Goals for the Upcoming Year

Earlier today I listed the 10 greates experiences/aspects of my past 12 months now I am going to list some of the most important goals I have set for myself for the upcoming year.

• Keep Up my Grades
• Make some new friends
• Strengthen my relationships with current friends
• Figure out my graduation plans
• Line up potential internships for next summer
• Have an Amazing Time in Miami and make the community there better
• Have a great summer back at Camp Milldale 2010 (yes I am coming back for my last year)
• Finally get the chance to subsitute teach
• Make Hillel even better and get elected to my goal position
• Make AEPI even stronger and help add some top notch new members
• Get closer with my family
• See a UFC event live
• See more MLB teams that I have not seen (FLA, ATL, CIN, CHI, SD, AZ, LAD).
• See some of my favorite teams capture a title (Spurs, Caps, Cards, Ravens)
• Find some places where I could earn a good living in youth sports & Recreation
• Open up and come out of my shell a little bit more
• HAVE FUN AND STAY HEALTHY

A Year In Review

Today is January 30th and that means I am now 20 so I decided to take a look back at the past 12 months and pick the top 10 moments in that time period. Either Later today or Tomorrow I will also look ahead at the next 12 months and pick my top 10 goals before I turn 21.


Top 10 best moments of the past year


10. Figuring out what I want to do with my life: During this year I decided to become a sports management major and business minor with the goal being to end up working in youth sports and recreation.


9. Working the Winter Break Camp: although it was only a week it was a lot of fun, soldified that I wanted to work with kids. Also this was something I had wanted to do for about 4 years.


8. Seeing AEPI grow: Over the past year my fraternity, Alpha Epsilon Pi, has grown greatly from a small disjointed group of 12 to a bigger, more soldified group of 21.







7. All the Friends I met: I have a great group of friends I that group got bigger and stronger. This group includes people like Jason, DS, Sam P, Adam V, Ben, Blake, and Almost all of my AEPI brothers, I would like to thank all of them for making my life as awesome as it is.


6. Seeing My Family Succeed: From my brother Jono being 1 class away from graduating to my other brother Hirsh passing the BAR exam and starting his job at Venable I could not be any prouder of them and the rest of my family. I love them all and so happy they are succeeding.


5. Being Named Hillel's Secretary Marketing Chair/seeing Hillel improve- This was a great moment because it was one of the first times that I was put on the exec board of an organization and I got the chance to help make an already great organization even better.


4. Getting a 4.0 GPA for Fall 2009 Semester: This was the 1st time ever I got a 4.0 for a semester and with the schedule I took I was extremely shocked and suprised but I know I could not have done it with out the help of my family


3. World Series Game 2- This was a tremendous experience that i got to spend with my brother and my Dad, from the long strange bus ride and train ride up to seeing Jay-Z and Alicia Keys perform Empire State of Mind LIVE to hearing Enter Sandman and seeing Rivera come out to close the game I will never forget this trip.



2. Camp Milldale 2009: This was an extremly difficult yet very rewarding 8 week experience. I had the largest and best bunk in camp (25 awesome 3rd graders) and then had to do late stay with 13 more kids. This was my first year ever being an official senior counselor something I was looking forward to for 7 years. I also got to meet many cool people and made more friends this summer then any of the previous 7.



1. ARGENTINA- This was an easy choice because this week long trip is an experience that had an amazing life long impact on me. Somethings I will never forget are meeting many cool Argentines, helping to defeat them in Soccer, making friends with other college kids both from Towson and other schools, learning to Tango, eating a pound of ice cream, the "no tengo un nombre" incident, and namely helping make the Jewish community in Buenos Aires much better

A decade of Successes

Wow, tomorrow is my 20th birthday it feels like just yesterday i was in 4th grade and just turned 10 and now I am a second semester college sophemore who is about to be 20. This past decade has been filled with many highs and a few lows but overall it has been great.
One of the greatest successes i have had over the past 10 years is great academic success from Chatsworth to Sudbrook to Owings Mills and now at Towson I have always done very well in school. Another great part of the past decade is all the travelling I have done I have seen from Denmark to Chicago to Boston to my Caribbean Cruise to Israel to Argentina I have been able to go to places and do somethings that people won't do in a lifetime in 10 years. Other experiences I have had that I will never forget is Cal's last game, IC in Chicago, World Series in game 2 and many more. Also during this decade I have had great social success especially since 11th grade when I joined AZA and am now very involved in both Hillel and AEPI.
One major piece of the past 10 years for me has been working at JCC summer camps which started in the summer after my sixth grade year and has continued all the way up to last summer, and possibly this summer. This has been an amazing experience, It did not matter if I was a TNT, CIT, Jr. Counselor, Floater, or Sr. Counselor, as I have had the chance to work with a lot of great kids, meet many cool people, and have a job that I love and know I am very good at. This has also aided me in figuring out what I want to do with my life as I am currently a sports management major and want to work in youth sports and recreation.
The most important part of the past 10 years has been my family. From my Mom who has always been there for me and has done what is best for me in almost every situation. Then there is my Dad who is so caring he will do anything for me and my brothers, one of the greatest things he did for me this decade is teach me my Bar Mitzvah which was an amazing experience. Both of my brothers, Hirsh and Jono, have been great to me in that they always are willing to help and have my back and despite the fact that we may fight sometimes I am very grateful and love them so much. The rest of my family especially my Bubby Hannah and Uncle Don have also had a great impact on my life, which would not nearly be as great without them. Sadly I lost some family members including my Aunt Nancy and my Cat Zadie both of which I miss dearly and will never forget.
In closing I would like to thank all my friends from Chatsworth to Sudbrook to Owings Mills and now at Towson as well my family for making these past 10 years the greatest 10 years any kid could have.

Super Bowl 44 Preview

Well its Saints-Indy in the Super Bowl, and in a year where Roger Goodell has said he wants to prevent teams from resting their starters at the end of the season two teams who did just that are the final two. The NFC title game also shows the issue with NFL overtime a team could fight for 6o minutes and not get the ball once in overtime. Another Irony is in the past 3 years Brett Favre's last meaningful pass has been a interception all with different teams. Now I am going to break down the Super Bowl position by position.
QB: No offense to Drew Brees, who is great, he is not one of the 5-10 greatest QBs of all time so the edge goes to Indy and Peyton Manning (by the way both Brees and Manning's backup Curtis Painter went to Purdue).
RB: Indy were last in rush O and the Saints have 3 RB (Thomas, Bush, Bell) Edge-Saints
WR+TE: This is close but after the game Garcon had and the way Collie bas played and the huge advantage they have at TE with Clark the Indy have the edge.
O-Line: I am a big believer in the Offensive Line matchup comes down to who has the best O-lineman in the game and in this game it is...Towson Alum Jermone Bushrod (Just kidding) its Colts Center Jeff Saturday so the edge here goes to the Indy
D-Line: This is such an easy choice one team has Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis the other does not edge Indy.
Linebackers: A very close matchup but I love the way that Brackett and Session are playing so the edge goes to that team from Indy.
Defensive Backs: Darren Sharper gives the edge to the Saints in this lackluster matchup
Kicker: One Kicker is a multi-time Super Bowl Championship the other has not made a kick of longer then 40 yards this year so Indy gets the edge.
Punter: Who really cares but McaFees versatility gives the team from Indy the edge again.
Returners: Reggie Bush vs. Chad Simpson and TJ Rushing clear advantage Saints.
Coaching: Caldwell has not lost a game where his starters have played 60 minutes and then you throw in Tom Moore and Howard Mudd the edge goes to Indy.
Intangibles: Peyton and Co. were in a Super Bowl 3 years ago while the Saints only have 3 players with Super Bowl Experience edge Indianapolis.
Prediction in a good but not classic game Indy gets their 3rd Super Bowl 34-24 MVP: Peyton.

School/Haiti

As of today I am back at school for spring semester of sophmore year, where did the time go. This break flew by, but then again so does school. I am nervous about a new semester starting and my classes which are: accounting 202, an honors writing seminar, honors human development, leadership for sports professionals, and astronomy. Astronomy is the class I am most nervous about but after doing very well my past 3 semesters i know i can handle it. I am also looking forward to hanging out with some of my friends I have not seen in a while as well as spending spring break in Miami. Another thing I am looking forward to is trying to improve both organizations I am involved in, Hillel and AEPI while having fun at the same time. The toughest part of going back to school is the fact that I am away from my family they are the greatest family in the world and I know they are only a phone call away.
The biggest news story right now is obviously Haiti and the earthquake that hit that already impoverished nation. In fact before the quake 80% of Haitins lived on less then two dollars a day. This is absolutly insane in order for us to live like that we must stay in our house in the dark and do absolutly nothing. Now after the earthquake they are even worse off and this makes me truly appreciate what I have and puts everything in perspective, I was upset about my Ravens losing to the Colts and not being able to go to a UFC event while there are people that don't have homes and kids that don't have parents. I feel really stupid for being upset about the things i was upset for. I hope everyone realizes how lucky we are and does whatever they can to help out not only Haitian people but anyone in need and thier fellow man in general.
PS: Conference championship predictions: Saints 34 Vikings 27 and Colts 20 Jets 6.

Greatest QB of All time

With two of the 5-10 best Quarterbacks of all time remaining in the final 4 (Favre, Peyton) i thought it would be a good idea to give my list of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history.
1. Johnny Unitas- Although i never saw him play my dad has shown me footage and talked about how great he was. He revolutionized the game with the two minute drill and calling his own plays, he was also part of the first great QB-WR tandem with Raymond Berry. He was also involved in the greatest game ever played in 1958 that put the NFL and the Colts on the map.
2. Joe Montana- A great QB who made the west coast offense explode across the league and now almost every team uses some form of the west coast offense. His throw on the catch and his drive to beat the Bengals the second time are legendary and he made the Niners great.
3. John Elway-A guy who i hate because if he stays with the colts they are still in Baltimore but i can't ignore what he did during his career going to 5 super bowls winning two of them. Elway, who is also the leader in 4th quarter comebacks, is ahead of Favre because he beat him in SB 32.
4. Brett Favre- The leader in almost all major categories is still playing at a high level at the age of 40 with his most impressive record being consecutive games played, he also won 3 MVPs and one super bowl back in 1996, and no matter what he says that was the best team he was ever on
5. Dan Marino-The greatest player, arguably in any sport, to not win a championship through no fault of his own put up outstanding numbers and was let down by his sub-par defenses.
6. Tom Brady- A great QB with 3 rings who holds the single season touchdown record and led two super bowl winning drives in super bowls 36 and 38, he needs another ring to be in the top 5
7. Peyton Manning- Can you believe people thought Ryan Leaf was better back in 1998 he is the best at the line of scrimmage ever and his ability to make great defenses look foolish is amazing if he wins a super bowl he will move all the way up to number 3.
8. Otto Graham- One of the first great QB's of all time who won 7 championships in 10 years and appeared in 10 straight championship games, the lack of competition is why he is this low.
9. Terry Bradshaw- 4 super bowl rings in six years and the leader of the 70's steelers dynasty. granted he played with amazing talent but he had to do something with them to win.
10.Bart Starr- The winner of the first two super bowl titles and 5 overall championships with Lombardi's Packers, the plays he made such as in the 1967 Ice Bowl are legendary.
Just Missed: Troy Aikman, Steve Young, Fran Tarkenton, Jim Kelly, and Kurt Warner.

2009-2010 Ravens Season post-mortem

well after an up and down season ends with another loss to Baltimore's old team the Ravens have many positives and negatives to examine this offseason. It is important to note that if it is an uncapped year the top 8 teams, including the ravens, wont be able to sign a free agent unless they lose a free agent. The ravens unrestricted free agents include justin bannan, derrick mason, mark clayton ,frank walker, sam koch, fabian washington and dawan landry. Also we may cut McGahee who is due 6 million next year.
Positives: Ray Lewis is not done yet, our front 7 is good, Ray Rice emerged, Our O-line showed they are great run blocking line.
Negatives: Flacco's inconsistency, Secondary, Wide Recievers, and penalties.
What the Ravens need to do is commit to the run and if that means getting rid of Cam Cameron I would be more then fine with me (he gets too pass happy at times like the end of the first half at Indy). Also they need 1 if not 2 wide receivers which means we must figure out a way to get Mason to return, get Austin, Jackson, boldin, or Marshall, and/or draft a WR like Golden Tate or Dez Bryant. Also we need to get help in the secondary with guys like richard marshall, carlos rogers, or drafting a guy like patrick robinson. If Troy Smith and McGahee go we should go after people like tavaris Jackson, Chester Taylor, or jerious Norwood. Lastly Flacco needs to take the next step and be more consistent and be the franchise guy we expected when we drafted him. For your information we play the AFC East (Dolphins and Bills at home) and the NFC south (Saints and Bucs at home) as well as the Broncos (home, likely October 24th before they go to London) and the Texans (road). This being the case I feel we are 1-3 players away from being in Dallas next year for Super Bowl 45.

College football wrap-up/hall of fame voting

After last night's "national championship game" the Alabama Crimson Tide won their 8th national title yet claim that it was their 13th title, yeah i dont get that either. Meanwhile Boise State goes 14-0 and beats as many BCS teams as Bama did and gets nothing. In my honest opinion Boise would have beaten Bama especially if Alabama played like they did last night because if Garrett Gilbert can do that to them in his 1st real action what would have Kellan Moore have done to them. This points out a larger issue with the BCS because this year marks the 8th time in the past 10 years where a team either beat one of the championship participants or finished undefeated and got no chance at a national title in what other sport could a team go unbeaten and not get a chance at a national title we need a playoff of some sort to fix this i propose an 8 team playoff but a 4 team playoff works as well. 16, 32, or 64 are just too many teams.
Also this week Andre Dawson, the great Expos and Cubs outfielder, got elected to the baseball hall of fame on his 9th ballot (congratulations to him). Just missing was Bert Blyleven and Former Oriole Roberto Alomar, both of which should get in soon. Alomar did not get in for one of three moronic reasons: people don't vote for players on the first ballot (this is just stupid and explains why guys like Ripken, Gwynn, and Henderson did not get 100% of the vote), the spitting incident (which the recipient John Hirshbeck has forgiven him for and they have become friends), and his poor play in New York as a Met. Dawson getting in on his 9th ballot and Blyleven about to get in on his 14th or 15th ballot has led people like Rob Parker, Bill Plaschke, and the biggest moron ever Skip Bayless saying that players should be on the ballot only 1 year and that is it. This is so dumb because there are times when there are too many players at one position to let them all in and this rule would have meant guys like Rogers Hornsby, Jimmy Foxx, Mel Ott, Tris Speaker, and Yogi Berra not being Hall of Famers. Also it allows voters to think about players careers for a long time because during the 5 year waiting period they are thinking about other guys so they dont like at the careers of the guys soon to be eligible.

2010 NFL Playoff Preview

Well its 2010 and the playoffs are here and in my pre-season predictions i hit on 8 of 12 playoff teams. Now I am here with my award and playoff predictions with a reason behind each of my predictions.
AWARDS
MVP: Peyton Manning QB Colts, although Philip Rivers is more deserving i see Peyton winning it largely due to how Curtis Painter performed and how he made Garcon and Collie good Wide outs.
OPOY: Chris Johnson RB Titans: Although he missed the playoffs no 2000 yard rusher has not gotten this award and on top of that he set the yards from scrimmage record
DPOY: Charles Woodson CB Packers he carried this defense when AL Harris and Aaron Kampman went down and unlike Revis he not only shut down top WR but also made big game changing interceptions
OROY: Percy Harvin WR Vikings: although he struggled of late and Michael Oher has played great all year I don't see an o-linemen getting it and Harvin and had a good first 12 games to take the award.
DROY: Brian Cushing LB Texans: He has played great all year and was key to the Texans having their first winning season
COY: Marvin Lewis Bengals: To win a division, with the two AFC finalists from last year and the only division with 3 teams to finish over 500, and overcome two deaths within the team he deserves this award
PLAYOFFS
WILD CARD
Bengals over Jets 24-13 Carson Palmer has waited 4 years for this after tearing his ACL 3 plays into his first playoff game, he will play amazing, and I just can't see Mark Sanchez going into Cincy and winning against a team that has lost only 2 games at home and one was on a hail mary against Denver.
Cowboys over Eagles 27-17: Dallas is playing great and Philly has not beaten a single playoff team, the only team in the playoffs who can say that, so I see Dallas running the ball and Tony Romo making a huge play to Miles Austin to put the game away.
Ravens over Patriots 24-20: The loss of Wes Welker is key as the Ravens have struggled at stopping strong #2 options such as Mike Wallace, Pierre Garcon among others so the Ravens now roll coverage to Moss and run the ball enough with Rice and McGahee to win the game.
Packers over Cardinals 31-24: The difference in this game will be the Packers ability to consistently run the ball where the Cards have struggled to have a consistent running game
DIVISIONAL ROUND
Chargers over Bengals 31-20 The Chargers have been playing great and have already beat the Bengals once so I see the size of the Chargers Wideouts being key as they exploit the smaller Bengals secondary and get the win.
Packers over Saints 34-27 The Saints have struggled as of late and the Packers are one play away from winning 9 straight including my predicted win over Arizona in the playoffs so I see Ryan Grant having a huge day running the ball against the Weak Saints Run D to win the game
Cowboys over Vikings 27-24 Ever since the Saints game the Cowboys have played great and the Vikings have been struggling in the past month I see Demarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer getting a lot of pressure on Farve and forcing a key turnover
Ravens over Colts 20-17: The Colts have had a history of struggling after resting their starters at the end of the regular season and I see that continuing here as Ray Rice has another great game against the suspect Colts run D as the Ravens advance to their 2nd straight AFC title game
CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Chargers over Ravens 27-20 The Chargers want revenge against the Ravens who beat them in week 2 in San Diego and I see Philip Rivers outplaying Joe Flacco and leading San Diego to their second ever superbowl appearance
Packers over Cowboys 34-31 A high scoring affair between the two hottest teams in the NFC, who are very similar, which comes down to the fact the Mason Crosby has a stronger and more accurate leg then Shaun Suisham as he hits the Game Winner late in the 4th to put the Packers in the Super Bowl.
SUPER BOWL
Chargers over Packers: 31-27 This is where the loss of Al Harris and Aaron Kampman come back to haunt the Pack as the depth of the Chargers recieving core along with a key Darren Sproles special teams return help Philip Rivers and the Chargers win it all MVP: Rivers