A Great Life Taken to Soon

Tragedy struck the MLB last week. On early Sunday morning last week (9/25/2016) 24 year old Miami Marlins pitching phenom Jose Fernandez crashed his boat, killing himself as well as the two others on board. Although Jose was an upcoming star in his sport, it is what Jose did off the mound that makes his death even a more of a devastating loss not only for his teammates and fans, but society as a whole.

Jose Fernandez was born in Cuba during the reign of Fidel Castro (Dictator). At the age of 12, Jose and his family (Mother and sister) unsuccessfully attempted to defect from Cuba resulting in jail time for 12 year old Jose. Fernandez was released from jail at the age of 14. However, his time in jail did not take away his courage and perseverance as Jose and his family successfully defected from Cuba shortly after Jose's release from jail; it was their 3rd attempt.  Even though their 3rd attempt was successful it was not an easy journey for Jose and his family. During the ride from Cuba to Mexico his mother fell overboard. The story told by his family is that at the time Jose did not know it was his mother that fell overboard, he just saw someone drowning in the middle of the ocean. So what did Jose do? You guessed it, he jumped right into the water to save what he thought was a stranger. He risked his life for someone at the time he thought he did not even know. Many players and fans that came in contact with Jose all say how he was one of the most out going people they have ever met and to me this story perfectly exemplifies this idea. Jose's story still does not end their.

When Jose Fernandez entered the United States he barely spoke english, had no money, and knew only a couple people besides his family. Because of these circumstances, Jose dedicated his life to baseball and became one of the top prospects by his senior year in High School. I do not know all the details, but his senior year Fernandez was ruled ineligible to pitch for various reasons. In his High School days Jose had performed so well that he gained interest from multiple MLB teams. After he was ruled ineligible some of these teams try to seize an opportunity to sign him as an international free agent. At the age of 17 Jose Fernandez was offered a contract with a signing bonus of 1.3 million dollars by the Cincinnati Reds. However, Jose declined and decided to finish his high school education. Can you imagine that? Someone who at the time probably didn't have $500 to his name saying no to 1.3 million dollars. This is my favorite story about Jose because it demonstrates that their are more important things than money.

I think every upcoming athlete should learn from Jose Fernandez because he is a star on and off the mound. He demonstrates great moral characteristics such as perseverance, courage, dedication, and humility. Now a days many young adults are jumping at the first professional organization that offers them a contract even though it may not be in their best interest. These contract offers do not just ruin their education, but also friendships, true character, and ego's. I personally experienced this with one of my good middle school and early high school friends. I do not want to bore you with a long personal story so I will make it quick. I met Andy McGuire in the 7th grade, he was in 8th. He was a very good baseball player and like Jose caught the eye of MLB teams in high school. At the end of his junior year Andy was projected to be a top 10 draft pick. However unlike Jose he let the possibility of fame and fortune change him. Long story short he became arrogant and lazy; his MLB dreams fell through and now instead of going to a top school  for his education he is stuck at junior college and does not even play baseball anymore. My friend as well as many other kids weather they play sports or not could really learn from Jose Fernandez and that is why his death is a loss to society. Who knows what other great lessons this young superstar could have taught us if his life was not taken pre-maturely.  

The Power of the Sponge

Nothing worthy of a full blog happened in the professional sports world this week so the topic was hard to think of. I had to think of a topic that was not directly sports, but very relevant in the world of sports.  I love sports, but I am also very intrigued by medicine and the advancement of medical technology. So I thought why not mix the two?

Every year, hundreds and hundreds of athletes ranging from little leaguers all the way to professionals suffer some type of injury that disables them from competing. Among these injuries, a torn ACL is quite common. In the past decade a torn ACL meant that an athlete would not be able to fully compete for at least 8 and at most 12 months.  A main cause for this extended absence from the field is that the surgery required to repair the ACL involves damaging other parts of the knee around your ACL. However, in the past year doctors have developed a new way of repairing the ACL. This new surgery is less invasive, and can have a player back on the field within 8 weeks rather than 8 months.

The medical name for this new surgery is "Bridged-Enhanced ACL repair", but after some research I came up with a new name by myself: "Sponge Surgery." Now I know what your thinking, "how could any surgery with the name "sponge" in it be useful?" To that I say, "Don't underestimate the power of the sponge." However to understand the power of the sponge we must travel back in time. ACL reconstruction surgery circa 2015 was a very difficult, time consuming process. To repair the torn ligament, a surgeon replaces the ACL by performing a tendon graft (taken from thigh usually). On the contrary the Sponge Surgery instead of removing the torn ligament , a surgeon places a sponge soaked in the patients blood in between the two sides of the torn ACL. The sponge acts much like a scab does when a person cuts their skin; protecting it from infection, while also healing the tear. Besides a quicker recovery time this new surgery also has a lower chance of re-injury and is less painful.

The "Sponge Surgery" is a dream come true athletes, professional organizations, and the fans of these teams. Every year star players in the NFL, MLB, and NBA tear their ACL; ruining all hope for the a chance to win a championship. However, now dreams can stay alive amidst this devastating injury because if the injury happens in pre-season or early in the season then a player can return for the playoffs; the most crucial time in the season. 

Passion Blog # 2

What started off as a one man show has transformed into a whole circus. No I am not talking about the now very famous Cirque du Soleil, but The San Francisco 49er Quarter Back Colin Kaepernick's protest of the National Anthem and the many people who have followed his lead since he first kneeled, instead of stood while the American National Anthem was playing before the kickoff of a pre-season game in mid-august of 2016. Although Kaepernick says he did not intend for his small protest to become such a hot topic, he has caused quite the debate. His protest turned into such a big event that prime time news channels, very popular political radio stations, and even The President of the United States gave their opinions on Colin's action. 

When first asked why he kneeled during the National Anthem he said "I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color," Although many people, including myself, disagree with Kaerpenick; a lot of people agree with him and are duplicating his actions in and out of the NFL. This past Sunday 18 NFL players kneeled during the National Anthem, and it doesn't stop there. When NBA MVP Steph Curry was asked if he thinks NBA players will protest he had no doubt in his mind that "players will definitely follow", yet again it does not stop there. Just this past week I've read articles that this protest has trickled down all the way to high school football in Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Alabama; spreading across the country like a plague. 

In my blogs I will not be voicing a heavily biased opinion on any topic. However,  I feel the urge to today because this just does not sit right with me. I believe this protest is sending negative messages and ideas to the youth (Kids, teenagers, and young adults), and ultimately could lead to a bigger, harmful action of protest. Although Colin Kaepernick's reasoning for kneeling is not wrong, it is also not right. Yes, specifically talking from the time period 2010-2016 (Many acts of oppression happened in U.S. history, I'm aware of that)  there have been many acts of oppression towards "colored people" in this the country such as police shootings, racial profiling, negative feelings towards immigrants, as well as other events. However, for every negative act of oppression in this country, there is also a positive act towards people of "color". By protesting, these people send a message that shadows all the positives of American Culture and make it seem like we are back in the 50s. However, the negative messages to the youth and all the good acts taken for granted by these protests is not the biggest problem I have. The biggest problem I have is the way in which the protest is happening. There are people in the United States who would, or even have died in order for our country to be able to still have a national anthem. The National Anthem is not just a song, it is a celebration of our freedom, a remembrance of those who have died for us to be free, and it unifies the country giving every person that resides here at least one thing in common. This is the root of my problem with the protest; the messages or symbolism of the Anthem and the "kneeling protest" do not equate. There are many ways a public figure like Colin Kaepernick can spread a message about "social injustice, and oppression", but by kneeling during the National Anthem: you are not just protesting social injustice, but disrespecting all those who have died to give us citizens the ability to choose weather to kneel or stand. 

                                                                             

                                                                             

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL


After some thought, I chose to have my passion blog be about sports over food because as a freshman in college I sadly can't afford to eat out every week. Although lucky for me the due date for the first post is the same day as the NFL season opener so it worked out pretty well in the end. So without further a due welcome to ESPN 7

Tonights game could not get more intense as the defending champion Denver Broncos go up against the team they beat in last years Super Bowl (Super Bowl 50), The Carolina Panthers  who are led by reigning NFL MVP Cam Newton.  However this year's game is going to be much different, as the two teams rosters are very different from their previous matchup in the Super Bowl. 

I'll start off by discussing the biggest factor lost between either team, Denver's QB Peyton Manning. Although he looked like an 80 year old man playing quarterback last year, Peyton Manning was still able got the job done. Unfortunately for Denver age caught up to the future Hall of Famer, and he retired following the Super Bowl 50 victory. What's even worse for the Broncos is that his replacement, rookie QB Trevor Siemian, has not taking one NFL regular season snap in his life. I'm not saying he won't win games, but previous quarterbacks drafted in the 7th round like Trevor usually do not pan out to be successful in the big leagues. Because of his lack of experience I would not be surprised if Denver's offense primarily focused on a run game with occasional passing here and there. However, luckily for Trevor and the rest of the Bronco offense, the Denver defense is coming off one of the best season performances as a defense in NFL history. They has 9 returning defensive starters including 2015 defensive MVP Von Miller as they should pick up right where they left off last year. The defense is the backbone of this team and if Trevor Siemian can just play an average game then the Denver Broncos could win this game. 

Now lets discuss the Broncos opponent. The Carolina Panthers were favored to win last year's Super Bowl and are one of the likely candidates to win the upcoming Super Bowl in February 2017. Last year's Carolina Panther team had one of the best regular seasons in NFL history. They started off by winning 14 consecutive games; finishing the season with only 1 loss. The Panthers have both the best offensive player in the NFL in Cam Newton and arguably the best defensive player in Luke Kuechly, as well as many other weapons around them. Sports Analyst are saying this team is even better than last years because they gained weapons and did not lose any key factors. However, In some people's opinion the one major loss the Panthers suffered in the off-season was not re-signing cornerback Josh Norman. However, I think Josh Norman is overrated and a product of the great defensive players the Panthers placed around him. Whoever takes his place could do just as good of a job, and maybe even better. Unlike the Broncos, the Panthers did not lose a key player to their success, and also unlike Denver the Panthers gained a key factor. That factor is wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin (Team's best WR). Unfortunately Benjamin missed all last season with a torn ACL, but now he's back and said to be better than ever. This one player can heavily influence the outcome of the game and I think if he played in last year's Super Bowl the Broncos would not be defending champions. Because of the addition of Kelvin Benjamin , and Denver's quarterback dilemma, I expect the Carolina Panthers to get revenge and come out the team on top.