Category: Sports (Page 4 of 4)

Dogs and Cats

01/13/2007 / Blake

Tonight Mississippi State’s basketball team will take on the Wildcats of Kentucky. Most would chalk that up as a loss. And while most times it probably would be, for some reason I think we have a shot at it. Our guys are super athletic and can really stroke the ball when the energy is right. But their Achilles is the free throw shooting. If it comes down to FT shots…we need to have one of our two freshmen on the line.

But I remember in 1995 (holy cow, 12 years ago) watching freshman Marcus Bullard knock down FT’s to seal a win in Rupp Arena. It was on Valentine’s Day….we called it the Valentine’s Day Massacre.

Let´s Fly

08/03/2006 / Blake

So here I am. I´ve been to the internet cafe here a few times but have not been able to find the time to post what´s really going on. It seems most of my time has been on the email circuit or answering PM´s from MST. I´ve not even looked at those tonight and probably will run out of time. Life is so full. But here´s an ultra quick recap of the last few days

Went to the airport with no sleep at all. Slept probably about 15 minutes on the plane once. The Wife beside me slept a lot. I was pinned in and couldn’t try to get comfortable for my own rest. But I sacrifice my rest for her any day.
We arrive and quickly load up on a bus. Everyone has their stuff except Bob, the pastor. Turns out his luggage went to Utah. He had a firefighter´s luggage. How funny.
It´s hot and there´s no AC. I kinda like it, but don´t want it always.
We are going to put the trusses up on the top of the church. But we gotta paint a whole lot of metal. And then flip it and paint some more.
I hate to paint.
So we paint more and more and more.
We sleep a little, then paint more, and then sweat.
No, that´s wrong. We sweat no matter what we do unless we´re in the internet cafe.

That´s the life here so far. Eat, sleep, paint, play w/ Costa Rican kids, go to extra long church services in HOT rooms w/ lots of people and no AC.

I´ll try to give a more precise update tomorrow. Bomitada Fest should happen in the next couple of days. Here are a few pics to tide you over.

Ice Cream Eating Contest (Bomitada Fest!)

07/26/2005 / Blake

Still here in Costa Rica. One more work day and then a day to get things together to head home.

I feel sick. Like I need to puke. We had an ice cream eating contest tonight. Me, Becca, and Utah. Here´s the setup:
1. Eat 8 ice cream bars from the cooler. Rotate different types. Eat them all together. You can´t go on to the next one til everyone is ready.
2. Then run about 3/4 of a mile. Again, not a race. Run it together.
3. Eat 7 more bars.
4. Walk half a mile, then actually race back. This is the only part that is an actual race.
5. If you hurl, you´re out.

Yesterday Becca was talking about how much she likes ice cream. I suggested an ice cream eating contest since I liked it a lot too. Utah said he was in. So we went to the store and bought white shirts to make our own commerative shirts. Bomitada Fest. Means Puke Fest or Vomit Fest

At lunch today we were all thinking it was going to be harder than we expected. But pride was already making us talk big game. We started and hit a mini wall after eating 6 ice cream bars. But kept on going, no problem. It was quite funny. I figured there´d be 6 or 8 people who would watch us. But there were dozens upon dozens..all with cameras and the like. Felt like we were having the paparazzi shower us with attention. Seriously. Crazy.

Then the run. We had people running with us, people on bikes, people in cars going along side of us. We felt like we were running the last mile of an Olympic marathon with everyone cheering. But the run was no problem. Actually made us all feel better.

Then the next 7. Figured these would be harder. They were. At around bar 11 or 12 it was a bite by bite thing. Tough. Very hard to swallow. But we did it. Becca and Utah were feeling it pretty hard. I didn’t feel it as soon as they did, but it hit me hard too. Each bite was a chore. At #14 Hannah tried to help Utah and poked his bar in his mouth and he pukes. Then pukes again. Thankfully there was a trash can right beside him. He´d been close arleady. Sorta stinks that Hannah caused him to bow out though.

Number 15 was the hardest. It was one of those cones wrapped in a cone. We both eat the cream and then work on the cone. Very slowly. Veeeeeeeeeery slowly. We didn´t want to stand up for the race in fear of losing it all. Our stomachs felt so heavy and tight.

But we walk the first leg. A crew still around us but not quite as large. Then we hit the garbage can and start the trek back. Starts as a walk. Becca asks if she starts running would I run too. The van is beside us so I run around the back to the other side. She thinks I’m sprinting so she starts to run. I see her and she slows. But then starts to run again. I run slowly thinking she´ll slow down..but she doesn’t. So I have to sprint to hope to catch her.

I finally catch her, and we talk as we sprint. We both agree we feel like blowing chum everywhere. I expect her to win at this point because I had to catch up. But I slowly pull away and make it back to the tree to touch it first. At this point neither of us have puked any. But we both are feeling quite distended in the abdomen area.

But the cool thing is that it was a fundraiser for the church down here. We will have raised a little over $345 when all is said and done I believe. Then you subtract $25 for the ice cream bill. Many pictures were taken. So I will post some when I get back

But hats off to both Becca and Utah. I would have quit way before if not for them. It was good fun with good people, and I hope to never do it again any time soon…until next year!

Will he stay or will he go?

06/18/2003 / Blake

Travis Outlaw, a high school grad from Starkville, MS, signed a letter of intent with Mississippi State back in the fall. All us State fans were more than excited about that. But he’s been flirting with the NBA for quite a while as well. The first words I heard about it from him were something like “If I’m not a top 10 pick, then I’m going to college.” Now it seems his tune has changed. It’s more like “If I’m a first rounder, then I’m going to the NBA.” He has until tomorrow, the 19th, to pull out.

I wish him the best, but I don’t think he’s ready for the NBA. Heck, I don’t think he’d start next year for MSU. But it’s hard to tell a kid to not think about the $$$’s that could be waiting. And you can’t really blame him. I wish he’d come to MSU for partly selfish reasons, I admit. But I think he’d dramatically improve his draft position if he were to come to MSU. To be honest, I think he’s a little shaky on his grades situation.

In other MSU basketball news, MSU coaches confirmed that they signed a Polish guy to come in to play bball and follow in the footsteps of Michel Ignerski. But the coaches say they don’t think he’ll get the paperwork done in time to be elligible.

So, after signing two McDonald’s All Americans from Mississippi, a top prep school PG, a combo guard from Wayne County, and a Polish rifle…it looks like the two guards are the only ones who’ll be suiting up for us next fall. Add to that the fact that Mario Austin left for the NBA one year too early and I’m not so confident in MSU basketball next year.

Oh, and our football team’s still being investigated.

Sheesh…