did about saving Broadway was absolutely hilarious. First off, I would totally go see Rent live for a fourth a time if anyone wants to cast NPH as Mark. It would be an inspired decision. The jokes in the sketch were great, and the music lots of fun. I liked how they included Avenue Q, Wicked, Rent, Phantom of the Opera, Cats and the Music Man, all musicals that didn't need any sort of explanation.

When NPH wasn't on the stage though the episode felt a little flat. The sketch about the Today Show was more annoying than anything else until NPH showed up as a 3-minute workout personal trainer. I totally didn't get the air traffic controller sketch, can someone explain that to me? Weekend update with Seth Myers though was hilarious, especially Will Forte's song about the BCS.

I did not find Taylor Swift very impressive live. I mean, she looked great, but there was something missing in her vocal tone in both her early performance of "Love Story," during which she seemed really nervous, and later "Forever & Always." In her album her voice is covered a little bit by the band, and the sparser band on the SNL stage might have contributed to the lackluster performance. (One thing Swift did do well? Playing Annie in the Broadway sketch.)

Also SNL could not ask for two more beautiful people to do cutaway portraits of. Taylor Swift is gorgeous and Neil Patrick Harris is one attractive the most attractive men alive, in my opinion. The still images all night were just, "Wow."

Also, great to get some "How I Met Your Mother" publicity in the opening monologue! Even if it did devolve into the obvious, "How I met your mother" jokes.

As an aside, last night before Saturday Night Live I skipped the Cardinals v. Panthers game to go watch the #1 team in NCAA Division III, Wheaton College, take on North Park University. I have a Flickr gallery of some photos from the game. Enjoy!

College Basketball Saturdays

Now that football season is over, fans of collegiate athletes can now focus on college basketball! ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, The Big Ten Network and CBS all provide games on Saturdays, and ff you are lucky enough to be on a college campus, there are games on ESPN360.com as well.

Depending on your set-up it is possible to watch two or three games at a time and see between six and 10 teams on one Saturday. Now that college basketball has entered conference play the games are closer, mean more and bring out the best in every player. There are fewer blowouts and the tense games keep fans on the edge of their seats.

This morning Marquette University started the college basketball day out early. The Golden Eagles tipped off against West Virginia at 11 a.m. central time. At the same time, another Big East game featuring two Top 25 teams, Villanova and Louisville, tipped off in Philadelphia. (The Big East is loaded with a total of nine (!) teams in the Top 25.)

The Marquette game was close for the entire first half, during the second half though, with Dashon Butler on the bench in foul trouble for West Virginia, the Golden Eagles pulled away. The Louisville v. Villanova game went down to the final seconds. The Wildcats had three chances to tip in the game winning basket before falling 61-60.

The other great advantage of college basketball on ESPN360 is even if you weren't focused on the beginning of the game, you can come in and check out the final dramatic minutes. If there's a close score on the ESPN.com scoreboard you can switch quickly and watch the final moments. This afternoon I watched Tennessee pull away from Georgia during the final minutes. With hundreds of teams and games every week things change in an instant in college basketball. Every second could be a turning point.

College basketball season is here. Get excited!

Lacking Structure

I have no classes on Fridays during this quarter. This is a fascinating development because it adds an entire extra day to my weekend. I love having time to myself, mostly because I can use however I please. There is very little structure to my day when it is not provided by outside influences.

Now a lack of structure does not mean that I am inefficient. I have accomplished a lot already today, and its not yet 3 p.m. in Chicago. I've done most of my reading for next week's classes. I've read many fascinating articles and blog posts online. I've ordered a new check card, because mine is frustratingly damaged yet again. (That took some convincing of the people at the Wachovia.) I watched Thursday's "Grey's Anatomy." And for good measure I've downloaded four songs from iTunes. (Three by Erin McCarley. It is really interesting music. Don't believe the "pop" label on iTunes, that is a misnomer.)

So it's not that my day has been unproductive. It's merely that I have done what I wanted when I wanted. It's a rather liberating experience. I think a lack of structure is very helpful for people like myself who in general float through one activity to the next indiscrimitely anyways.

I think it will be interesting to see how this free time develops during the quarter. Will my Fridays become a complete waste of time? Or will they be more like today, a chance to accomplish a variety of helpful tasks? I really am not sure. That's what a lack of structure does.

Quotes and Notes

I haven't done one of these in a while, partly because I think they are ridiculous, but I wanted to share some things from around the Web that I found particularly touching or interesting.

• Hockey is the one sport that I've just never watched. Now though my friends from across the country are starting to erode my animosity towards the game. Hockey also has some brilliant ambassadors, especially here in Chicago. Take for instance this post written for the Sun Times' Blackhawks blog by Adam Burish.
• This is not on the internet, but I am reading "Invisible Men," by Donn Rogosin. The book is about life in the Negro Leagues and is absolutely fascinating for anyone who loves the history of baseball. One of my favorite quotes:

  "When the Homestead Grays became regular tenants of Griffith Stadium in Washington, Clark Griffith arranged for the Grays to buy their equipment in the same purchase orders as the Senators. ... Under this set-up each Gray found a Senator whose equipment closely matched his own needs and ordered additional quantities of that item under the name of that Senator player. Buck Leonard, a lifetime .355 hitter in the Negro league, used Len Okrie's bat. Okrie batted a lifetime .218."

• If you've ever wondered where Bill James (and sabermetrics in baseball) came from, this article from the Sports Illustrated archives is a good start.
• The Bulls and Blackhawks are getting kicked out of the United Center for an extended period of time because of... Disney on Ice: Worlds of Fantasy. It will be at the United Center from January 27 - February 8. Does anyone else find this hilarious?
• If it seems to you that every guy does the same thing on the internet then chances are he reads these two comics. I don't promote Questionable Content enough, but it is my favorite comic, print or Web, in existence today.
• One late addendum, an article from The Atlantic entitled "The End of White America?" I am not sure if I agree with all the conclusions reached at the end of it, but the questions it raises are certainly very valid in today's society. Anytime you can get Christian Lander (Stuff White People Like), Sean Combs and The Great Gatsby into the same article you certainly have a winner.
  

Also, I am thinking about doing another Live Blog! Exactly what I will be live-blogging however I am not certain. Does anyone have any suggestions? An important college basketball game would be a good one I think, but not sure which game, if any would get a community interested enough to stop by. The NFL Draft is a definite one, but that's still months away, and I'm itching to do one sooner.

Top Eight Women of 2008

When I set out to pick the Top 8 Women of 2008 I did it with a few guidelines in place. One, the person had to be a celebrity. Two, the person had to achieved something significant in the entertainment or sports industry in 2008. Well, that's actually about it. This list was compiled by me, with some input from my brother.

The Top 4:









Also, I would like to point out some honorable mentions. Factors beyond two competitors' control prevented them from making the list. Minka Kelly is only not on this list because you could only find her on DirectTV and Katherine Heigl is not on the list because the Grey's Anatomy writers decided she should have a relationship with a ghost. Other honorable mentions go out to: Michelle Monaghan, Vanessa Hudgens, Mandy Moore and Joanna Garcia.

#8: Maggie Gyllenhaal - When you star in a movie that is ranked in the Top 5 of both IMDB's top reviewed films and highest grossing films of all-time you deserve a spot on this list. I cannot personally speak to Gyllenhaal's work in "The Dark Knight" since I have not seen the film, but by all accounts it is worth seeing.

#7: Blake Lively - When the "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" was originally released in 2005 Lively was just another member of the cast. Three years later the sequel was released and she was the star along with Alexis Bledel. Lively is also on the CW in "Gossip Girl" and did a "Saturday Night Live" telecast last year.

#6: Kaley Cuoco - "The Big Bang Theory" is taking off in the ratings and Cuoco is certainly part of the reason why. She is able to pull off anything the writers require, including pretending to be obsessed with World of Warcraft or attempting to converse with Sheldon. She's also darn attractive.

#5: Olga Kurylenko - The latest Bond girl handled her role very appropriately. I was a little frustrated with the latest Bond movie as a whole, but it had nothing to do with Kurylenko's acting or appearance.

#4: Rihanna - A music superstar Rihanna did not achieve quite the success of previous years, but she did put out "Rehab" and had songs featured in all sorts of things, including "The House Bunny." (What a funny credit!)

#3: Taylor Swift - It can be argued that no one achieved more, in any genre, than Swift in 2008. She finished the year with two albums in the Top 10, is a country music superstar with huge crossover appeal and is gorgeous. She had six Top 20 debuts in 2008. Her second album, "Fearless," is a great listen, even for the casual country fan. Swift also had four of the top six bestselling country songs on iTunes in 2008!

#2: Yvonna Strahovski - The female lead of NBC's "Chuck" Strahovski really does not get the credit she deserves. Sure, it is really easy to dress her up, or put nothing on her and let her look beautiful, but she can do so much more as an actress. I was really impressed with the character depth she gave Sarah Walker during the 2008 season of "Chuck." And for that brief moment when the writers decided to actually use he Australian accent, well watch out!

#1: Carrie Underwood - Underwood was not able to hold off the challenge of Swift in the music industry, but Swift is still working to achieve Underwood's status of international superstar. Her latest single, "Last Name," hit No. 1, her sixth consecutive song to do so, on the Hot Country Chart. Underwood had the other two songs in iTunes' bestselling country songs of 2008 with "Last Name" and "All-American Girl."

Who do you think was the Top Woman of 2008? Did I miss anyone?

2008 Book Awards

When I was a senior in high school I was awarded a "Book Award" scholarship to buy textbooks during my freshman year of college. In reality that has absolutely nothing with these "Book Awards," I just thought it was a fun random fact.

I read 11,592 pages during 2008. Since the list is soon going to be changed to the 2009 Page Count, because I enjoyed the experiment so much, I wanted to give some of my thoughts from a year of reading.

The Awards:

Strangest book of 2008, Nominees:

• Ubik
• 2012: The War for Souls
• The Sportswriter

And the winner is... 2012: The War for Souls. The plot was not that confusing, but the subject material wrapped in upon itself over and over again like a well-stitched blanket. Some of the scenes are completely out there, a trait this novel does share with Ubik. Still, I like to think I understand Philip K. Dick sometimes.

Best sports related book of 2008, Nominees:

• The Last Amateurs
• A March to Madness
• Committed - Confessions of a Fantasy Football Junkie
• The Blind Side

And the winner is... The Last Amateurs. For once the Patriots League takes down the mighty ACC. The intriguing personal stories in The Last Amateurs really are fascinating. John Feinstein's work is a great one, in fact it has its own Wikipedia stub. A March to Madness focuses on the coaches in the ACC, and while it's certainly an intriguing read, it didn't resonate as strongly with me. I would highly recommend the other two books in this category to any sports fan, Committed is hilarious, and The Blind Side is another excellent work by Michael Lewis, author of Moneyball. Also, does anyone else find that sports books are more interesting the further removed you are in time from the topic? I loved looking up what happened to the players mentioned in Feinstein's book. I'm not sure that's normal.

Best non-fiction, non-economics, non-sports book of 2008, Nominees:

• god is not Great

Obviously the winner of this category, with only one nominee, is obvious. I created it only to point out the fact that I read 35 books during 2008, and just one fell into this category. I think I might make it a goal to seek out more of this type of book in 2009.

Best book in the Ender's Game saga, Nominees:

• Ender's Game
• Ender's Shadow
• Ender in Exile

And the winner is... Ender's Shadow. The other two novels in this category were also spectacular, Orson Scott Card has created a wonderful, futuristic universe, but seeing the events of a popular book unfold through another's eyes was something I found incredibly unique. The other books about Bean, the Shadow series, were solid as well, but didn't quite compare. Ender in Exile however, did creat a reason for me to read a few more books in the Ender's Game series, including Speaker for the Dead, in 2009.

Best chick lit book of 2008, Nominees:

• Love the One You're With
• Little Earthquakes
• Confessions of a Shopaholic
• How to Teach Filthy Rich Girls

And the winner is... Love the One You're With. All of these novels had the opportunity to become annoying and formulaic, instead each was part of pleasure reading at its finest. Sometimes I found myself laughing so hard, or so frustrated, with a character that I end up putting these books down for a night, but I always came back to them. They're like candy, sugary-sweet. The runner-up in this category was How to Teach Filthy Rich Girls, which inspired the CW's television series Privileged.

Best book economics book of 2008, Nominees:

• Microtrends
• Outliers

And the winner is... Outliers. When you read a book that's almost 300 pages in a few hours you know you were gripped by the subject material. That was certainly the case with me while reading Outliers. I was fascinated by the novel, and often found myself comparing certain elements of the novel to all sorts of things in my own life. When a book full of numbers and case studies is able to absorb you, it's a winner. Malcolm Gladwell, author of Blink and The Tipping Point, did it again.

Note, I still don't understand the Twilight hype, every girl around is just gaga over this book, I read the namesake of the series and got a serious "Meh" feeling about the whole experience. It is hard to pick just one favorite novel for the year of 2008. There were so many I enjoyed, for a host of different reasons. I hope that I find such a diverse and rewarding group of books to read in 2009. Even though I can't pick one, you can! What was your favorite book of 2009?

What's G?

There is nothing more infuriating on television right now than the "What's G?" commercials. At least they frustrate me to no end. If you haven't seen them, this one can frustrate you now.



Did you notice the YouTube screen name? It's "whatsg1965." To spoil your surprise this is part of Gatorade's new brand attempt. In December 2008 Darren Rovell wrote about how Gatorade is losing market share to Vitaminwater, and Gatorade's decision to add vitamins and change the name of their flavors or order to regain some of the lost cachet.

The "What's G" commercials, directed by Spike Lee are supposed to be part of restoring that hip feeling. If you don't know who some of the athletes are you can head to the Gatorade page and click on "Athletes."

Personally, I find the commercials strange and frustrating. Of course, they did cause me to do some research on the Gatorade product. Apparently it was originally created in 1965, hence the YouTube name. If you search "What's G" on Google you'll get an ad directing you to the Gatorade page. Personally, I think it's an interesting, if annoying, viral marketing campaign.

It seems like popular opinion is in agreement. Right now, after 207 responses, "Don't like the spot, Don't like the G idea" is winning a poll on Rovell's blog with 37 percent of the vote.

So, what do you think about the new campaign?

Back to Chicago

My winter break is over and it is time for class again. This morning I am heading back. Back to school, back to Evanston and back to Chicago.

This might be a good time to get some of my resolutions/goals for 2009 out in the open. They are pretty simple. And there are only four, but I'm thinking quality, not quantity, here.

• Graduate and get a job - The first part of this is pretty easy. The second part is a little trickier, but I've already started looking and I still have six months before I even finish school. I can do this.
• Visit more places in Chicago - I still need to go to The Billy Goat, Toyota Park, Soldier Field and the Chicago Art Museum. Chicago is a great city that offers a lot of opportunities. Sometimes staying in Evanston is just too easy, I need to get out of that rut.
  
• Enjoy life - This is the "cultural" resolution for the year. This year it is not very specific because I'm not sure what it will become. It could have to do with improving my photography techniques. It could be reading The Atlantic and The New Yorker magazines more often. It could be reading more than 12,000 pages in 2009. I'm not sure.
• Cross something off my sports bucket list - I will go through this in more detail at another point, but there are some certain sports things that I just have to do before I'm done with life. Examples include: see a Texas high school football game, watch basketball in Indianapolis and attend a MLS game. (I could see the Chicago Fire and get two resolution parts done at once!) The Big Ten Tournament might b a good chance to get one of those done. We'll see.
  

What are you planning on doing this year?

One Shot

The NFL playoff isn't like its counterparts in MLB or the NBA. There is no "tomorrow" or Game 2, 3, 4 etc. to right the ship. In the NFL you have one game to be perfect. One shot.

The Colts were not perfect on Sunday, far from it in fact. They had nine penalties for 74 yards, including three critical ones on San Diego's one, and only, series in overtime. Indianapolis failed to run the ball effectively, its Achilles heel all season. The Colts had 64 yards rushing on 22 carries, a 2.9 yards per carry average.

With the running game shut down, Indianapolis was forced to ask NFL MVP Peyton Manning to bail them out again. While Manning defines perfection, he couldn't find quite enough holes in the San Diego defense on Sunday night. He finished 25/42 for 310 yards and a touchdown, a 90.4 quarterback rating, but not perfect.

Manning would've had to be perfect Sunday, because no one else on the Colts came close. Reggie Wayne dropped an easy pass during the first quarter, the defense had trouble containing mighty-mite Darren Sproles, and the Colts' special teams never seemed to catch a break. Even the coin toss wasn't perfect. It flipped San Diego's way and Indianapolis never saw the ball in the extra session.

It's tough to be perfect, but that's what the NFL demands during the playoffs. You only have one chance.

Just for perspective, here's another way of looking at it:

Being perfect is not about that scoreboard out there. It's not about winning. It's about you and your relationship with yourself, your family and your friends. Being perfect is about being able to look your friends in the eye and know that you didnt let them down because you told them the truth. And that truth is you did everything you could. There wasnt one more thing you could've done. Can you live in that moment as best you can, with clear eyes, and love in your heart, with joy in your heart? If you can do that gentleman - you're perfect! - Head coach Gary Gaines in Friday Night Lights.

A New Year

So this is 2009, really doesn't feel much different from 2008, now does it?

Back at the beginning of 2008 I made a couple resolutions. More personal improvement than actual resolutions, I saw some things in my life that I wanted to change and I did. In fact, I had a decent amount of success with my resolutions. These were my 2008 goals in a nutshell:

• Run more
• Drink less soda
• Enjoy movies
• Get into grad school
• Find new music

I mean, definitely not life shattering goals by any means. All were pretty simple to implement, or at least start thinking about.

I got into graduate school in 2008. In fact, as 2009 begins I am already halfway done with graduate school. (A scary thought!) Also, after six months of Medill, and my continued education about graduate schools, newspapers and the journalism industry, I like to think I even made a smart decision. I've met some great people through Medill already, and I can't wait to meet even more. And while I probably won't be doing strict business reporting when I graduate the experience I have gained through my concentration is really interesting.

Giving up soda was a great decision. Sometimes I desperately need the caffeine and I relapse, but most of the time water, tea or juice is a great substitute. Green tea is a particular favorite of mine, especially the Honest Tea brand. Maybe it is that the sayings that come on the caps are always insightful, or that there's only between 17 and 35 calories per serving, whichever it is though, it's great.

I also made some good progress in my two culturally related goals. At this time last year I was frustrated because the Oscars were coming up soon and I had not seen a single movie on the Oscar's Best Picture list. If the Golden Globes are any indication, I did a little better this year. I've seen Frost/Nixon and Slumdog Millionaire, and I have every intention of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (once I find three free hours). The Reader and Doubt also look interesting. (Of course, I did also see High School Musical 3!) In order to find new music I am collaborating with my siblings and searching for things that go beyond my typical Top 40 pop tastes. My youngest brother has some interesting music, and that's certainly helped to broaden my horizons.

Out of all my resolutions from 2008, the one I feel like I did the least for was to run more. I was in great shape for about eight weeks in August and September, and then the cold of Chicago hit and it went downhill. Occasionally I find time to run, but typically it is to find a healthy way to vent, not to excercise. When the weather gets warmer - or I decide to suck it up and run in the cold - I hope I can work on this again in 2009.

What are you planning on doing this year? It doesn't have to be a resolution. It could be a goal, something you're planning. Doesn't have to be a big life changing thing either. I'm just curious what other people's plans are in the new year.