Have the large salaries of professional athletes had a negative impact on the athletes or the sports?

Anyone who follows Minnesota sports knows that we don't normally get to keep our marquee players due to the amount of money that they are able to receive through free agency. I know from talking with friends from other areas of the country that they feel the same way when their favorite players leave their team because they think they are entitled to more money. I think the worst example of this is in the NFL with rookie players. When a player is drafted they are given these huge contracts worth millions upon millions of dollars. The thing is, they get more than most players that have played in the league for years and they haven't even played one snap.

I feel that the amount of money sports are throwing at these kids is making them think that all that's important is the money. Look back at the days with Lou Gehrig, Brett Hull, Micheal Jordan and Walter Payton. These players played the game just for the love they had for their sports. They didn't jump teams every other year to get more money. They loved the game and enjoyed it. I think players today focus more on a salary and not on how they play the game. I hope that the new generation can learn this and not focus so much on the almighty dollar.

The Man with the Golden Voice - Ted Williams

After watching the video on Ted Williams emotional reunion with his mother, I thought a lot about the different aspects going on here. One, I kind of felt a personal feeling as I have dealt with these issues in my family life more times that I wish to admit. With dealing with substance abuse nothing is more important, next to courage and strength, then to have a strong family or support structure. I feel that Mr. Williams felt this and wanted to get better and that seeing his mother again was a good first step in that process. In the world we live in now, it's very good that the internet and media are able to help someone in such a fast paced medium. However in this case, it also has had a very negative effect as well.

The other thought that had struck me was as the media is willing to help and be a positive force in peopled lives, they also show their colors with their own self interests. In this case two media outlets were fighting over who would get to have this reunion that was supposed to be a happy time that tuned into a game for the networks. From an article I found, Ted Williams: Media Tears Him Apart, Colleagues Try to Put Him Back Together, it appears that the media were making him and his mother jump through hoops and play their game when all they wanted was to see each other. I feel that if you really are trying to help someone you should not be trying to make a quick buck on someones life. This was more than likely the contributing factor in his relapse that caused him to continue drinking.

Fame can be an ugly thing if you are not prepared to handle it. Mr. Williams I think was in such an emotional state to not only do right by his family, but to see them again that he would do anything. And unfortunately this was to much to handle. The article also goes on to say that his friends and voice over colleagues have helped him with rehab and to get his life back together. I think he is an amazing man with an amazing gift. I hope upon hope that he is able to repair his life and get back to being the man that he, and the world, knows he can be.

Accomplishments since 2005

Hello there!

I have been through quite a few changes since 2005. I guess the biggest is that I made a major change in my career choice. I had gone to school for a bit after I graduated High School in 1999. I was going for a background in Business. I worked for a few places and ended up with Target for quite a few years. I started working in a store and eventually moved up to the Corporate level. I reached the point where I was not going to go anywhere else without a finished degree. Thought about going back to school, however something was missing.

I did some major soul searching and realized that Business was not what I wanted to do with my life. I thought about what I wanted to do. I decided on the Medical field. So I saved up some money, quit my job and went back to school. I took a class for EMT certification. Once I finished that I got a new job at my current employer as a phlebotomist at a plasma clinic. I can't explain how much happier I am! And now I am back at school again for Nursing.

I look forward to what the future might bring and the changes that may happen. I look at each day as a new chance to see what could and will happen.

My First Post

Hey everyone!!

This is my first blog post. Looking forward to working in this class with the blogging and wiggio and all this new stuff they have now. :-) Seriously not that old just kind of new to it all. Hope this goes well!!