Dallas Mavericks Win, But We Lose...

For those who live in the Dallas metro area: Congratulations. You’ve “Won” a national championship. I will stay silent so you can celebrate for the next minute or two...you deserve it....

Having said that, for those who live outside the Dallas metro area: I’m sorry.

I know we’ve all spent the last two weeks rejoicing in harmony, joining hand in hand with other Dallas Maverick fans, due largely in part because of our hatred for the Miami Heat.

And while I understand the hatred for the Heat, I want to make sure everyone understands that the losers of this NBA finals are not the Heat. The losers aren’t the Heat fans, either. The losers are sports fans. So I’m sorry, sports fans.

We’re in the honeymoon stage, when it’s great to hear about Dirk winning a championship, Mark Cuban throwing a parade, and the evil empire that is Miami getting their just desserts. But that good feeling will disappear in a few days when we’re no longer reading about Dallas’ success, but rather hearing about how Miami's failure.

This is the Brett Favre Conundrum. When Favre is at the top of his game, throwing for over 300 yards on Monday Night Football a day after his father passes away, we love talking about Favre. We can’t get enough. We actually enjoy saying his name (even variations of his name).

But when he starts flaking on the Minnesota Vikings and starts taking pictures of his Peyton Man-Thing that’s when we fans do a 180 and turn on Favre. Obviously.

Here’s the problem: When someone as dynamic or as polarizing as Brett Favre is in the news, he’s ALL OVER THE NEWS. So whether it’s good stuff or bad, you’ll be hearing about it for a long time.

That’s what’s going to happen with the Heat. For the next few months, all we’re going to be hearing about is the fractured relationship between Dwyane Wade and LeBron James, the epic joke job in the finals, will LeBron EVER win a title, etc. It’s going to make you sick.

We aren’t going to be talking about the Mavericks, we’re going to be talking about the Heat, for better or for worse. It hasn’t even been 24 hours since the Mavericks won, and look what graces the front page of ESPN.com.

For Karmic purposes, I’m just as happy as the next person that the Heat lost. But over the next few months, I’d much rather hear about their successes rather than their failures. Call me an optimist.

For all of my hatred towards the Yankees, the Heat, Brett Favre, George Bush (the Will Ferrell one), taxes, Yo Gabba Gabba, and Juggalos, I don’t want to hear about why I hate them; I want to hear stories about why I should like them. Otherwise, all we’re doing is reliving the plot to Ghostbusters II, creating negative energy that will destroy New York City...or something like that.

If I have to listen to one version or the other, I’d much rather hear positive stories about people I hate rather than negative ones.* So feel free to celebrate the Mavericks victory today, but be prepared to hear about the Heat for the next few months. You've been warned.

*Except when it comes to Osama Bin Laden, of course. GO AMERICA!

Oregon Essay

Please explain how the Oregon MBA or MAcc program and your preferred curricular track/s will build on your experiences to date and will further your career goals. Tell us not only what you hope to gain from the MBA or MAcc program but also what will you bring to the program and our learning community

I hope to gain a master’s degree from the Oregon MBA Sports Marketing program so that I may someday become the President of Marketing for Major League Baseball Properties Inc. and help gain popularity for baseball not only nationally, but also internationally.

Baseball has always been an important part of my life. Not a day goes by during spring through fall that I’m not talking to my father about the latest Yankees’ game. And while all of my friends are playing fantasy football in November, I’m reading Buster Olney’s free agency reports to help me get ready for fantasy baseball’s next season. Baseball is America’s pastime and I believe it should be watched by every sports fan.

Unfortunately, I am a minority with my fandom. Baseball’s viewership numbers are dwindling every year while other sports’ numbers are improving. I believe baseball can make a comeback with fans, but there needs to be a new approach for how the sport is marketed.

I have been in marketing as far back as when I was eleven, selling magazine subscriptions for a school fundraiser. More recently, I’ve telemarketed Omaha Steaks products and I’ve knocked on doors selling supplemental insurance. I have experimented with nearly every medium of marketing and I’m comfortable performing them all, but I know that there's still plenty to learn about marketing that could help me develop new mediums to help baseball.

I am in awe of all that I could learn from the University of Oregon. Whether I’m learning about product/property development during my first year of studies or interning at a successful sports franchise like the Seattle Seahawks during the summer, I will be learning important strategies that I could use to rejuvenate baseball’s popularity.

Many MBA graduates that get hired into baseball's’ executive office positions have a general knowledge of business that they hope can be applied to sports. With the Oregon MBA Sports Marketing program, I will have obtained marketing knowledge specifically taught for sports like baseball. Since the idea of a sports marketing program is still relatively new, I doubt many graduates from Oregon have tried to fix the MLB’s problems. I will.

Short term, after earning my MBA, I see my first position in the marketing department of either a MLB franchise like the San Diego Padres or at one of the MLB’s promotional projects like the Urban Youth Academy. Combining an Oregon education, my experience in various forms of marketing, and my passion for baseball I believe I will have the skills to be successful in either endeavor. With success there, I hope to move up to the MLBP Inc. so that I may be responsible for promoting baseball worldwide.

I’ve noticed there was no mention of any baseball affiliate included in Oregon’s “street smart” experiences. I hope that my admission into the MBA program along with my aspirations for a position in the MLB front office will help expand Oregon’s future internship reach to include important sports staples like the MLB.

The B1G Ten - What's Not To Love?

Jim Delany is a genius. He’s a saint. He’s a savior.

After being pulled through the mud by Dan Beebe, I’m going to look at just about everything Jim Delany does and assume he’s a mastermind who is looking out for everyone’s best interests. No conspiracies, no favoritism, just peace, love, and harmony.

After all, I’m comparing Delany to the guy who essentially treated us like Jodie Foster in The Accused.* There’s really no way to go but up with Delany. In fact, I feel so comfortable with him already, that I’m willing to stay on a first name basis with him, much like I do with Bo. Jim, you’re a swell guy.

*I should have warned you: Don’t click the link if you get queezy watching either A. a rape scene, or B. Jodie Foster dancing seductively. Also, how ridiculous that the creator of that video titled it "Jodie Foster hot rape scene?!"


Because of this completely understandable man-crush I have on Jim, while Every. Other. Columnist. Was. Laughing. at Jim, I was supporting him 100% on the announcements he made a few days ago concerning the division names and conference trophies for the B1G Ten. There is so much to love about the announcement, I have 1G of them I feel I should share:

Leaders and Legends

1. I’ll be the first to admit, I probably would have hated these names if Nebraska had been a part of the Leaders division, but we’re in the Legends division, and that feels a helluva a lot better than being in the “North” while all the big kids get to be in the “South.” It's like we're actually being treated like an adult.

2. You think you’re having trouble calling divisions Legends and Leaders? Think about how great it will be to hear it on ESPN over and over and over. Let's say Nebraska is leading their division over Michigan in October. Sportscenter isn’t going to say, “Nebraska is atop their division.” They’ll say, “Nebraska is atop the Legends Division.” Nebraska. Legends. Nebraska. Legends. It’s that kind of repetition that’s going to remind the nation, recruits, everyone who Nebraska is/was/will be. Then again, same will be said for Iowa if they ever start winning...but we’ll address when/if it happens.

3. This feels like a good WWE rivalry. Leaders vs. the Legends. Steel Cage Match. You know how you would sometimes root for Big 12 teams vs. other non conference teams just because you wanted the Big 12 to be represented well? (You know, except for this upcoming bowl season.) I have a feeling this will be a microcosm of that. Even though it hurts our chances to win the Legends Division, we’ll secretly root for Michigan to beat Ohio State, for Northwestern to beat Illinois. Sure, we’ll still root for Iowa to lose every game, but for the most part we’ll be rooting for the Legends.

4. I know the SEC has won the last 5 National Championships,** but don’t you get the feeling that this lit a fire under their ass? They’ve dominated college football over the last decade, and yet the B1G Ten*** has the audacity to name themselves the Leaders and Legends? “We’ll see about that!”

**I want this post to hold up in 2011, so I’m just going to give Cam Newton and the Auburn Tigers the trophy already. Like the Heisman ceremony, we know what’s going to happen, so why fight it?

***I will never get tired of typing “B1G Ten”

I never felt like the Big 12 measured up to the SEC. The Big 12 didn’t know what they were suppose to be...up in the North we could have been 3 inches and a cloud of dust, but the South was more of a Run n Gun division. The B1G Ten did the North’s job better, and the SEC did the South’s job better.

Now that Nebraska is in the B1G Ten, we get to be part of an identity, and we get to go up against the rival SEC in at least three bowl games every year. It’ll be the blue collar guys up in the north vs. the good ol’ boys down in the south. A true inter-conference rivalry is about to start...just wait.

5. For anyone who has ever played fantasy football, how can you not love this? After all, when was the last time you created a league and called your two divisions “East” and “West” or “Black Division” and “Blue “Division?” That’s right, you never did that. Instead, you called your divisions “Billy Haywood” and “Jimmy Dugan” (like I did for a fantasy baseball league) or “Turtle Cheesecake Poop” (like Isaac Smith did for a division in fantasy football....don’t ask.)


Conference Trophies

I love trophies.**** WWF Intercontinental Champion, the Stanley Cup, the Heisman? I love them all. For the B1G Ten to create EIGHTEEN OF THEM...that’s me getting a Christmas present early.

****Unless it’s one of those “Participation Awards.” If I were Adam Carolla I’d have a 10 paragraph rant on that. Now do you feel like you’re missing out? Need an Adam Carolla rant? Okay, here you go.

Here are a few of my favorites:

6. Stagg-Paterno Trophy for B1G Ten Championship Game Winner: I don’t really care that they put Paterno’s name on the trophy. They gave Hayes and Schembechler the award for Coach of the Year, so adding Paterno would be sure to mention all of the important coaches in the B1G Ten’s history.

What I love is that when the B1G Ten says they respect history, they really mean it (as opposed to the Big 12, which ignored history immediately when they eliminated the OU-Nebraska game....I’m still bitter.) Not only did Amos Alonzo Stagg win his last B1G Ten championship almost 90 years ago, but he did it with a team that hasn’t been part of the conference since 1946. AND THEY STILL RECOGNIZE HIS CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE CONFERENCE!

To contrast and compare: Earlier this year, in the middle of June, about a day after Nebraska announced they were leaving the Big 12 for the B1G Ten, I went to a UT baseball game. At baseball stadiums, a traditional thing to do is to hoist up flags of every team in the conference along the outer walls in the outfield. This is two freaking days after the announcement and the Colorado and Nebraska flags were already taken down. I went to a Lids store at the mall a day later...you could not find a Husker hat to buy. The Big 12 and their pettiness, Ladies and Gentlemen!

7. Griese-Brees QB of the Year Award: Not only is it fun to say “Greasy-Breeze,” but it’s also fun to think of all the Michigan fans who first heard of the award and thought, “They’re praising Brian Griese and NOT Tom Brady!?!?” only then to find out that the award is based on Brian’s father, Bob, followed by “They’re praising Bob Griese and NOT Tom Brady!?!?” I’m going to have fun with Michigan fans.

8. Ameche-Dayne/Smith-Brown Awards: That’s the fun thing about college awards. Ron Dayne and Courtney Brown can still have their names etched in stone even they were only good when you were up against mainly sophomore and juniors in college. That’d be like giving out the Eric Beck MVP Award to the top player at Elkhorn Middle School....seriously, he was a beast. He was like Spike from Little Giants.

9. Rimington-Pace Offensive Lineman Award: The B1G Ten could have easily left Nebraska out of all the awards, and I would have been fine with that. After all, we haven’t had made a single contribution yet. Consider this as them throwing us a bone. Having said that, not it makes you wonder “Why wasn’t Frazier included for QB of the Year or Phillips as RB of the Year?” (kidding)...I guess we’ll have to settle with Rimington, which I’m okay with. Thanks for thinking of us, Jim!


10. Highlight Videos and Montages: While there are a lot of things I hate about TV Broadcasts of games, one thing I love are old highlight videos. One of the things I was most excited about for the Nebraska-OU game was going to be all of the nostalgic videos they’d play throughout the game, highlighting the history those two teams shared (Like this obligatory video shown every time the Huskers and the Sooners play).

You know they’re going to do that throughout the B1G Ten championship game, right? They’ll show old footage of Tony Dungy playing QB and Morten Andersen kicking in his 20’s. I’m giddy for it all.

And if they ever show footage of Woody Hayes at his finest, I’ll be happy about that too.

And it wouldn't be the B1G Ten without the following:

11. Did you ever notice how Jim Delaney...

12. Looks a lot like Sam The Eagle?

Teams of Girlfriends Past

Like the title of this post, the Big 12 needed a lot of work. If the league had been formed in 2010, things might have been different. After a decade of dormancy, Nebraska would have acted like Kansas and Iowa State and would have been grateful to receive Texas money and maybe wouldn’t have been so bitter that they didn’t get to play Oklahoma every year.

Or rather, with another 14 years of OU-Nebraska games, there might have been a cross-over game like the SEC started in 2002 and the Big Ten followed suit on this year. (Supposedly OU didn’t want a cross-over game with Nebraska back in 1995, but more on that later.)

But, the league was formed in 1994, when Nebraska was the popular jock and didn’t really make too big of a fuss about not playing Oklahoma and didn't care about any of the other things that Nebraska gave up when they welcomed the survivors from the Southwest Conference. (I purposely omit the things Nebraska gave up because, let’s be honest, I still have no idea what the blankity blank blank* is and I don’t care. We’re moving on to greener pastures, baby!

*I seriously spent 10 minutes trying to figure out what the “blankity blank blank” was but I couldn’t remember the official term. It’s that student exemption thing that Texas wanted...my brain hurts just thinking about A. How little I’ve care about it over the past 14 years, and B. How much time I’ve cared bout it in the past 10 min.

That’s right, greener pastures, Big Ten Country. If Nebraska is breaking up with the Big 12 and all of its remaining members, then that means Nebraska is settling down and getting married to the Big Ten. And if that’s the case, it’s only natural that we take a moment and look back on all of our past girlfriends of the Big 12...and forget them immediately after.**

**Because football is all that matters. As far as I’m concerned, all of these future basketball and baseball games vs. A&M and Missouri are “non-conference” games.

Disclaimer: For the following analogies, I’ll be under the assumption that Nebraska is the male. Erin Hartigan, I expect you to follow this post up with your own version as Nebraska being the female.

Baylor: The Rebound

Always there for us when we needed a pick me up, never let us down. Most of the time she just laid there, but every time we got our victory nonetheless. And that’s all you can ask for out of a girl like Baylor.

Colorado: The Obsessive Stalker

Colorado wanted a relationship with Nebraska...soooooo bad. Unfortunately, Nebraska wanted nothing to do with the battery throwing, tire-slashing, obsessive fans of Colorado. We almost got as fed up with Colorado trying to make this rivalry happen as much as Regina George got fed up with Gretchen. Just stop, Colorado. You’ve embarrassed yourself enough. (As have I after posting a Mean Girls clip...next clip will be something manly, I promise.)

And I don’t want to get into any conspiracies here, God knows we’ve started a few too many this year... But I’m told the main reason why Colorado left for the Pac-10 was because of Nebraska’s restraining order demanding that they play a majority of their games further west.

Iowa State: The Thankful Fat Chick

Yes, we’ve had sexual relations with a fat chick, once a year in fact. We’re not ashamed to admit it. Thing is, she was just always so good to us and never tried to start a fight. She knew exactly what our relationship was, and there’s something to be said for that.

She knew Nebraska would make a business stop in Ames, or she be in Lincoln for a weekend (“Just to get out of Ames,” she’d always say.) And of course, we’d do our thing, but she never expected more. She was just always so thankful that we gave her some attention.

I didn’t hear one Iowa State fan bitch about Nebraska leaving for the Big Ten. I imagine their mentality was the same as Alvy Singer's in Annie Hall. They understand Nebraska wants to be in another club. They’re just thankful for the time we had.

Oklahoma State: The Ugly Sister

To be honest, we only played Oklahoma State because we wanted to get to her sister, Oklahoma, our true love.

Sure, she was fun for a while, we shared a few good games together. But she was an afterthought compared to the beautiful Sooner.

I’ve never met anyone who has been to Stillwater and I’ve never met anyone who said, “we’re Oklahoma State’s rival!” No one wants to date Oklahoma State. She’s the Ugly Sister, and maybe someday she’ll write murder mystery novel...or she’ll collect a lot of cats. Either way, I just hope she finds happiness.

Texas Tech: The Schizophrenic

We never knew what kind of woman we’d be dealing with when we’d meet up. The explosive firecracker that’d put up 50 points, or the dormant pushover that they were suppose to be.

It was too much stress dealing with Texas Tech, and Mike Leach. Never once did we go into a game thinking, “I can’t wait to play the Red Raiders!”

Instead, all I could think was, “I really hope she doesn’t try to kill me after we have dessert.”

Kansas: The Woman From Venus

You knew this relationship wasn’t going to work on any level. You liked corn on the cob, football, and Arrested Development. She liked wheat bread, basketball, and Two and a Half Men. Still, you tried to make it work.

But it was like when you watch a movie she wants to watch, even though you know from the get-go that you’re going to hate it (“13 Going on 30”) or it's like you trying to drag her to a baseball game, only she ends up texting for 3 hours and doesn’t watch a single pitch because “the game is soooo boring.”

Nebraska fans always got pumped when KU game to town for a basketball game, but by the time the game was over, every Nebraska fan wondered why they spent money to watch their team get repeatedly raped by the Jayhawks. Vice-Versa for the football games in Lawrence.

Nebraska wanted to be good in basketball, KU wanted to be good in football. But in the end, it was just too obvious that Nebraska was from Mars and Mark Mangino ate a lot of Mars bars.

Texas A&M: The Jerry Seinfeld Complex

On the surface, this was a match made in heaven. We both like the same things: football, tradition, strong fan base, tailgating. I really didn’t see this relationship coming, but when it first happened, it felt like something special. It felt just like when Jerry met his fiance, Janeane Garafalo of all people.

But then, time passed and we realized exactly what Jerry realized (5:55 mark): there can only be one of me or I’ll be sick of it. JA&M fans were too proud of their school, thought their tradition was better than ours, and how DARE they think the 12th man is better than the Sea of Red. Sorry, A&M, you can be the Nebraska of the South, but that’s as far as this relationship can go.

Kansas State: The 7th Grade Girlfriend

Have you ever looked back on your younger years and thought, “Jesus, I can’t believe I dated her?” It’s funny to think about now. You look back on it and think, “Aw, I didn’t know any better. Plus, at the time she was reallly cute!”

But as the years passed and you two fell apart, she has since packed on a few pounds and just recently left her abusive relationship with her supposed Prince, only to get back together with Bill (seen here, not knowing where he is), an older man who only came back because he realized he had no where else to go. You know all of this because for some reason you’re both friends on Facebook even though you haven’t had a meaningful conversation in about 8 years.

Still, you remember the good times you had making out behind the Jungle Gym, giving each other promise rings, and you smile and laugh about the innocence of the whole relationship.

And then you remove her from your friends list.

Missouri: The S.T.D. (Severely Traumatizing Delusionist)

I want to talk about Missouri. I really do. But like the one ex-girlfriend who all of your friends hate and still rag on, you feel guilty bashing on her more than your friends already do. After all, you just found the woman of your dreams who you’re going to spend the rest of your life with...and it turns out that woman was the same one Missouri had a crush on for years. (Yes, turns out Missouri is a dike.)

So instead, you just let all of your friends do all of the trash talking...talking about how Missouri is a classless hypocritical bitch who thinks she deserves more than she’s ever earned. And how she’ll forever be remembered by Nebraska fans as “the one with the armpit hair.”

You know, that kind of talking.

Texas: The Sadistic Heartbreaker

This one will always hurt the most. While we’re able to look back fondly at our relationship (sometimes) with Oklahoma, we can’t help but feel anger and resentment over Texas, the one who stole away our girl. (Yes, Texas is a dike, too. Only much more butch with a nose ring.)

Sad thing is we tried over and over again to make this relationship work, but Texas was all about herself. She didn’t care about us at all, and at times I think she didn’t even know we existed. Forget the fact that we have more Heisman winners and more National Championships than her***, she still thinks she’s better than us.

***Sidenote: Did you know Texas only has one THREE National Championships? Techinically, 4, but the one they won in 1970 was awarded to them BEFORE they played their bowl game vs. Notre Dame, WHICH THEY LOST! Dan Beebe was on the Championship committe, I think.

Oklahoma: The One That Got Away

I’ve been on a big Woody Allen kick as of late (See: Clip from Above). Because of this kick, I’ve discovered Mia Farrow, when she looked like THIS and not This.. same thing for Diane Keaton (seen young and seen old.)

Honestly, that’s how I feel about Oklahoma. I grew up watching Oklahoma as a pushover to Nebraska. I barely even remember the Thanksgiving day games. But I heard stories and I’ve seen clips about how it used to be such a romantic relationship and how we used to be the Jennifer Aniston/Brad Pitt of our day. (Which would make Texas Angelina Jolie, only that in this story, Angelina steals Jennifer away from Brad, which would have been soooo much better.)

Sadly, we grew apart and by the time I got to enjoy the relationship, Oklahoma had turned into old Mia Farrow.

What’s worse, though, is that after the Big 12 formed and we had broken up, Oklahoma started to turn from Diane Keaton into Diane Lane. (No need to post a picture of Diane Lane...I know every guy can summon up a mental picture of her in a millisecond)

I feel cheated by the whole thing. I spend my younger years dating old Keaton/Farrow, and then Texas gets to run off with Diane Lane.

Maybe my dad can look at Oklahoma fondly, as the one who got away. But I look at Oklahoma as the fat woman who suddenly lost all of her weight, turned hot, and then married the guy I always hated in high school.

I always thought it was Texas’ fault that we broke up, that Texas had stolen away our true love. Turns out, when discussions were had back in 1994 about how scheduling would work, OU said they didn’t want to play Nebraska in a crossover game (as it would be just one more hard game for them to play every year.) So basically, OU knew they were about to go on the Jenny Craig diet, and dumped Nebraska just as soon as she starting counting calorie points. I feel cheated.****

****When I first thought about writing this post, I remember thinking I was going to be very romantic writing about Oklahoma... I guess the bitter ex-lover in me took over. Having said that, I’ll miss you most of all, Oklahoma. You broke my heart. You broke my heart.

The Rejection Letter

Disclaimer: Before this letter becomes uplifting, the first few paragraphs sound a little somber. To get through them, I suggest watching the following video:

Now, on with the sombering...

It is with great sadness and disappointment I announce that my application to the Oregon MBA program has been denied. In what was described as a “Soft Deny,” the rejection was given to me via e-mail (just as all acceptances are given) and in the e-mail I was wished the best of luck in my next “endeavor.”

I’m writing about this rejection because I can’t see myself enjoying repeated conversations about why I was denied and what went wrong. There are so many people who helped me through this process and so many more who sent well wishes that I feel it’s my responsibility to make sure everyone gets to be informed. I don’t want to be that guy who hides in denial and says, “I don’t want to talk about it.” So instead, consider this as me talking about “it.”

WHY I GOT REJECTED

In nearly every grad school conversation I had with a friend or relative, I was told that I would get accepted. I’d say half of the time this was said because that’s just what you say to keep one’s spirits up, whether you think they’ll get in or not, which I appreciated. Afterall, if someone had acted like Stilwell Angel, I probably would have responded just like Jimmy Dugan, only I would have thrown something harder than a mitt.

The other half of my “you’ll get accepted” comments happened probably because those giving the comments were unaware of either A. What’s Required by Grad Schools or B. The Red Flags in My Application. So let me go into detail for you:

What’s Required by Oregon

1. Minimum GPA of 3.0: After speaking to a few MBA students, their GPA’s ranged from 3.3-3.7.

2. Minimum GMAT score of 600: After speaking to a few MBA students, their scores ranged from 670-720.

3. Work Experience Minimum of 2 years: Mean is 4 years

The good news for me was that I qualified, even if just barely, for the following criteria. That meant that it was good enough for me to garner an interview. Had I just graduated from college, or had I only scored a GMAT score of 560 (Translation: Had I not studied and suffered major brain damage right before the test) then I wouldn’t have even been considered. My GPA of 3.2 and my GMAT of 710 and my just barely 2 years of work experience were enough to at least get a consideration during my interviews. While my GMAT score was above average, my GPA and work experience was not. 1 out of 3 isn’t exactly ideal. Especially considering that I technically had only 1 1/2 years of real full time work experience plus 1 year of being a server. I imagine that the only time holding a server position or something of lower standards is overlooked is when your name is Will Hunting. Also, the mean age of students accepted into Oregon’s MBA program is 27. So if work experience wasn’t holding me back, age experience surely wasn’t helping. And don't call my age experience Shirley.

Red Flags in my Application

1. GPA, or more specifically, my Transcript

On the surface, my GPA is above their minimum and should be considered acceptable. Would it have been nice to have a 3.5 or a 3.6 GPA? Obviously, but a 3.2 was nothing I should have been scared about, especially with a 710 GMAT score to counter it. But it was how I got to the 3.2 that drew red flags. Let me explain:

I was a terrible student in college. Heck, I was a terrible student in high school. Only difference was that my high school classes were still easy enough that I could get A’s and B’s without having to do much work or much studying. A 3.86 high school GPA could have easily been a 4.0+ GPA if I had put in a little extra work. But when you’re still getting into all of the AP classes without having to do much work, where’s the incentive to study more or work harder? You know, unless you can see past high school and you aspire for scholarships and entry into elite collegiate institutions. Which I didn’t.

Fast forward to college. Classes got harder, but I stayed just as complacent. Two years of schooling went by and I still held a 3.29 GPA. So I was at least still getting by...But then Southwestern happened.

Those who know me well know about Southwestern. For those who don't: In short, it’s a program that recruits college kids to sell educational books door to door in a different part of the country. It’s an amazing internship that, if applied to your life correctly, can give you the extra edge on your resume once you graduate college. The way you apply it to your life correctly is if by still working hard in college and use the Southwestern Experience as a Bonus Card in the game of life. I, on the other hand, used it as my only card.

The semester I returned from Southwestern, I went into a tailspin. I kept thinking about how the Southwestern program was going to change my life and how college was only of secondary importance compared to the experience I was getting by “owning my own business.” ***Disclaimer: Southwestern does not train you to think this way. As far as I know, I’m the only schmuck who thought this way. I take full responsibility for every decision I made.***

During the first 2 years, pre-Southwestern, I had a transcript with 0 withdrawals and a 3.29 GPA with 65 Credit Hours attempted, 65 completed.

During the following 2 years that I was involved with Southwestern, my transcript read as follows: 8 Withdrawals, 2 fails. 60 attempted Credit Hours, 30 completed. By the time the semester was over, I had 3 Withdrawals and 2 Fails. To say that Southwestern played a part in my tailspin is unfair. To say that my dependence on Southwestern played a part in my tailspin is extremely accurate.

By the end of 4 years of college, I still had a 3.17 GPA, but I had plenty of reason for Oregon to believe I was not a motivated student. I had hoped that my final semester of college, the one I finally took seriously, along with my GMAT score (which is not easy to get unless you work and study hard) would help sway their decision, but I guess it didn’t.

My first Red Flag took a word document's page-worth to explain. To say it may have played a part in Oregon’s decision to deny me would be a vast understatement.

2. Work Experience

This one is easier to explain. I simply haven’t worked enough. More specifically, as an applicant for an MBA in Sports Marketing, I simply haven’t worked enough in the sports world. My first 16 months post college I spent selling insurance. The following 10 months consisted of being a server while interning in the sports department of a weekly newspaper. To accept me with that type of resume would have meant Oregon thought my GPA and GMAT score made me way too impressive to pass over. And as I’ve discussed already, that clearly wasn’t the case.

During my visit to Oregon, I met a few first year MBA students and I spent enough time with them to pick their brains on their GPA, GMAT and work experience. GPA and GMAT lined up (although they probably didn’t have 8 withdrawals during college), but their work experience was far more impressive. One guy had worked in the ticket office for a minor league baseball team in Portland, Maine (Go Sea Dogs!) and another had worked 3 years for the PGA.

I had 8 months of experience writing a blog and setting up a weekly calendar of events.

3. My Interview

There were two men I interviewed with: Paul, the jolly recruiter who just wanted to make sure I’d fit in with the rest of the students and who ultimately made the final decision whether to accept me, and Andrew, the stoic German whose main job was to take a look at my transcript and resume to determine if I was capable of handling 2 years of MBA classes.

The Paul Interview went great. In the short time I was with him I believe we developed a good relationship that I expect to grow even after my rejection. (More on that later.)

The Andrew Interview felt like a lost cause. I was honest with my reasoning for my Ws and Fs in college; my reasoning being that I was an irresponsible kid. I should have talked more about the Southwestern Effect, but it probably would have sounded like I was blaming Southwestern, and that I was not taking responsibility for my mistakes. I also had very little to show that I’m a different person now than I was then, except for my GMAT score. For a man who only cared about the numbers, and not the reasons, Andrew was probably not that convinced about my abilities.

3 Red Flags, 3 Strikes and I’m out. That’s how I’m looking at it. 1 strike can be forgiven, 2 strikes can be overlooked, but 3 strikes without any good cuts (Baseball reference) is too big of a risk when there are probably other more qualified candidates. I’ve accepted this and am ready to move on.

THE SILVER LINING: Moving On

In today’s world, you don’t receive your initial admissions notice by physical mail. You don’t get the 10-15 seconds that send millions of thoughts racing thru your head while you open up the envelop. Instead, you receive an e-mail and the first 10 words of the e-mail are immediately available before you even notice who the e-mail is from. Before I could even see the e-mail was from Andrew, the stoic German, all I saw was “Dear Will, I apologize in advance, for this is obviously...” I knew what I was in for before I even opened the message.

But I did not act like I thought I would. I didn’t get angry, I didn’t get bitter, I didn’t cry. Yes, for about 30 seconds I could feel my heart beating faster than usual, but I think that would have happened if I had been accepted, possibly for a longer period of time. I didn’t get up and pace around the room, wondering what I was going to do with my life. I didn’t get in my car and turn to the nearest bar or liquor store, either. Instead, I did the only thing I felt confident doing successfully. I pulled my MacBook from the counter to my lap, and I wrote.

I wrote e-mails to both Paul and Andrew thanking them for the opportunity. The e-mails were gracious and never hinted at resentment. In the e-mails, I asked both of them for help and advice. I asked Paul for help on improving work experience as I know he has plenty of contacts and also offered to help anyone who was rejected, assuming they asked for help. I asked Andrew how to improve my grades. I knew there was nothing I could do about my past, but I know there’s something I can do to put my past behind me. But in order to do that, I know I’ll need Andrew watching me do that every step of the way.

Yes, I’m asking both Paul and Andrew for help because today begins the first day of my quest to be accepted into the Oregon MBA program for 2012. This year I may have failed in my attempt to gain admittance to the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center, but I have not quit to eventually be accepted.

There are plenty of things I know I’ll have to change about my life in the coming months. I’ll have a clearer picture of what those things are as soon as I have a conversation or two with Paul and Andrew. New job, almost certain. Relocation, I wouldn’t be surprised. Take a few post graduate classes, I’m expecting to do so. I’ve set plenty of goals in my life that I've given up on after I fail the first time. But not this time, not anymore.

But to show I’m not stubborn, I will likely cast a larger net next year. Applying to multiple colleges like San Diego State (absolutely) and South Florida (possibly) will help me stay out of a tunnel vision that could drive me crazy. Basically, I don’t want to be the guy who continually gets rejected by the same gorgeous woman and goes crazy only because he forgot about all of the other pretty girls who’d love to date him. And San Diego State is a very pretty woman.

Other Possible Changes to the Following Year:

1. Pull a Rudy: Wear an Oregon bomber jacket until I get accepted. Chances of Happening: 15%

2. Pull a Rudy Part 2: Be a groundskeeper for Autzen Stadium and befriend the head black janitor who uses double negatives in motivational speeches. Chances of Happening: 5 foot nothin’ %

3. No Drinking: I need a constant during the year to show I’m serious about attending Oregon. For me, I see nothing more convincing than no alcohol until I’m accepted. This is not a “I’m done drinking forever.” That’s stupid and unrealistic. This is not “my life is in a tailspin and I need to change some things” stance. Quitting alcohol would not fix that, although I’m sure quitting would help in that type of situation. It’s simply a “I need a constant.” I need something to remind me, day by day over the next year, why and what it is I’m trying to accomplish. This will be the hardest, but most satisfying goal to accomplish. Yep, I’m aware I’m against the odds. I have both history and present/future temptations to suggest I’ll fail. All I know is that last night, when I received my rejection, I could have easily chosen to grab a six pack and drown in my sorrows. Instead, I went straight to work on my 2012 goals. Chances of Happening: 100% I’ve already purchased my bottle of Dom Perignon 2000 to celebrate getting accepted. Chances of Failing: 80%

4. Send Oregon a Montage Video of me working hard to reach my goals like Rocky did in Rocky, Rocky II, Rocky III and Rocky IV. Chances of Happening: Rocky - 4%, Rocky II - 10%, Rocky III - 40% (If I move towards the beaches), Rocky IV - 75% (If I move to Russia)

Lastly, thank you to everyone who helped me out during this process. Gina, Mark, Brenton, Tyler, my family, everyone who helped motivate me during the past 10 months. I hope you continue to do so over the next 12 months, as they'll likely be harder and more grueling than that last 12.

Wish me luck, and I'll be sure to give updates as the year progresses.

Points Format Explained

Before we drafted on Monday, Brett and I were discussing changing the format of the league from a categories league (like Baseball) to a points league (like Fantasy Football.) I had read from various sports columnists, namely Bill Simmons and Matthew Berry, two Basketball nerds, that a Points System was the best way to play Fantasy Basketball. They didn't go into too much detail, they just said it was.

We ended up not switching from categories to points because at the time I A)Couldn't figure out a points format that accurately reflected players rankings compared to ESPN's player Rater and B) Couldn't convince Brett why it's better for us to do a Points format rather than a Categories league.

So we did the draft as a categories league, but I was convinced we could still mak

e this a Points League and that it'd be better for the overall enjoyment of the league.

In order to make the switch, post-draft, I knew the following things had to happen:

1. I needed to come up with a formula that accurately depicted the important aspects of basketball player. (I looked forever online for the format that Simmons/Berry used in a Fan League they did 2 years ago, but to no avail. Strangely, there are no Google-able points formats that I could find. Go figure.)

2. Said formula needed to match up so that the Points Projection Values of players was

damn near identical to what we all drafted for the Categories Projection Values. If it wasn't, then obviously we'd all be pissed off that we drafted a guy who's value is no longer what we drafted it as.

3. I needed to convince you guys that a points format is going to be much more fun than Categories.

I think I've done all three.

1. THE POINT FORMULA

Here’s the point formula, followed by explanation:

FG Made: 2.5, FG Missed: -2

FT Made: 1, FT Missed: -2

3pt Made: 2, 3pt Missed: -.5

Rebounds: .5

Assist: 1, Steals: 1

Blocks: 1.5

Turnovers: -5

Points: .35 per point scored

You can see how it looks here: (full picture seen via this link)

The link you see is the 2009-2010 Stats from the League Average for a team.

On average, every team scored 9217 points, 645 steals, etc. In theory, that means the average player who plays 82 games scores 768 points in a season (9217/12) and so on.

Using that average, I set up the points so that each category would have a weighted value to make up a players points every night.

As you can see from the link, these are how the stats are weighted:

FG%: 5.31%

FT %: 7.46%

3pt%: 12.19% (FG% + 3pt%)

Reb/Assists: About 20% each

Steals/Blocks/Turnovers (6-7% each, with Turnovers having a negative affect)

Points: 33%

The three main stat categories everyone cares about, Points, Assists and Rebounds are weighted the highest. Since Points are what wins games, it makes sense it has 1/3 of all weight points. 3pt% giv

es value to the stat fantasy nerds pay close attention to, 3pt specialists. Anyone who thinks there are blocks specialists is wrong. They are rebound specialists who can also block. Blocks don’t translate to gaining possession, rebounds do. If there’s any debate with the point values, just take each stat and compare the two and it tends to work out.

For instance, what would you rather have: 9 points scored (3.15 value points) or 2 blocks? (3.0 value points)? It can be argued that it’s close, but I think everyone would take the 9 points, right? Also, while I’d rather have a Steal than a Block, Steals happen more often than blocks, so the fact that you only get 1 point vs. 1.5 is countered by the occurances of a steal.)

That’s the formula, I hope it wasn’t too confusing. If it was...the 2nd point is what will make the most sense.

2. WHY THE SWITCH WON’T DRASTICALLY AFFECT PLAYERS VALUES

I took the top 50 Paid for Players in our draft. From Kevin Durant ($170) to John Wall ($22). I took all of their 2011 ESPN Projected Per/Game stats and plugged those stats into the formula.

Here’s what the top 42 would look like based on the projections. (Also can be seen as a bigger picture via this link)

The bold number at the end tells you what that player would score per game if he were to do exactly what ESPN projects him to do.

As you can see, it’s fairly in line with what we drafted. The only blips are, what I’d argue to be, people either overpaying or under paying for players.

For instance, based on ESPN projections, I clearly overpaid for Stephen Curry. That’s evident in the points format, but I think it’s probably true in the categories, too. Thing is, I think he’ll be better than the projections and I expect that he’ll be right in line with what I paid for him when the season’s over.

Other guys who might have been overvalued: Tyreke Evans (ROY but it’s not like he’s the 16th best player in the league, right?), Jason Kidd (who is almost a corpse) and Ray Allen (See: Kidd, Jason and/or his Game 7 Finals performance last year)

Supposed steals from the draft: David Lee (Guy was 6th on the Player Rater--using the category format--last year and goes as the 24th highest paid player in the auction...that’s a steal), Brook Lopez ( 11th in PR last year), and Boozer (13th PR last year)

All of the steals line up, and all of the overvalued guys line up.

Even in ESPN.com’s Love/Hate column it lines up. Guys who are expected to do bad, but the experts think will be good include Kidd and Evans, which means the projections should be lower than what their actual stats will be. Vice versa with David Lee and Boozer, and Bosh.

What I’m trying to say is, the draft would have gone pretty much the same way had we done points.

And less face it, this being the first Auction for many of us, it’s not like we had the bidding process down to a Science anyway, right? So we shouldn’t really over think the idea that we would have drafted any differently if it were a points league. Right?

3. WHY WE SHOULD SWITCH NOW

I’ve used the following tagline when talking to Brenton and Brett, and I think it’s perfect. When you play a points format in basketball, “Every game matters.” Hell, not only every game, but every play.

With categories, say you’ve got someone like Dwight Howard on your team, but you’re near the end of the week and you’re dominating in Rebounds and Blocks, but are behind in assists. You know Dwight’s your best player, but you shuffle around your roster and reluctantly substitute Howard for in Jose Calderon because Mo has 6.9 assits per game to Howards 1.9. That substitution was not a smart strategy move, but a RELUCTANT strategy move. You pretty much had no choice.

That night, Howard goes off for 25 boards and records 5 blocks. He’s on your bench, so it doesn’t matter, but even if he was starting it still wouldn’t have mattered because you were already up in those categories. All of ESPN is talking about the Dwight Howard game, but you couldn’t care less because you were just going for Calderon’s 6 assists.

In a points format, Howard’s game mattered. He performed better than Calderon (assuming Calderon didn’t go off for 50 points or something that night.) In fact, when you were watching the game, every time Howard got a rebound you said, That’s another .75 points! Sure, it doesn’t slip off the tongue very smoothly, but isn’t that more fun? When every single thing your player does during a game is exciting?

Even when Howard’s at the line, you cringe because you know every FT he misses is going to cost you 2 points, but every one he makes gets you 1.35 points (FT made plus Point Scored.) It’s a 3.35 swing on every Free throw. When even the top player (Durant) scores only 30 points a game, 3.35 for just one Free Throw is a pretty big deal!

Sidenote: You still shouldn’t be discouraged by Howard’s low FT%, seeing as how his other stats more than make up for it, he’s projected to be in the top 10 for points scoring under the Formula.

LASTLY, I've heard that categories works in baseball, so it should work in basketball, too. That's just wrong. Categories works in baseball because all of the stats are intertwined with each other. For example, when Ryan Howard his a 3 run homer, not only does he get a notch in the HR category, but he gets one in the R category, 3 in the RBI category, and he improves his AVG and OBP. A pitcher who gets 10 Ks probably had a low enough WHIP, ERA and had a good chance to get a QS and the W.

In basketball, when Dwight Howard gets a rebound, he doesn't improve any of his percentages nor does he also get a notch in the Steals, Assists, or Points categories. Sure, a rebound might lead to an easy basket or an assist, but those things aren't guaranteed, whereas they are in baseball.

With a points system, the stats would essentially be intertwined like baseball (because all points from each category would funnel into the same final result: Total Point Value.

That’s a lot to take in, I know, but at least consider it. We can do categories, but I swear the league will be more enjoyable, day by day, especially near the end of each matchup, if we do a points format. Come on, say yes!

An Open Letter to Niles Paul

Dear Niles Paul,

First of all, I want to apologize to you. On behalf of Husker Nation, I apologize for the unsportsmanlike conduct we supposedly laid upon you after the 20-13 loss to the Texas Longhorns, better known as the New York Yankees to our Pedro Martinez. While alcohol is no excuse, I’m fairly certain that a majority of hurtful comments slung your way came from those who were a little inebriated. After all, if the game on Saturday didn’t drive every Husker fan to drink heavily, I don’t know what will. No matter how intoxicated a college football fan is, he/she should never act the way we did to you, especially if that fan is wearing the Scarlett and Cream. I’m sorry.

This is me defending you. This is me trying to stand behind you, because you are a student athlete and you’re just trying to play a game. I get that. However, you should know that it’s going to get increasingly hard to defend you when an article like this shines a light on how oblivious you might be towards fans and their investment in a team, especially to one like Nebraska.

First, let’s start with an easy one:

After De-Activating Your Facebook Account after a few negative messages:

“I can’t deal with that. People kinda using me as a scapegoat. Saying mean things to me on Facebook for making a mistake that receivers make.”

It would be nice if you would clarify what “mistake” it is you’re referring to. Are you referring to dropping two passes that likely would have gone for touchdowns? If so, sure we probably shouldn’t be putting all of the blame on you, especially since Rex Burkhead and Brandon Kinnie both dropped passes that also would have gone for touchdowns. More importantly, there were plenty of other problems during the game that led to us losing. (See: Zac Lee/Taylor Martinez controversy)

So true, we shouldn’t blame you for that mistake. However, Burkhead and Kinnie didn’t make this crucial mistake last week, when you complained about not getting the ball enough.

“If you put the ball up and let me go get it, I’m going to go get it.There’s going to be a game where it’s going to come down to passing to win the game. Just hopefully, coach (Shawn) Watson trusts us and puts the game in our hands. We’ll make plays to win it.”

Your words, not ours.

All we want you to do is man up to your words. Accept responsibility and say, “Yes, I said that we could be trusted to win a game. Unfortunately, we let our team down today when we couldn’t do that.” It’s the Tim Tebow Move. Man up, apologize, and then promise you’ll improve. Then again, you’ll then have to back up to that promise, like Tebow did, or you’ll look like an even bigger failure who can’t keep his word.

Now here’s the concept you really need to understand, and Tebow said it best in his Pledge:

“To the fans and everybody in Gator Nation, I’m sorry.”

Here’s what you said:

“I have to realize I'm not playing for the fans.”

You aren’t? Really? I hate to go on the old tired rant that’s given by every passionate sports fan, but, without the fans, there is no team. When Nebraska brings all of their highly touted recruits to the Texas game, they do it for two reasons: 1) To showcase the teams performance against a quality team and 2)To showcase the fans who they will be playing in front of for every home game. Maybe I’m a little delusional in this belief, but I am confident that one reason recruits will come to the middle of the country, Lincoln, Nebraska, is for the opportunity to play in front of 90,000 dedicated fans who love to watch them play.

If the only reason you came to Nebraska was so that you could play under Bill Callahan then I’m clearly trying to talk some sense into the wrong person.

“I have to realize I’m not playing for the fans.”

For now, you are playing for the fans, Niles. When you go to the pros, you’re playing for the Benjamins. In the mean time, you are playing for the fans. You’re not playing for a contract, you’re playing for a community. You’re playing for a lifestyle. You’re playing for a passionate group of fans who only want to see you succeed. With your comment, you told us that we don’t matter and that you plan on shutting us off for the rest of the year.

Of all the Facebook comments we made, of all the “you sucks” we might have said in the heat of the moment during/after the game, your comment was the most hurtful thing said during this whole soap opera. Understand that, and maybe we can move on.

Until then, you’re the one who has disowned us, not the other way around.