What are sports without a villain?

Ryan Metz

Sports Editor

What would Batman's Gotham city look like without the Joker? Or imagine Star Wars without an appearance from Darth Vader? Or what about Superman without the worries of Lex Luthor?

Now enter Chicago, the third biggest media market in the country and fresh off losing its top two villains: Jay Mariotti and Mike North.

Let's face it, Chicago without Mariotti and North became a whole lot softer. Both cynics kept the heat on the Chicago sports scene, and rightfully so. No two polarizing figures inspired such passionate opinions - both for and against - as these guys did. They provided constant fodder for sports conversation around the lunch cooler and basically provided a regular dialogue for an entire day of sports radio.

North, in true shock-jock form had his fair share of controversies while manning the airwaves on WSCR 670-AM. North's rise from hot dog vendor at Wrigley Field to hosting the morning show on the Score included borderline racist ramblings. North was never afraid to throw blows at Chicago sports figures with his pull no punches demeanor.

In June of 2008, North left his gig at the Score after 16 years when his contract ended and the station and North couldn't compromise on a new deal.

Mariotti, who left his sport's column at the Sun-Times last week after 17 years, ripping his former employee on the way out, saying their website was archaic and he didn't want to go down on a sinking ship. His personal battles included shots at fellow staffers, team owners, managers, coaches, players and even team broadcasters.

In June 2006, Mariotti was the target of a public rant with White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen after the columnist questioned the manager's handling of demoted relief pitcher. Guillen got fed up with the accusation and lashed out at Mariotti in a profanity laced tirade that questioned his sexual preference.

By all accounts, could Mariotti have improved his relationships with his co-workers and could he have made more appearances in the teams' locker rooms? Sure. But did he do his job and keep a critical eye on the Chicago sports landscape and keep readers craving to open the back page? Without a doubt.

All that being said, these two contrarians played the villain role in Chicago perfectly and never threw rose pedals at the feet of the athletes.

So what does Chicago look like without them? A much more optimistic and cheerful place, for sure, but a far less entertaining one at that.

Published in the PUC Chronicle on Sept. 1, 2008

Welcome back to the best day of the school year

Ryan Metz

Sports Editor

And so it comes, the beginning of a fresh new school year. My favorite day of the year is upon us: Syllabus Day.

A day we'll learn the obligatory essentials. We'll find out attendance is required, plagiarism is prohibited and get a list of books that we're about to get so overcharged it's laughable. Oh, and that book that you just shelled out 130 bucks for in August, is surprisingly, only worth 12 dollars in December. They literally should have security guards escort me out of the book store that day when the lady explains that they're using a new edition next semester.

Now, do me a favor and listen to the number one classroom rule: TURN OFF THAT CELL PHONE. It's just as uncomfortable for me as it is for you when the new Young Jeezy single is blaring from your backpack.

The professor will read the class bible to us, for some odd reason that we some how managed to get into college without reading skills. And in some classes, we'll even get to go through the whole class roster while the teacher butchers every last name.

And who doesn't love when the professor asks if you prefer to be called by another name to let them know. I mean, like it will really break Pat's heart, if he is called by the name on his birth certificate, Patrick. No, in all seriousness, I've always wanted to let them know my name is Ryan, but I prefer Francis Carmichael III.

Oh, and who could forget the greatest part of syllabus day. All the red-blooded, heterosexual males, like myself, scope out the room for the smoking hot girls. We'll try to sit next to them on that second day - just in case for some odd reason we have to learn CPR in Spanish class and we're partnered with the person sitting next to us.

A little tip to all you fellas out there: get a good look, because that same cutie all dressed up, will more than likely be in sweats and an oversized hoody in three weeks till finals.

The professor is about to give the easiest assignment all term: "Alright, I'd like you all to say your name, where you're from and what your major is."

This is after of course they say a little about themselves. And please, I'd like all professors to do this. I've actually had some who just start lecturing without giving us a little insight on what makes them different than Hank, who works the third shift over at Speedway.

But regardless, syllabus day marks a fresh clean slate for the upcoming semester. And smile, because we're all pullin' straight A's.

Published in the PUC Chronicle on Aug. 25, 2008

Keep the ink off of your bodies

Ryan Metz

Sports Editor

A deer, a lobster, and a box of crayons.

All three oddities were permanently tattooed in dark black ink on the right bicep of an attractive, thin, mid-20s woman who was dining in the same restaurant I was in a few weeks ago. Now this isn't the woman you're thinking in your head. The group of people she was sitting with all seemed to be successful (stereotyping people with Steve Madden shoes, ties and blackberries). 

What would possess a woman to have these strange things on her arm for the rest of her life?

And since when did it become a social norm for women to have tattoos all over their bodies?

I think I speak for the majority of the male population in saying: "Keep the ink off your bodies!" 

Think how silly you will look in nine years at little Bobby's soccer game with a right bicep that looks like a drunk Picasso attacked.

The wise words of Vince Vaughn might have put it best in "Wedding Crashers" when he said "Tattoo on the lower back….might as well be a bullseye."

These tramp stamps are often put on during a young girl's life when she thinks butterflies and stars would be the perfect accentuation to her body. That or it was a night of a few too many cranberry and vodkas. But in actuality, nothing spells unoriginal and lame more than these stamps.

I would be a hypocrite if I didn't declare that I have, indeed, dated a few women with the typical tats. A few had the tattoo placed parallel to their hip bones and ...well woman parts. And when asked if I liked the little star a few inches below their jean's waist line, I nodded and replied, "Of course, it looks good." But come on, I agreed for reasons that don't need to be explained.

Yet think of this possible scenario playing out at a job interview with the boss asking the potential employee:

"So Mary, what assets will you give to this company?"

"Well, I have a B.A. in Accounting from an accredited university, I have great interpersonal skills and when I bend over at the company Christmas party I have a lovely tattoo on my lower back that is sure to make everyone cringe with displeasure."

Published in the PUC Chronicle on April 7, 2008

March Madness frenzy

Ryan Metz

Sports Editor

I told my job I had an eye problem. I just couldn't see myself working. 

In my world the first Thursday and Friday of March Madness is a sacred holiday.

Thursday 11:10 a.m. - CBS's Greg Gumbel appears on my television screen and I'm in pure ecstasy. All the hours of bracketelogy that millions of red- blooded Americans put into picking their teams are finally over. It's game time!

11:21 a.m. - Xavier and Georgia is the first game on the docket. Early in the first half CBS analyst Bob Wenzel gives us this dandy: "Georgia's guard Sundiata Gaines leads the team in points, rebounds and assists…. and also sells hot dogs." Brilliant.

11:30 a.m. - CBS takes us to the Michigan State and Temple game. Whoever thought of these 10 minute start intervals with games deserves an award. 

Noon - I escape the games for a moment to grab the mail, knowing that my Sports Illustrated is waiting for me. Its 50 degrees and sunny outside. Spring will have to wait till the tourney is over.

12:30 p.m. - Xavier's 5-foot-7 point guard Drew Lavender graces the cover of SI. However, his Musketeers are getting beat by Georgia 43-32 with 16 minutes to go in the second half. 

I crumble my bracket up and toss it aside.

Xavier proved to be too much winning, 73-61, beating the Bulldogs from Georgia who snuck into the dance after a torrid run, winning the SEC tornado tournament in Atlanta. 

I realize I'm perfect in calling the games thus far, going 3-0. 

I uncrumble my bracket.

1:47 p.m. - The number 11 seeded Kentucky is up early on the number six seeded Marquette, 10-4. My buddy who insists he bleeds Kentucky blue calls me: "This is our year - we're going to be cutting down the nets." (Kentucky went on to lose 74-66)

2:00 p.m. - I check out the action online at CBS.com. All the games can be viewed despite the coating of ads featuring Pontiac, Coca Cola and AT&T.

I realize that the tourney, which is supposedly costing the nation $3 billion in lost productivity as employees watch the games while they're suppose to be working couldn't be any closer to the truth.

3:05 p.m. - My television has the Purdue - Baylor game on with Kent State-UNLV game on my computer. We get four scoreboard icons in the upper-left hand corner of the television screen.

I feel like a 7-year-old walking the aisles at Toys "R" Us.

6:25 p.m. - Michael Beasley and O.J. Mayo get off to slow starts in their clash of freshman phenoms, combining for 12 first half points. 

These games sure do beat a meaningless New York Knick's game which one these two guys could be playing in next year at this time.

8:00 p.m. - Belmont is giving Duke a dogfight. Belmont which is in Nashville, Tenn. is more known for producing country stars such as Brad Paisley and Trisha Yearwood as opposed to beating "big dogs" on the college basketball scene.

10:57 p.m. - The final horn sounds in the last game, UCLA thrashes Mississippi Valley State by 41 points, 70-29.

11:05 p.m. - I flip the channel to get a rundown of any action that I possibly could have missed. Bob Knight looks as good as ever wearing his ESPN sweater: "I'm not a member of the media, I'm just a consultant," he adds.

Perfect day.

Published in the PUC Chronicle on March 24, 2008

Campus shootings a new student concern

Ryan Metz

Sports Editor

Gone are the days when college students worries only involved mid-terms or finding enough change in the bottom of their pockets to pay for books. Now we have to worry about stray bullets.

We are all lulled into a false sense of security as we walk through the hallways we could never imagine being covered in blood.

The horrific images were hard to handle as we watched the scenes unravel at Virginia Tech and more recently Northern Illinois University.

While we might never truly understand the thought process behind these cold-hearted killers, the growing demands of college can certainly be a cause of concern.

"Balancing multiple demands and stressors has an effect on the way people are able to cope," Dr. Kenneth Jackson, the director of counseling at PUC says. "The violent acts that occurred at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois are low in terms of incidents, but are so tragic that it breaks through the shield."

Jackson said we all have mental concerns but mental illness affects only 10 percent of the population. "In the last 15 years - psychotropic medications have made great advances in treating mental health issues that majority of Americans experience," Jackson said.

While the two gunmen stopped taking their medications, a person to turn to for console would have helped.

"If you are seeing distressing behaviors - talk with the person, whether it be a friend, colleague or professor," Jackson says. "Establish a good relationship and let them know that you are concerned and make the appropriate referrals if needed."

College students attending counseling centers last year increased 36 percent. PUC offers good and qualified counseling free of charge, something that won't take place in the workforce after school.

"We assist students to remain in school and address crisis - really hiccups and speed bumps - but if you hit a speed bump and you don't know it's there, you can wreck the car," Jackson said.

Jackson cautions against profiling students that are eccentric or have unusual interests. "That's not an indicator, that's who they are," he said.

Picking up your book bag and heading to school shouldn't ever be something that is frightening, yet it can be now.

Published in the PUC Chronicle on Feb. 25, 2008

Computer labs no longer a place for academia

Ryan Metz

Sports Editor

I walk to the computer lab in the Powers building several times a week. If I'm given a few minutes in between classes, I try to find that little bit of motivation to finish that paper I've been putting off or do some research for the paper.

My eyes wander throughout the dozens of computers and I can't help but notice all the people wasting time playing games or looking at mind-numbing communication utilities such as MySpace or Facebook.

Isn't the computer lab supposed to be a place for focused academia?

If we only would spend as much time skimming through our books and notepads as we do looking at MySpace pictures and Facebook comments, then we would all have our refrigerators filled with papers with big A's at the top.

In this day and age when anything we want to study is simply a fingertip stroke of the key away, is sometimes overwhelming.

We have the capabilities of bringing our whole PowerPoint presentation on a zip drive that fits on a keychain. We can text our friends and family on the other side of the country to see what they're up to and get a response in a mere few seconds. We can carry around enough songs that a DJ would be envious of, on a machine the size of a pack of cards.

Yet we often times abuse the technology and use it when it's inappropriate. Should we really be zoning out a lecture with our headphones and listening to music? Should we really have our laptops on during a speech given by another classmate instant messaging our friends? And why do I feel the urge to change my fantasy football team lineup on my cell phone in the middle of class?

PUC has given us the amenities to facilitate a perfect learning environment and we find it more compelling to play shooter-up games and look at the pictures of your buddy's rad party over the weekend.

The Web site for the main computer lab suggests it's a place that offers students reliable tips and tools to assist with in-class performance and assignments.

Some get to school early and put in long hours, and a few extra minutes when we can put our thinking caps aside certainly shouldn't hurt. But imagine if we can hone our concentration and make that time more meaningful by learning.

But, who am I kidding?

Excuse me while I go finish watching the skateboarding bulldog on YouTube.

Published in the PUC Chronicle on Dec. 10, 2007