The Madness

To preface this story I wrote after traveling to the NCAA tourney with the Memphis Pep Band:
I was born amidst the 1988 NCAA tournament, won by a Larry Brown coached 6-seed Kansas team. It was Brown's fifth year as head Jayhawk. 20 years later, I watched the Tigers fall to KU in the national championship game. The Jayhawks were led by head coach Bill Self, who also happened to be in his fifth year at KU. Notice any similarities between Kansas' 2008 star player Brandon Rush and their 1988 star Danny Manning? Coincidence? I think not. I believe the stars aligned and I am forever connected with march madness in a deep, mystical way. I have more proof, but I don't want to get into that right now. Read and enjoy.

It happens once every year: something sweeps the country. From big cities to small towns, it becomes the focus of the media, the public, and even, if just for a few minutes, the president. For one month, Greg Gumbel is the most watched man on television. It is March Madness.

March madness is caused by the NCAA men’s division I basketball tournament, which occurs every March, as 65 teams fight to be called national champions. March madness is the stage where David meets Goliath, dreams meet reality, and the unbelievable happens on national television. For many, this month-long obsession with college basketball is spent in front of the TV. For others, including myself, March is spent on the road, following their respective team to tournament sites around the country until the season ends with a loss or a championship. As a member of the University of Memphis pep band, I followed the Tigers on their 2009 NCAA tournament run and will highlight the madness that ensued.

The first stop on the Tigers journey was Kansas City, MO. The city’s streets were littered with school colors of the eight teams in town. Fans from Memphis, Maryland, Clemson, Michigan, Oklahoma, Morgan State, California, and even Cal State Northridge, represented by about 100 diehard fans, made the trip to Kansas City.

Memphis fan Don Klotwog explained in one word what drives fans like himself to attend to these games.

“Priorities,” he said.

Memphis’ first game was Thursday morning against the aforementioned Matadors of Cal State Northridge. The day began with pep rallies by both schools in the elaborate fan area set up in front of the Sprint Center, the site of all the games, located in the Power and Light district of Kansas City. A massive high-definition screen hung above a stage and small basketball court set up for the weekend’s activities. Fans filled all vacant spaces in the area, lining staircases and perching on balconies adjacent to the rally site. Cal State Northridge held their pep rally first, surrounded by a sea of Memphis fans waiting for their rally to begin. Of the 20 fans in attendance for Northridge, one man exemplified March madness. For the entire 30-minute pep rally, this 30 year-old man, clad in a Cal State Northridge jersey, cheered, yelled, and screamed incessantly. The Memphis pep rally followed and hundreds of Tiger fans, including myself, tried to match this man’s vocal display. I would argue that he won.

After the pep rally, myself, the rest of the band, the cheerleaders, and mascot entered the Sprint Center for the game. Here the madness appeared again. As the heavily favored Tigers struggled and the Matadors took the lead, the Cal State fan base began growing. The 100 Cal State faithful had multiplied into thousands and grew louder with each basket. When the Matadors scored to go ahead 62-56 with 10:12 seconds remaining in the second half, a deafening roar filled the nearly sold out 18,000 seat arena. The allure of the underdog had overtaken the crowd and Tiger nation was left in stunned silence. Thanks in large to part to Roburt Sallie’s 35-point performance, the Tigers rallied from behind to win 81-70, despite the forces working against them. March madness had nearly claimed the Tigers as its victim.

The Tigers faced their next opponent, Maryland, on Saturday. Game day started again with a pep rally in the same location. The sea of Memphis blue filled the venue and announced their presence with raucous cheering and renewed enthusiasm. After the team’s poor showing on Thursday, some Tiger fans looked to superstition to solve the team’s woes.

“It was those shirts they gave out,” said Memphis fan Johnnie Rainey, referring to shirts passed out before the last game. “They were bad luck.”

With bad luck out of the way, the Tigers rolled over Maryland 89-70 and the madness continued for the University of Memphis.

Next up for the Tigers was Glendale, AZ, and a game against Missouri. The team, band, cheer, alumni, and some university staff arrived in Arizona via charter jet Tuesday evening. As Wednesday progressed, more and more fans arrived and excitement began to build. Thursday, the madness hoopla began with another pep rally. This rally, however, seemed subdued. It was held in a ballroom at a hotel close to the stadium where the game would be played. The room was dark and, despite all the blue and white paraphernalia adorning the tables and walls, somewhat ominous. I couldn’t help but ask myself if this was a sign. Was this the madness signaling the end of the road for Memphis?

University of Phoenix Stadium was buzzing after Connecticut held off Purdue in the first game of the evening. The 20,101 in attendance stayed abuzz throughout Memphis and Missouri’s warm-ups. Shortly after 6:37 local time, the game tipped off. Momentum slowly shifted to Missouri throughout the first half, culminating with Marcus Denmon sinking a 65-foot prayer as time expired to give Missouri a 51-36 halftime lead.

At this moment, fellow band member Randy Ballard looked at me and uttered two fateful words.

“It’s over,” he said.

Missouri defeated Memphis 102-91, holding off a second half Memphis comeback.

The madness had ended for the Tigers and me. We returned to the bluff city, a citywide feeling of devastation in the air. The journey was over and March madness had left Memphis. However, 11 months from now, the buzz will return as madness sweeps the nation once more.

Squirrels, squirrels, squirrels

I wrote this story for my reporting class. If you have any (and I mean ANY) questions about squirrels, ask me. I probably know. Enjoy.

Memphis’ squirrels coexist with humans, adapt to an ever-changing environment, drive dogs nutty, and continue to thrive.

“Squirrels have been fairly consistent for 20 years,” said Ken Robinson, wildlife removal specialist at Coopertown Chimney Services.

The squirrels Memphians know best are eastern gray squirrels. As their name suggests, these squirrels are predominantly gray in color. They have a white underbelly and a large bushy tail. Native to the East and Midwest of the United States, these squirrels have an average lifespan of five to six years. Their diet consists of seeds, acorns, walnuts, and tree bark. Eastern gray squirrels, also known as grey squirrels, mate twice a year, in mid-winter and late summer, and normally have litters of two to four, though sometimes litters can be as large as six to eight.

As the end of February approaches, many Memphis homeowners will soon find themselves living with a few uninvited roommates. Every January, Memphis’ squirrels search for spots to build nests. While many squirrels settle in trees, others take residence in Memphis homes. They get into chimneys, basements, and most frequently, attics. Squirrels chew through siding on houses to gain entry and upon reaching the attic, they build nests near the edges or crooks of the house. Robinson explains why squirrels invade Memphians’ attics.

“Ninety-nine percent of the time it’s a female,” said Robinson. “They are looking for a dry place, a warm place. They chew their way in January and have their litter in the last part of February.”

Squirrels can cause extensive damage to homes. According to Robinson, they chew through electrical wires and insulation and can bring fleas and ticks into the house. They can also carry rabies. When he removes squirrels from homes, Robinson uses humane traps and sprays.

“We use a non-toxic spray to convince them to leave,” said Robinson. “They think there’s a predator up there.”

Traps similar to one-way doors catch the squirrels when they exit the house. Once deposed from their former residence, the squirrels are relocated to designated areas.

“It’s all very humane,” said Robinson.

Reece Daugherty, animal technician at Lichterman Nature Center, supports humane squirrel removal. He says squirrels aren’t just troublemakers.

“In some ways they’re a nuisance, but in many ways they’re important to the environment,” he said.

Squirrels spend the majority of their time searching for and burying nuts.

“The number one thing they do is look for nuts,” said Daugherty.

However, many times squirrels forget where they buried a nut and it remains in the ground. These “forgotten nuts” then grow into trees. Squirrels help the tree population even though they aren’t doing it on purpose, said Daugherty.

The squirrel is also a key cog in the Memphis area food chain.

“Ninety percent of a hawk’s diet is squirrel,” stated Daugherty.

Daugherty also pointed out that removing squirrels from homes via poison has a negative effect on the food chain. Poison puts the squirrel’s predators, the hawk, dog, cat, fox, and snake, at risk as well. He suggests the best way to control squirrels is through structural devices, such as squirrel guards for bird feeders, and sealing holes and crevices in houses and sheds.

Memphis resident Matt Kelly follows another squirrel prevention method.

“I have a lot of cats,” said Kelly. “They keep the squirrel population in check.”

Besides the fact it is illegal to own a pet squirrel in Tennessee, Daugherty and Robinson both agree that even squirrel enthusiasts should think twice before picking out a new squirrel companion.

“They’ll bite ‘em on the thumb,” said Robinson.

Some pet squirrels run away and later return to nest in its owner’s attic, Robinson added.

Daugherty emphasized that caring for a squirrel is not like caring for a cat or a dog.

“I think they’re pretty high-maintenance,” said Daugherty. “You can’t just give them a big bowl of nuts.”

"Come on Pelosi!"

Disclaimer: If you're looking for something insightful and thought-provoking, read the post below this.

Here are some observations I made while watching the President's address:

What's the deal with our First Lady's wardrobe? Does she not own a business suit? Does she always have to dress like its the evening gown portion of the Miss America Pageant? Doesn't Congress have a dress code? Anyway, she wins the "Most skin shown" award for the night.

Look, a John Kerry sighting: Good to see his face is still trying to run away from his hair. He also seems to have a striking resemblance to skeletor from "Masters of the Universe."

Nancy Pelosi and 3 or 4 people in the audience keep interrupting Barack's speech with forced standing ovations. Applause is great, but let the man speak. This reminds me of a high school graduation when the crowd gets too rowdy and then the PA guy has to say for the fourth time, "Please hold your applause until all the graduates' names have been announced. Thank you."

This applause thing is getting irritating. It has gotten to the point that my roomate and I cry, "C'mon Pelosi!" every time she causes one of these awkward "should I stand?" ovations.

CNN showed John McCain muttering something to his neighbor as Obama begins addressing war. He does not look happy.

I wonder what Sarah Palin is doing right now?

I hope newspapers were listening...

Well, here it is: my first blog post.  And what better night to blog than that of our 44th president's first post-inaugural presidential address. 

Speaking of that address, I thought President Obama presented two major themes that reflect issues with many of America's industries. The first is changing the country's collective mindset from achieving short-term gains to attaining long-term prosperity. America has become even more of a "what have you done for me lately" society in recent times and long-term goals have been pushed nearly, if not entirely out of the picture. This shortsighted view has led, at least in part, to the downfall of many. The second is returning to the populist idea of working for the people. As more people are laid off in order to please Wall Street, it is clear that big business has long forgotten this concept.

Newspaper industry executives, pay attention! Obama just gave you the keys to success. Instead of worrying about keeping your stocks on top of Wall Street, start planning for the future. Stop cutting jobs and start using whatever man power remains to figure out how to prosper in the future. One possible method: refocus on providing the consumer with a quality product. Instead of directing all of your energy towards advertising revenue, put some of that initiative towards creating content, be it digital or print, that people will want to purchase.