Cory's Blog

With all due respect to my racquetball opponents, I have a tendency to, as they say, “put on a clinic” by showing my “excessive good ability” usually ending in a “victory.” Now, I only used that extremely self centered (and only sometimes true) way of beginning this blog to say that the shoe was on the other foot Monday night, but luckily my schooling didn’t take place at the hands of a skilled opponent.

It was a typical racquetball Monday as I met my normal playing partner, Nima, at 5 down at Strom for some good exercise playing the game we enjoy. However, about 10 minutes into our first game, we noticed a couple of guys decked out head to toe in E-Force racquetball gear. They were looking for a court and setting up a table. Needless to say a little of my attention was paid to them instead of to my opponent. This lack of focus was reflected in me being on the losing end of the final score.

When the game was over, we got out of the court and struck up a conversation with the two strangers. It turns out they were members of the South Carolina Racquetball Association and they were here at USC to put on a clinic! Neither Nima nor I had heard anything about it. It was just luck that had brought us there at the same time.

We played one more game before the clinic got going. There were about 8 guys there to learn the fundamentals of the game. I thought that I was a pretty seasoned player, but even these guys had a few pointers to fix in my swing to improve my game. Along with the swing fixes, they showed a couple of drills to help me practice my new swing fundamentals. Not too shabby for a clinic I had no idea was even going on!

While learning the game was great, the biggest surprise came at the end when the guy in charge of the clinic, who is himself a USC grad began talking about how racquetball was “back in the day.” He mentioned that he played on the racquetball team, which surprised most of us who had no idea that one had even existed. He then said that he wanted to try and get one going here at USC, and then pointed at ME as the go between for him to help try and get it going!

This night ahd just gotten a whole lot better! From a chance encounter leading to some instruction to possibly getting a USC racquetball team going! My dreams of collegiate athletics could still come true. Hopefully, he will follow through on his suggestion and next semester we will have our own Gamecock Racquetball Club team! Stay tuned and take care!

Posted by Cory at 12:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Four long years. Well, in all fairness, they are four long years that have actually gone by pretty quickly. Was that last statement an oxymoron? Probably. Does it even make sense? Maybe. In any case, let me get down to what I was trying to say. I have been playing on the same Co-Ed intramural softball team for four years, and in those four years I have seen a lot of home runs. Several were hit off yours truly. A lot came from the sluggers on our own team. Some came at the perfect time, and others at the worst possible moment from an opposing hitter, breaking out hearts. In all those homeruns, I have yet to experience one for my self. Well, at least I HAD yet to experience one for myself that is.

Sunday (yes I know, it was like 5 days ago, but it has been a bear keeping up with things here!) was the first intramural game of the season for the “Sultans of the South.” Actually, it was supposed to be our second, but the first one was called on account of the lights not turning on. Our team is a tight knit bunch that has been together for four years and we have had some pretty doggone good success over the years.

So, expectations were high starting another season in the Co-ed League. Unfortunately, our all-star shortstop, Chad (a fellow Arizonan!) graduated in the spring, so we had to find a replacement. Brad’s friend Henry was a baseball player in high school, and so we decided to pick him up to fill the gap at shortstop for the time being (it will actually be for the WHOLE season after his solid performance Sunday) and for some reason this made me think I had to move our lineup around. So, instead of having Brad in his traditional spot on the mound for us, I put myself there and moved him to leftfield. I don’t know if you have heard the term “overcoaching” used before, but let me explain what transpired next.

Over the first two innings, after a tizzy of line drives, missed ground balls, and a few dropped flies in left where Brad was playing, the mighty Sultans were down 9 runs! Things were looking grim for us, and after the second inning, Brad suggested we switch back, move him to pitcher, and have me back out in left field. One scoreless inning later and I was ready to step down and anoint Brad the Coach.

Despite our change of fortunes in the field, we couldn’t seem to put the bat on the ball well, and had not scored a run after two innings for a score of 9-0. I was leading off in the bottom of the third, and was just trying to hit the ball hard and get on base somehow so that if by some great fortune someone ELSE could get a hit, we might actually be able to score a run! Well, I went up to the plate nice and relaxed and saw the pitcher go into his motion. With my eyes focused squarely on his right hip I saw the ball come out of his hand and on the inside of the plate. I gave it a good swing, nothing too hard, and saw it rocket out towards right field. As I always do, I hustled out of the batters box with my eyes on a double and maybe even a triple. At full speed, I reached second and heard “slow down!” from somewhere. I then finally looked up and saw the umpire giving the “home run” signal. I had done it! I had hit my first homerun!

I guess that we all were riding high off that shot, because we scored 9 more runs after that and never looked back the rest of the game! It was an incredible comeback win for the Sultans! On top of the great victory, I had finally broken through with my first homerun! Will I be looking to add to my total? Not likely. I wouldn’t want to get “home run happy” now would I? That is the report for now sports fans! Take care and remember it only takes one swing to knock one out of the park!

Posted by Cory at 06:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I think most of us are aware of the term “15 minutes of fame”. Be it a reality star, a sports hero, or just a normal guy making it onto the evening news being interviewed about “something or other”, everyone is supposed to get their “15 minutes”. Personally, I thought I had already had my own 15 minutes so far in my 21 and a half-ish years. From a couple of shots on the local sports show in high school, to making it on local Columbia TV freshman year because of it being my “first game” (and because my friend Jenna is a Public Relations major that really knows how to make stuff happen!) I have had my moments in the sun.

I guess for me , those aren’t quite enough moments because I really like sunshine, and basking in its warm glow of “fame.” Lucky for me on Thursday, our Gamecock football squad was taking on NC State in the first game of the year on ESPN, and those fine folks from Bristol, CT have a way of getting rowdy fans on TV. So, with our Gamecocks up 34-0 just a few seconds away from victory (47 to be exact) in the 4th quarter, I noticed a cameraman standing in the aisle right next to me. I didn’t think too much of it, I mean he could have been working for the school, his camera could have been off, the possibilities are literally endless!

As I said, I didn’t think too much of it, until few seconds later when he had left and I received a text message from a friend saying “Cory, I just saw you on ESPN!” Alas, I had arrived! It was time for a few more seconds to tick on my 15 minutes of fame! I immediately called home to ask if Mom and Dad had seen their baby boy’s face plastered all over national TV, and they had! Although they wanted to know why they didn’t receive a shout out. They had even recorded the game so as to preserve my moment of fame!

Perhaps you saw me at home too, check out the :47 second mark in the 4th quarter. I have on a backwards hat, a garnet Under Armour shirt, and a grin! Needless to say this made my night, that and the fact that we took care of the Wolfpack pretty handily! Anyways, I have to go, my phone’s ringing, and I am pretty sure it’s my agent. Since my spot on TV, the offers from Hollywood have been non-stop! Take care!

Posted by Cory at 11:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I guess I just should have known better. I guess I could have just let it slide. I could have ignored it, but then I guess I wouldn’t have been doing my job. Maybe I got what I deserved. What is it that I deserved? Well, I am getting into my experience last night umpiring slow pitch softball. However, it was not just ANY slow pitch softball game, it was the first round of the men’s playoffs and from my experience, I know tensions can get tight and emotions can run high. The most important part for me as an umpire is to make sure the game is played fairly so that the skill and play of the two teams determines the winter.

This “making it fair” business brings me to the controversial moment last night. In our intramural league, the bats are provided. However, if you want to spend money on your own, it is no problem…as long as it is an “ASA certified” bat. Now, I will admit we didn’t exactly do a spot on job checking bats at the beginning of the season, but a lot had to do with our lack of an illegal bat list and apathy on the part of some of the umpires/supervisors. This was the playoffs though. And this was Cory Jenks. The game was going to be played fairly under my watch.

So, as the players checked in I asked if they were using their own bats, which they were. I checked them against the illegal bat list, and lo and behold they were illegal! Well, I guess these big hitters didn’t like when I told them that they couldn’t use the bats most of them used all season because they were pretty irked, and they let me hear it. I explained that some umpires didn’t check as thoroughly during the season, but that I check and this was the PLAYOFFS, and we want it to be FAIR. So, they used the bats provided, but I still think they wanted some retaliation if only because of what happened to me during the game.

Anyways, with “bat-gate” out of the way, I took my place behind home plate and play began. It must have been the first inning when a batter took a mighty hack and fouled the ball right back at my head! Lucky for me I have cheetah-like reflexes and was able to dodge the laser beam of a ball. I dusted my self off with no problem and we kept on playing. No big deal, no one hurt, and I didn’t think too much of it.

Two innings later, another batter and another foul shot right back at me. This time I got my head down but put my arm up and the ball dealt a glancing blow. At this point I remarked, “I guess you guys are really angry I wouldn’t let you use those bats?” I then jokingly suggested to our supervisor that intramural sports invest in a mask. Everyone got a chuckle and play resumed with no problems. In fact, one of the guys on the team “Lumber Company” who I know offered his catcher’s mask that he was carrying in his bag. I thanked him but said that I should be all right. As they say, those were some “famous last words” from yours truly.

As luck would have it, that same guy who offered the mask came up in a key situation with men on base and was really looking to lay into one. He laid into that pitch all right, and it came right back at my ol’ noggin. Another dive (I had a dodgeball game earlier in the day and that must have got me warmed up for these foul balls) and another dust off as I had to dive and hit the dirt, but I was all right. Maybe he was trying to tell me something when he offered up the mask?

In any case, the game continued on with minimal controversy and minimal harm to any umpires. I know that those guys were in no way trying, or were they even good enough to foul it back at me on purpose, but I enjoyed the irony of the situation as made the trek back up from the softball field. Is there a lesson in this story? There sure is: you can hit as many foul balls back at me as you want, but if I am umpiring your game, I am going to make you play by the rules. That’s all for now, I have to get outta here, I think there is still some dust left on me from last night. Take care and keep your eye on the ball!

Posted by Cory at 01:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

At long last the search for Carolina’s new basketball coach to replace Dave Odom has come to an end and I couldn’t be more excited about the pickup. His name: the one and the only *BOBBY KNIGHT. Yes, THAT Bobby Knight. USC could not have picked a more storied coach to come and take over the program.

You really cannot go wrong with a man with such a basketball resume, and to his credit, Knight, who was thought to have softened in a his recent years promises to come back more energetic and invigorated than ever before. While I was watching the press conference, Knight said, “I am here to take charge of USC basketball. I plan on coming in here and throwing chairs and taking names, this is MY team now!” A red faced Knight then amused me and the rest of the crowd watching by grinding the microphone into dust. He then proceeded to our amusement and horror to challenge football coach Steve Spurrier, who was there to support his fellow coach, to a wrestling match on the press conference stage screaming, “I’M THE HEAD BALLCOACH HERE NOW!”

Yes, it seems like the “old” Bobby Knight is back, and as a Carolina basketball fan I cant wait to see him storming up and down the sidelines, screaming at officials, and brining home a championship to the Colonial Center. I think I speak for most Gamecock fans when I say I cant wait for next year’s basketball season!

*April Fools! This story is actually partly true. We did actually hire a new basketball coach, Western Kentucky’s Darrin Horn. He took the Hilltopper’s to the Sweet Sixteen this year, and I am STILL very excited for basketball season next year! Take Care and enjoy your April Fool’s Day!

Posted by Cory at 10:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

What do you know about Yogi Berra? What do you associate when you hear that name? I’ll bet some of you are thinking of the hilarious cartoon bear that went around swiping picnic baskets and hilariously causing havoc. Well, if you are thinking of the cartoon character, I think it is pretty cool you can remember that far back in you childhood memory banks. Unfortunately it wasn’t the answer I was searching for. I am speaking of the former baseball player known for his funny sayings, one-liners, and aside from his Hall of Fame career, those hilarious Aflac commercials where he baffles that annoying duck with his line “They give you cash, which is just as good as money/”

That particular line is a classic “Yogism” and typifies the types of quotes that fill his book that sits on my desk. Others include “90% of the game is half mental” and “Nobody goes there anymore, it’s too crowded.” I bring up Yogi because of the particular line that is the title of this blog, “It ain’t over’ til’ its over”. While simple, it came to fruition Thursday in our final regular season men’s softball game where I was a part of the greatest comeback in the history of any team…I have ever been privileged enough to be a member of.

To be truthful, it really was more a tail of two games. To quickly and in the least painful way possible describe the first part of the game, I will just say after the first two innings we were down 12-2. A truly dreadful start with poor defense, anemic hitting, and boneheaded base running that made the Bad News Bears look like a team of All-Stars. However, with a little pep talk and focus, we were able to turn things around.

This turnaround didn’t happen immediately on offense, as we were only able to muster up four more runs going into the top of the seventh. Lucky for us the defense stepped up our game and did not allow a run until that point. So, the stage was set: top of the seventh, and we were down 12-6. We needed a miracle, and that is just what was delivered. Leading off, Adam, another P1 in the College of Pharmacy, led off with a single. The amazing part was that he was hitting with just one hand as he was playing with stitches in the other. I was able to finally come through with a knock, and in what seemed like a blur of hits, good bounces, and timely poor defense by the other team, we were leading 14-12 going into the bottom of the 7th inning.

The game was ours to win or lose, and with the runs a softball game can produce, it was not in the bag by any means. As our friend Yogi Berra once said, “It ain’t over ‘til its over” With the first pitch, a sinking liner to the right field line, my heart was sinking right along thinking it would fall in for a hit, but out of nowhere came Drew, a P1, who made a spectacular running catch. The next pitch was another sure hit that Nick (a P1 and my roommate) made an even more amazing catch, diving backwards to make the snag in center field. With a routine fly out to me in left, the comeback was complete, and we had won the game!

I liked this game for a couple of reasons: one, or course, is the fact we won. Secondly, I liked how we didn’t give up. It is a great lesson to take away: as long as there is a chance something can happen, don’t give up. I am reminded of my friend Nadia who, last year, applied to Pharmacy School and was put on the summer wait list (see how I related this softball game to school? Pretty cool huh?). She was obviously pretty bummed she hadn’t been accepted, but I told her that it would work out and she would end up in, and to just trust me. Now, I understand it is hard to trust someone with something so important as getting into Pharmacy School, but lucky for her it wasn’t over ‘til it was over, and midway through the summer got the call that she was in!

I think you can find the lesson in this post, but as for me, I gotta be getting out and hitting the books because as the saying goes, this semester ain’t over ‘til its over, and there is still a lot left to do! With that I will leave you another cerebral scratching quote from Yogi himself and be on my way: “When you come to a fork in the road, take it!” Now you all take care!

Posted by Cory at 08:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The sound of squeaking sneakers, balls bouncing, and whistles in the Blatt and Strom can only mean one thing: it is intramural basketball time again at USC. Our men’s team, AC/GC, is the defending champion and we started our quest for a repeat Sunday. The team has been together since freshman year, and the main four of my roommate Nick, Brad, Sean, and myself have been on the team all three years. This year we lost a two of guys from the squad last year, but we also were able to pick up a couple more to replace them and we feel pretty good about their additions. It may sound like I am taking intramurals a little too seriously, but for us mere mortals; intramurals is as close as we can get to living out our hoop (or any of the many other sports) dreams. Anyways, back to the game. We started off pretty cold, and were only up 13-11 with about ten minutes left in the first half against a team that we should not have been having any problems against. Then we turned it up a notch on the defensive end of the court. After several steals and a few blocks from the big man Nick inside, and we had ourselves a comfortable halftime lead of 33-11. In case you were wondering, that is a 20-0 run to end the first half. Not too shabby if I do say so myself. The second half was a replay of the final ten minutes of the first: lots of defense, forced turnovers, and easy points for us. At one point we had to intentionally miss shots so as to not induce the mercy rule so we could play longer. In the end, we could only back off so much, and finally put them away by 35 with about 3 minutes left. The first “W” of the season! In case you were wondering why I left out any personal stats, I wanted to make it very clear that we are a team, and the outcome and how great the team played needed to be talked about before me (there is no “me” in AC/GC” after all). About me though, I didn’t play great, I had a few points, a nice three point play on a foul, and the “acting” award for getting a foul called thanks to me yelling out and falling to the ground after a light tap from the guy playing defense on me. It wasn’t my best game, but I gave it my best effort as always. Most importantly is that I played HARD and played good DEFENSE. Even if the shots aren’t falling (and they usually don’t for me) I can help us by stopping the other team. All of us agree this wasn’t our best game despite the winning outcome, but in the coming weeks, we will play more together and hopefully can only get better. If we can keep improving, a back-to-back championship isn’t out of the question. We just need to remember some famous basketball words: “defense wins championships.” Take care!

Posted by Cory at 03:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

            Do you remember the scene in the movie “Dodgeball” when the “Average Joe’s” plays their first match against the girl scouts, and loses? Do you remember that thanks to a positive test for performance enhancers on the Girl Scout team, that Average Joe’s were awarded the win regardless of their pathetic and embarrassing performance? And do you remember how they went on the win the championship? Well, some fellow pharmacy students and I had that same experience, minus the part about beating the girls and winning the championship. Allow me to explain so this may become clearer for you.

            Intramural sports puts on a Holiday Dodgeball event every December before finals as a way to wrap up the Fall Semester and in my opinion, offer a great stress reliever as well. Since I am in pharmacy school, and there seems to be just a tad bit of stress (understatement folks), and most of my fellow students would agree with me on the stress thing, I thought it would be a fun idea to enter a pharmacy school team into the tournament.

            Our team name was the “P-1 Punishers”, and I thought it did a nice job of conveying our status as P1 Pharmacy school students as ruthless athletes that punish you on the dodgeball court! In actuality, half of that name turned out to be true.

            We arrived at the Strom and began playing around 7. The tournament consisted of pool play and a single elimination bracket based on the seeding from your record in the pool. Seeing as how our little team had never played together before, I thought we did an admirable job going 1-1 in our co-ed pool. The Punishers had some confidence going into the bracket!

            Unfortunately for us, we got matched up against “Yeah, Those Girls” a “Co-ed” team only in the sense they were in the Co-ed bracket. They were actually an all girls team, but were the only all girls team to sign up, so they were pushed to the co-ed bracket. A racket could be heard throughout the gym when they were victorious in their first game in pool play. Surely we would have no trouble dispatching this team of females, what with our three male advantage.

            Not so fast my friend. In what seemed like almost a blur, our team of pharmacy school dodgeball slingers were on the losing end of the first round of the bracket at the hands of “Yeah, those girls.” I wasn’t sure what hurt more: my chronically sore throwing shoulder or my severely bruised pride! In any case, our team member Doni had the worst of it since her roommate was on the other team! Doni must have lost a bet or something because she was buying her roomie dinner last night after the match, not to mention losing bragging rights.

            Win or lose. Pride or none, we had a great time getting out, taking a break, relieving some stress, and getting some exercise. While we still have to face the daunting task of finals, at least we were able to blow off a little steam, have a laugh at our own expense, and in my opinion, have the opportunity for a little class bonding. Here is a picture of your 2007 “P-1 Punishers.”

 http://uscbloggers.com/cory/dodge_ball_%2812%29.JPG

            As for me, I think I will go ice my shoulder, and put a warm compress on that wounded pride because that loss is one that is going to sting for a while. That’s all I have for now for you folks, but take care and try to remember those 5 D’s of Dodgeball so that the same fate doesn’t befall you. Take care!

 

Posted by Cory at 12:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Freshman co-ed softball. Freshman men’s flag football. Freshman men’s and co-ed basketball. These are all of the sports that the intramural team “Southern Avengers” has either beaten us, or, in the case I will get to in a moment, tied when they should have lost. So, with last night’s co-ed softball semifinal game, we were matched up yet again with the Southern Avengers and their stacked team of whiners, criers, and most importantly, intramural staff. Yessir and yes m’am, they always seem to gain at least a slight edge by complaining and getting a call to go their way now and then. It comes as no coincidence they have the head student of intramurals as the captain their team.

            A game against the Southern Avengers during freshman year in softball still burns bright in the minds of me and the rest of the Sultans of the South co-ed softball team. We were down two runs going into the last inning, and had tied the score. Our best hitter, and fellow Arizonan Chad (Sport Management 08’), was at the plate with the winning run on third base. He hit a slow ground ball to first which he easily beat out, but was called out! I was livid, he was livid, our whole team was livid, and the Southern Avengers escaped defeat yet again, thanks in no small part to a little help from their friends.

            I told our team that it was not going to happen this year. We were going to remain calm in the face of any poor calls, complaining, and smack talk from the Southern Avengers. With our game plan in place, we took the field at 7 PM under the lights eager for the semifinal game.

            As a player and the coach of our team, I can objectively say that it was the best game we have played all year, and perhaps the best in my three years here. We scored runs, made smart and great plays in the field, and despite their loaded lineup hitting a few deep home runs, we stayed in the game. In our last at bat before the final inning and with the score tied, we managed to push across a run before the final inning began. I told the team before we took the field that we needed to take care of them in order because they had the bottom of their lineup up, and if anyone got on, their home run hitters would get a chance to do some damage.

            First man up was their captain and my “arch nemesis” for the last three years. We managed to get him out. Next up was a girl. Brad got her to strike out. My heart raced, the tension was high, and their leadoff hitter who had hurt us all game with his line drives to right center was up. True to form, he hit a sinking to the gap right center field that had extra bases written all over it when our right center fielder Thomas came in and made an amazing shoe string grab! We had done it! We had beaten the hated Southern Avengers, and earned a spot in the championship. Mentally and physically it took everything we had to win that one, and it felt like winning a championship in itself.

            It was a great team effort, and I feel good knowing that I pulled my weight, smacking three hits with five runs batted in, along with a handsome headfirst slide into second base. Here check it out. It is a little blurry, but that navy blob is me sliding headfirst safely into second.

http://uscbloggers.com/cory/SAFE%21.jpg

 

            This story doesn’t have a completely happy ending unfortunately as we couldn’t finish the job and lost in the championship game later that night. As a team, the euphoria of the huge win was replaced with stunned silence. I told them that they played great regardless, how much fun it was, and that there is always next year of course.

            Despite not “finishing” the job, the umpires congratulated us, and in fact were quite happy we had beat the Southern Avengers due to their incessant complaining over the course of the whole year. Again, a small consolation prize, but a prize nonetheless. That win wasn’t just for us on the Sultans of the South, it was for all of our friends who had suffered at the hands of those dreaded Southern Avengers, be it flag football, volleyball, or basketball. All I can do now is relish that win we had, look back over how much fun the season was, and wait until next September when co-ed softball season rolls around and try to go all the way. Until next time, keep swinging for the fences and take care!

Posted by Cory at 10:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

            Gather ‘round boys and girls, because it is time for a trip back into the past with another installment of the ever popular “Story Time” with your host, me! Today’s story takes us all the way back to the year 2000 when two adolescents met. The two young men were Jeff and Cory. Cory was just transferring to a new Middle School all the way out somewhere in Tucson, Arizona. Jeff had already spent 6^th and 7^th grade at this Middle School.

            Cory met Jeff out on the basketball courts and in Mr. William’s science class. The two grew to be good friends thanks to their similar interests in sports, movies, and, since they were both kind of nerds, school.

            The two remained friends throughout their four years in high school, playing basketball, amping up the crowds at their high school football games, and playing Texas Hold ‘Em on the weekends. However, one day, they had to decide where they wanted to go to college. Cory visited USC. Jeff did too, and as luck would have it, they both decided to go to USC!

            There was just one little problem though. For you see, Cory had decided to go to USC as in the University of South Carolina, and Jeff went to USC, as in The University of Southern California. Immediately, a friendly rivalry between the two was born. The debate over the “best” USC raged over two years, but last year Cory gained an edge when his Gamecocks beat Jeff’s USC in basketball. Cory was overjoyed, Jeff was dejected, but both enjoyed the friendly rivalry.

            The USC vs. USC battle resumed this Saturday as the two schools would play again in basketball, this time on Carolina’s turf. Bragging rights were once again on the line for Cory and Jeff, and much “smack” was spoken before the game. In fact, thanks to several text message updates from me, the smack continued playfully throughout the game until it was over.

            Oh, right, about that game. Well, our basketball team filled up the beautiful Colonial Center, and the joint was a-rockin’! Our USC kept it close and within striking distance against Southern California. Unfortunately, as the clock wound down, we found ourselves on the wrong side of the USC rivalry. Even though we lost, it was still a great game, in fact, one of the best I have seen here in my three years. Hopefully next time we can win the bragging rights of the “USC” schools.

            With the loss, my friend Jeff has the bragging rights out in Southern California, but he was very classy about the whole affair, and for that I have to thank him. Until the next USC v. USC showdown, us Gamecocks are just going to have to wait for revenge on the court, playing field, or wherever else we can have a competition! Like they say, there is nothing like a good old fashioned rivalry to keep life interesting! Until next time everybody. Take care!

Posted by Cory at 10:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

            The glass slipper has fallen off.  The improbable run of our “Cinderella story” flag football team deep into the playoffs met its unfortunate end last night on the blustery fields of the Blatt PE Center. However, we can take solace in the fact that we were even able to go as far as we did in the playoffs considering our winless regular season.

            Our flag football team, the “Nostril Gumdrops” (totally not my idea of the name), did not win a single game during the regular season. In fact, we lost three of four, pretty bad. The insult to injury came in our final regular season game when we were playing another winless team, and could only muster a tie. Despite our poor performance on the field, we exhibited what was deemed “acceptable” sportsmanship throughout the season and because of this we were still in the playoffs. Just as an aside, the playoffs are determined by your sportsmanship rating after each game, not the final score.

            So, with admittedly low expectations, we began our playoff run two weeks ago against a team of guys who I actually knew pretty well. It was a battle both ways the entire game and it came down to a final play when we stopped them just outside of the end zone to seal our first, and most important, victory of the season! On to round two…

            The second game wasn’t nearly as exciting. This lack of intensity and excitement was mostly due to the fact the other teams did not have enough players, and were forced to forfeit. Easiest win of the year! A bonus of our forfeit game was that we were able to actually practice a couple of plays while we would have been playing an actual game. (Could this practice of plays be a foreshadowing?)

            The third round came last Monday, and our practice paid big dividends, as we executed like a group of seasoned flag football veterans. I had a couple big plays defensively, as well as some key catches down the stretch! Really, it was the best game we had played as a team that has been together now for three years.

            Last night was the fourth, and unfortunately, final round for us. The game started well, with us scoring a touchdown on our first drive. The problem was that on the other team’s first drive, they scored on their first play. Admittedly, I will take the blame for that one is it was my man who burned me down the sidelines for the score. Despite this early setback, we were able to rally and bring the game within one point. Unfortunately, the clock ran out on us and our amazing run in the playoffs.

            With football season over, it is time to really concentrate. Concentrate on softball and racquetball playoffs that is! Intramural championship immortality is still a very real possibility. Until next sports report, you all take care!

Posted by Cory at 04:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

            My glove was on, my eye black applied liberally on my upper cheek, and my baseball pants were pulled high to reveal blue stirrups: it was definitely time for intramural softball to begin! All of the Sultans of the South (my team) were assembled, warmed up, and raring to get the 2007 fall co-ed intramural softball season under way. Unfortunately there was a small problem: there was no team to play!

            Yes, we fell victim to the dreaded “forfeit” from the other team, and I could not have been more disappointed. I had literally been looking forward to this day since the last out of the 2006 season. I mean, I had spent precious class time drawing up different lineups and defensive schemes, and for what? A forfeit? Let’s just say I was not a very happy camper Sunday night when all of this went down.

            Aside from being ready to play myself, I had brought together 12 people to play. Do you realize how hard it is to get 12 people in college to be anywhere at once? Ask some professors, they will tell you the same thing (pause a moment to chuckle at my little attendance joke). So, we now had 12 people together with no one to play against…but ourselves!

            Yes, we had ourselves a little intrasquad scrimmage. We had some fun, and got some important, and in this coaches opinion, needed practice. The guy who was supposed to umpire our game gladly joined in our little game!

            Overall, while I was disappointed in not getting to play against another team, and although I think our team needed the practice, I was just happy to get out there and blow off a little steam. With a couple tests and quizzes apiece this week, I gratefully will take any distraction that lets me relax a bit.

             All I have to say is that whoever is playing us next week better do two things: first, show up! Second, prepare for the full fury of the “Sultans of the South” co-ed softball squad. We’re hungry to play, hungry to win, and hungry to beat ya! Until next time, take care!

Posted by Cory at 10:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

            Freshman year, in psychology, I learned and was fascinated with Pavlov’s famous experiment with dog salivation. You know the one that I am talking about, where every time that the dogs would eat, he would ring a bell, and they would salivate in anticipation of their tasty kibble meal. After a while, the simple ringing of a bell would send the dogs salivary glands into a frenzy, even if food was not present. It was some good ol’ fashioned conditioning the dogs to salivate at the bell, not the food.

            Anyways, I always thought that experiment, along with its result, was really cool. However, I believe that I have become a sort of “victim” of this Pavlovian phenomenon. Before you rush to judgment, it has nothing to do with me drooling over a plate of Puppy Chow while a bell goes off in the background. In fact, it has everything to do with Carolina football!

            Now that I have your attention, and have hopefully regained your respect, allow me to explain. You see, yesterday was USC’s first football game of the year. With it came the usual, but never mundane, tailgating, anticipation, excitement, and, by the way, Gamecock victory! Along with these always fantastic traditions was one of my favorite: the run-through of the team onto the field to the tune of “2001”. If you have never heard this particular spine tingling tune, do yourself a favor and check it out.

            The “Pavlov” part of my football experience has become conditioned after two years of football games. You see, the entrance is something to behold, and ever since I was a wide eyed freshman those long two years ago, the initial sound of 2001 causes a chill to run down my spine and the hair on my arms to stand up on their ends!

            The scary part of my physical response to the song is now I don’t even have to be at a game to experience it. The other day, a friend of mine’s phone rang, and wouldn’t you know their ring tone was “2001” and as if on cue, I got that chill down my back accompanied by goosebumps! Immediately I thought of those dogs that Pavlov gave the bell treatment to and I realized that I was just another victim of a conditioned response! I don’t know if was more excited about how I had become conditioned to 2001, or that I made that connection to the Pavlov experiment (the nerdy side of me just won’t be quiet!)

            As you can see, here at Carolina, football games aren’t just a way to spend a Saturday afternoon, but it really is a way of life in the fall. There is something special about being a part of a game that gets into you, figuratively, or, in my case, quite literally! For now, I cannot wait for our next home game in two weeks, but if I get the hankering to “feel a part of it” I can always just call my friend and let “2001” flow through me! Until next time, take care!

           

Posted by Cory at 10:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

            It was absolutely gorgeous on Saturday; at least that is what everyone told me. You see, I was in the library studying all the live-long day. About five and a half hours of my time was spent inside making flashcards, preparing study guides, and getting myself mentally ready to tackle finals. With all that time I spent studying on Saturday, I felt like I deserved a “Cory” day before I dove into finals.

            Lucky for me, Brad and I found an adult baseball league to play in. That is correct, not slow pitch intramural softball, but real live hardball! Brad played in a game a couple of weeks ago, and I got to debut yesterday. Our game was in Kingstree here somewhere in South Carolina. I honestly have no idea where it actually is in the state, we just followed the other guys on the team there and back.

            I was really excited to get to play because I haven’t really played baseball since I graduated high school two years ago. I had some nerves too, because I was facing real live pitching, not that slow-pitch lob stuff I have become accustomed to playing intramural softball.

            In any case, Brad pitched and did a great job. I played first base, and while I didn’t do anything spectacular, I didn’t embarrass myself either. At the plate, I walked a couple of times, reached on an error, and I had a hustling double.

            Allow me to tell you a little about that “hustling double” as I cal lit. I hit a little fly ball in between left and center field, and I saw that it dropped. A simple single right? Well, I play the game the right way (in my own humble opinion that is), and I noticed that the second baseman and shortstop were out getting the ball, and there was no one covering second base! I decided to go for it, and when I saw the play was going to be close, I made a beautiful headfirst slide into second. I was safe, but also caked in dirt! Not exactly a pretty sight, but I felt like a little leaguer getting a chance to dive and get my uniform dirty!

            We ended up winning the game, but I have yet to try to tackle my dirty baseball laundry. Back in the day, Mom usually handled that mess, but I guess I will have to suck it up and put my bottle of Shout to good use!

            Anyways, that was my Sunday diversion before studying, but now I am in full test taking mode. I spent some significant time and the library today; on top of studying my organic chemistry flashcards on the elliptical machine at Blatt (call me Mr. Multitasker). I intend to keep at the books the rest of the week so I will be ready to dive headfirst into my tests with no problems. Hopefully I will come out of the tests a little cleaner than that dive into second!

Take care everybody!

Posted by Cory at 08:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

            You win some and you lose some. In my world, this adage is ringing ever so true. In case you missed my last post, I was in an ecstatic mood because we won our men’s intramural championship. That victory was great, I was happy, but it was championship weekend, and there were more games to be played.

            After my men’s basketball game yesterday I had my intramural softball championship game. I had high hopes of bringing home another championship t-shirt, but it was just not to be. We played against the team of PE majors, and if they teach PE like they play softball, our nation’s youth will be in top shape in no time. In a game that was shortened due to the mercy run rule, they hit 6 homeruns in 3 innings! I have never seen a power display like that put on. While they did hit the cover off the ball, we didn’t help ourselves out, me included. I have played a lot of 1^st base in my life, but you wouldn’t have known it by the way I played last night. I had a couple of ugly errors that hurt our chances at winning.

            While we did lose, and I did play poorly in the field, I ended the year nicely hitting the ball. Although I have struggled with the bat all season, my last at bat I hit the hardest ball I can remember since I have been playing softball at USC. It was a screamer to center field, and as I was heading into second base, the guy coaching third was waving me on: I was going for a triple! He was yelling for me to stand up, meaning there was not going to be a play, but at the last second, he told me to slide! I got down in a hurry, and in a blur of dust, cleats, and glove, I was safe at third! Unfortunately, the ground is pretty rough, and I ended up with a nice boo-boo, or if you prefer “owie”, on my knee (I hope you enjoy my “little kid injury speak”). To add insult to injury, I was stranded at 3^rd and we lost the game. I think the most frustrating part was that I waited until my last at bat of the season to finally hit the ball hard. Not to mention I don’t get to wear eye black until co-ed softball in the fall!

            Today brought the racquetball final four. I was matched up against Dan, the proclaimed “best player at USC”. People aren’t just handed those kinds of reputations, and he had definitely earned it. I gave him a couple of good games and played hard, but in the end I was my own worst enemy with too many unforced errors, which is something you cannot afford to do against such a polished player. I ended up losing both games 15-4. On the bright side, he was a grad student, along with most of the players I have played against. Hopefully by the time I am in my last year of pharmacy school here they’ll have graduated and I can be the old guy ruling the racquetball courts!

            Anyways, that is the intramural report for the spring semester sports fans. In total, I have one championship, two losses, and a lot of great memories to look back on. Now I have to put my championship weekend behind me as I prepare for my organic chemistry lab final on Wednesday. Take care!

Posted by Cory at 08:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

            “I don’t care how rough the water is boys, at the end of the day, you bring the ship in.” These are the words of former Chicago Cubs pitcher and broadcaster Steve Stone. Those words typify my experience today. You see, here at USC, the championship game for intramurals is known in short as “The ‘Ship.” Today was our intramural men’s basketball championship, and we definitely were going to have to weather some adversity if we were to bring the ‘ship home.

            The first object in our path was that Tim and Nick had their co-ed championship game right before our men’s game, so they were going to be tired. Having a couple of tired players wouldn’t be too much of an issue if we had a substitute on our bench, which brings me to issue number two: Brad, one of most important scorers was out of town. So, we were going to be tired, and down an important player. Would we be able to win it all? Well, if we were, we wouldn’t be able to dwell on what we couldn’t change.

            The game started well, even though we were down about 6 points midway through the first half. Then we really started to turn it on, thanks in part to a three pointer from the corner by yours truly. At halftime, we were up 5 against a much bigger and more athletic team. The second half, we came out intense and quickly built our lead up. There was to be no drama at the end of this game as we ended up winning handily by 20 points! The ‘ship was ours! What is the prize of winning the ‘ship? Why, it is the all important intramural champions t-shirt, and bragging rights of course!

            This is my first time winning an intramural championship, and it feels phenomenal. We got to the championship game for men’s basketball last year and lost, and I have not been able to bring home the softball ‘ship yet, so this feels pretty good. I hope that when y’all get here, you get involved with intramural sports; it’s a great way to have fun, get exercise, and just maybe win the ‘ship!

Posted by Cory at 09:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

     Coming up empty. Swinging and missing. Just plain losing. Those are all descriptions of what happened this weekend at our softball tournament in Aiken. I went with the men’s intramural team I play on here, whose name is “Courtesy Flush” (just for the record, not my suggestion). I must say I had been looking forward to this weekend for some time now, and even though we didn’t do that “great”, I still had a good time.

            Brad and I drove to the Palmetto Invitational Slugfest Softball Tournament in Aiken on Friday afternoon. Aiken, in case you were wondering, is only about a 50 minute drive west of Columbia. When we got to the tournament, we saw the other teams from colleges all over South Carolina. Our first match up was at 8 PM against a team from Clemson. I wish I could say that we represented USC, but unfortunately the game did not go too well. In a theme that would be repeated, it felt like we left our bats back in Columbia (figuratively of course) because we could not put together many hits, while the other team did. In the end, we lost by 10 runs.

            Our second game was not too much better as we lost by 10 again to a team from USC Aiken, and I personally felt like I was trying to hit a bowling ball with a broom stick when I was at the plate. I just could not get the ball out of the infield, and by the end of the night we were 0 and 2, and I had pulled a muscle running out a ground ball that turned into a double play against me. It was insult and injury all rolled into one Friday night. Not a great start of the tournament to say the least.

            However, one of the great things about baseball and in my case, softball, is that there is always another day to redeem yourself. Unfortunately, Saturday was not to be the “redemption day” for myself or the entire Courtesy Flush team. Our first game started out well enough, we actually came out and jumped ahead of the team from USC Upstate. It was our first lead of the tournament! Well, if you can detect a theme from what I have been telling you, this lead was short lived, and our bats went cold, and we lost again. There was a bright side: we didn’t lose by 10 runs at least!

            So, that was the end of pool play, and it was time for the single elimination time. Time to turn it on! Time to get the bats going! Time to play some defense! Time to go home! Wait, well, yes, after our only game in the single elimination round, it was time to go home after another bad defeat. We did go down fighting, but our rally in the last inning was too little too late.

            Despite the loss, I did have some fun, I mean, how can playing softball in the sunshine be bad? Plus, we lost soon enough to get back here to Columbia to see the Spring Football Game and pregame concert with Hootie and the Blowfish! So, all was not lost this weekend. I hope you enjoy some of the pictures from the tournament! Take care!

 

Here are a couple of pictures. One is from Saturday morning of the banner in the complex where we played in Aiken. The next is me looking mighty tough before our first game on Friday. This “tough guy” look was to be short lived as I failed to reach base and we lost by 10.

http://uscbloggers.com/cory/100_0850.jpg

http://uscbloggers.com/cory/100_0848.jpg

 

Posted by Cory at 10:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

             The “F” word. I am not a fan of it myself. It just makes me simmer with anger when I hear it. Today was no exception. My honor society, Alpha Lambda Delta, was ready for our first round playoff dodge ball game, and nobody from the other team showed up! That’s right, that F word reared its big head; it was a FORFIET! I cannot stand going through all of the trouble of getting my team together on the right day and time to play, only to not have the other team even show up!

            Now, I must be fair, we have forfeited a couple of games this year, but at least I try to have the decency to call the intramural staff ahead of time to let them know we won’t  have enough players so they can call the other team and make sure they don’t have to show up. That is called a “default”. Not only do I save the other team the trouble of showing up, but our team doesn’t get counted with a forfeit, but with the “default”. The importance of this is if you have two forfeits over the course of the season, you don’t get to play in the playoffs. So, that etiquette lesson is just something to consider way down the road when you are a captain of your own intramural team here at USC.

            Besides my unsuccessful attempt at playing a dodge ball game today, Nick and I played some ping pong down at Strom since we were there anyways, and then I ran a bit. Then, I was back here to study for my sports psychology test tomorrow.

            Wait a minute! I am writing a blog and NOT studying for a test I have tomorrow. Relax, have no fear, it’s all about making the most of my study breaks, so I can entertain for my loyal readers out there.

            Speaking of loyal readers, I got to meet some of you prospective students at Scholar’s Day Saturday, and I will be writing a blog in the next couple of days addressing your questions, concerns, and about how much fun it was to meet y’all. Now, my study break is over, back to the world of sports psychology. Take care!

Posted by Cory at 10:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

            I love Cinderella, and while the Disney movie is great, I am talking about Cinderella’s, as in low seeded teams that go deep in the NCAA basketball tournament. That’s right folks, it’s time for March Madness! Personally, I am ecstatic that this time of the year has come. I have always loved filling out my brackets and testing my knowledge of college basketball against my friends, family, and basically anyone who will fill out a bracket.

            Unfortunately, this year, the Gamecocks are not in the “Big Dance” nor are they in the NIT to defend their back to back NIT championships. The streak will end at two, which is still quite impressive. Now, while USC won’t be competing for the NCAA or NIT championship this doesn’t mean I don’t have a favorite going into the “madness.” Growing up back home in Tucson, Arizona basketball is like what football is here at school. Basically, it was big time, and the town would shut down when they had a game in the Big Dance. This year is no different. They are in the tournament yet again, but the expectations aren’t quite so high. It’s still alright with me; I will still have a team to root for.

            Even if I didn’t have a team to root for, I always enjoy watching underdogs beat the higher seeds. It makes for a fun and interesting story, not to some mention for some exciting games. Unfortunately, the “glass slipper” typically falls off and the higher seed usually wins. While this is the case, I can always root for some games that go down to the wire. Even if a team I am pulling for is winning by a ton of points, I almost wish that I could see a close game with a buzzer beater rather than a blowout. Either way, the tournament always is entertaining, and I am just lucky that it falls during spring break this year, so I won’t have to miss a moment of the first round action!

            Hopefully, next year the Gamecocks will be making an appearance, and will wear the glass slipper of the “Cinderella” and ride it all the way to the final four. That is all I have for now, I am off to watch some basketball and enjoy the last few days of spring break!

Posted by Cory at 06:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

            “Blatt PE Center, 2 PM, you bring your crew, I’ll bring mine.” These were the “friendly fighting words” from Mike, a guy in my Organic Chemistry lab. He and I both have had some classes together since we are both pharmacy majors, and we both play on separate intramural basketball teams. So, it was set up, Brad, Nick, Sean and I met his team at Blatt today for a tune up for tomorrow’s intramural game.

            Now, this game didn’t count for anything in the standings, but there was something much more important than that on the line: pride. I think that playing for pride actually elevated my game a bit today too. We started off slow, and were down 6-1 (playing by ones and twos), but came roaring back and won the game 30 to 19. We then played another team in a game to fifteen and beat them. Then, Mike’s team was back on the floor, and we dispatched them 15-13. Finally, in our fourth game, we hung on to win 15-12.

            Four games. One day. As I sit here, I am quite exhausted indeed, but it is a good feeling. As a team, today was good for us because we played great together. I was passing the ball, Nick had some great dunks and blocked shots (it helps that he is 6 feet 7 inches of fury), and Sean and Brad were nearly unconscious, making almost every shot that they took. If this is any indication of how we will play tomorrow, I would say we don’t have much to worry about!

            Another great thing about today was that we played in the Blatt PE Center, which is a favorite of mine. The Strom gets all the attention because it is newer and “nicer”, but the Blatt still has a huge weight room, and a bunch of basketball and racquetball courts that are less crowded than the Strom’s. While you can reserve a racquetball court at Strom to beat the crowds, you have to play onto a basketball court, but like today at Blatt, there was no one there but us, so we had our free reign of the court. But if we had to play our way onto the court, it wouldn’t have been a problem the way we played today anyways!

            I guess what I trying to say is that here at USC you have a multitude of options as far as athletic facilities, and I am very happy that I “discovered” Blatt. Unlike most students, I work out there more than at Strom, and I enjoy the freedom and fewer crowds. So, keep in mind that you have fitness options when you are making your mind up to come here, or when you do decide to come here. Also, beware me and the boys of the AC/GC intramural basketball team, because you just might get your pride hurt!

Continue reading "Assemble Your Crew" »

Posted by Cory at 05:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

            Dodge, duck, dip, dive, and dodge. These are the five “D’s” of dodgeball, made famous in the movie Dodgeball. Why do I list these essential elements of this sport you ask? Well, today my honor society, Alpha Lambda Delta, had its first intramural dodgeball game. I wish I could say that we added a sixth “D” to the list, as in domination, but unfortunately, we were not so lucky.

            The game was played in the South Center of the Strom Thurmond Wellness and Fitness Center. Basically, it is an extra basketball court on the bottom floor where the racquetball courts and swimming pool are. It is used for basketball, but also for indoor soccer, floor hockey, and in today’s case, dodgeball.

            I was very happy with the turnout we had of players for our team. Sometimes it is hard getting enough players for the honor society teams, as many students already have teams with their friends or other organizations, but we had enough to play, which is always a great start. Another great part of today was that we just had induction on Friday, so some of the new freshman members came and got to participate.

            Now, the match itself was an all you can play 35 minute free for all of throwing, catching, and, of course, the five “D’s”. Judging by the looks of the other team against my team, I felt like we had a pretty good chance at a win. However, it seemed that I blinked, and in a furry of dodging and throwing and getting hit, we had lost the first four matches! I can’t say I was upset with the outcome, we were just there to have fun, but there is that little bit of competitiveness that lives in all of us, and for pride’s sake we needed to win at least one match.

            Luckily, that time came, and even though I had gotten hit and was out (I have a tendency to get a little too aggressive, and I get hit a lot), the team came through and we got a win under our belts. It was 4 to 1 with about twenty minutes left, and the other team went on a three game run. It was then that we really started to play great. In the last ten minutes we won four out of the five matches that were played. Even though we ended up losing 8 to 5, and we got pelted by dodgeballs, it was still a lot of fun getting out of the dorm, getting exercise, and meeting some new people. So, there is a lesson in this: playing intramurals is a great way to get out and meet some great friends when you get here. I know that my softball team freshman year was how I met some of the best friends I have here. That is all for you now, because I need to go ice my sore throwing shoulder and bruised ego. Take care!

Posted by Cory at 07:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

            I am pretty sure that someone stole my shoes. Yes, that is my best explanation; someone had to have stolen my basketball shoes and filled them with cement, because there is no other explanation for the way I played this past Sunday on our intramural basketball team. This week, we played a bigger and stronger team, but we were able to prevail and win by 20 points. My personal performance, however, seemed to be lacking by my own “Cory” standards.

            The problem may have come in the first couple of minutes of the game when I went for a loose ball and caught the back of another players head in my eye. That little incident left me pretty dazed for a few moments, but we only had five guys, so I had to tough it out and play the whole game. Have no fear, I am alright. The only problem is this nasty shiner I have on my right eye. I feel like it makes me look like a “tough guy,” and I keep explaining to people who ask me how I got it about how “bad” the “other guy” looks.

            Anyways, back to the basketball action, or, in my case, lack of action. The entire game I felt tired and slow, like my shoes were filled with cement. I could not get open from the guy who was guarding me, and the only shots I got off were pretty ugly. Luckily, Brad 09’ had the hot hand, and helped us pull away. Even though I couldn’t do a thing offensively, I did play some solid defense against a few guys who were much bigger than me. So, I guess all was not lost for me at least.

            Even though I did not play my best, they say that you win and lose as a team, and I can definitely say that the whole team played great, and we got the “W”, which is all that really matters in the end. I also got this cool black eye to show off and brag about. Now all I have to work on is getting rid of this nasty cement that is in my sneakers, then maybe I’ll be the one with the hot hand next week. Anyways, basketball shoe conundrums aside, I must be off; it’s time to review some anatomy and study for my organic chemistry lab quiz tomorrow. Take care!

Posted by Cory at 08:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

            Wow! No number of exclamation points can emphasize the excitement today. Let me put it to y’all in simple terms: We beat our biggest rival, Clemson and we locked up a spot in a bowl game. I went absolutely bananas upon the last play. We couldn’t have simply beaten Clemson easily, as we should have with several opportunities to put the game away. No, that wouldn’t be excruciating, I mean, exciting enough. We had to throw three interceptions, lose a fumble on the goal-line, put in a quarterback that has played one game all year, and then rely on a missed field goal in the last twenty seconds, but we did it, and tonight the Gamecock Nation shall rejoice. I think that you all might have heard my yelps of excitement upon the final play, a missed field goal by Clemson, but a victory always brings excitement immediate calls from Jenna ’09, my father AND my mother, who both finally realize the significance of the Carolina-Clemson rivalry. Yes, you all are getting an inside look at the pride that I have in the school right now, and I will tell you one thing, had we lost this game, I would still root just as hard, be just as devastated after a loss, and be just as happy with a win as I do now that we truly have won. THAT is what being a Gamecock is all about.

Posted by Cory at 03:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

            Wow! No number of exclamation points can emphasize the excitement today. Let me put it to y’all in simple terms: We beat our biggest rival, Clemson and we locked up a spot in a bowl game. I went absolutely bananas upon the last play. We couldn’t have simply beaten Clemson easily, as we should have with several opportunities to put the game away. No, that wouldn’t be excruciating, I mean, exciting enough. We had to throw three interceptions, lose a fumble on the goal-line, put in a quarterback that has played one game all year, and then rely on a missed field goal in the last twenty seconds, but we did it, and tonight the Gamecock Nation shall rejoice. I think that you all might have heard my yelps of excitement upon the final play, a missed field goal by Clemson, but a victory always brings excitement immediate calls from Jenna ’09, my father AND my mother, who both finally realize the significance of the Carolina-Clemson rivalry. Yes, you all are getting an inside look at the pride that I have in the school right now, and I will tell you one thing, had we lost this game, I would still root just as hard, be just as devastated after a loss, and be just as happy with a win as I do now that we truly have won. THAT is what being a Gamecock is all about.

Posted by Cory at 03:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)