Odd superstitions are very prevalent in sports

The line between ritual and superstition is a thin one. As tennis player Rafael Nadal says, “I repeat a lot of things”. Nadal may be the most superstitious athlete of all, although he will fully deny it. Of the many odd rituals he performs before and during matches, one of the most noticeable is the water bottles. Rafeal Nadal, 24, brings only 2 water bottles to a match, with matching labels. After each set, he takes a sip from each of them, and then lines them up side by side with the labels facing the baseline of the side he is playing. It is said to drive opponents crazy, but that’s not why he does it. In fact, he doesn’t quite know why he does it. Whatever the reason, it has helped propel him to the top of the rankings in the world of tennis, and he is not the only one who can thank a strange ritual for being a part of their success, however large or small that part may be.

US Bank behind Metro's Convenient ID/Credit Card

US Bank is a partner with Metro State for the "Metro State OneCard", which allows you to use your ID card as a VISA Check Card. All you have to do is open a student checking account with US Bank, and the Metro State OneCard serves as your ID for anything on campus that requires an ID, and also a Check card that is acceptable anywhere VISA is. Quite simply, it's just one less card to carry in your wallet. 

Colorado Radio Legends Back on the Air

There is not a more recognizable sports radio tandem in Colorado history than Irv Brown and Joe Williams. Their combined age is a 3-digit number, but you would think you were listening to two kids when they are on air. It’s not unusual for Irv to call Joe an idiot, or for Joe to tell Irv to “quit cryin’”. Irv and Joe have worked together on the airwaves for more than 30 years, and even after taking some time apart, the two “knuckleheads“ are back gabbing about Colorado sports. “Joe was going to go on vacations,” Brown said “but there are only so many art galleries he could go to.”

Fifteen horses dead stable fire on the eve of racing season

Fifteen racing horses are dead, with 10 more escaped after a barn fire in Springfield early this morning. This comes on the eve of the racing season at Lincoln Downs Race Track. Of the 15 horses killed in the fire, 13 were thoroughbreds with the other 2 being saddle horses.

“Those are my best friends,” said Albert Ramos, a jockey out of Miami, Fla. “I love those horses more than I do people. I feel like I want to cry.”

Arson is suspected as the cause of the blaze. An arson squad was sent to the scene and Fire Chief Bernard Perry said the fire is “definitely suspicious.”

Only several rows of charred wooden supports remain of the one-story structure. Dan Bucci, assistant general manager of the track thinks the fire could be of an incendiary nature, because of the flames coming from the center of the barn. “The only heaters and electrical outlets were in the track rooms at the ends of the barn.”

The fire started at 4 a.m. and smoldered until noon.

Cell Phone Use Shaking Up Brains

Eight out of 10 people said they would not stop using their cell phone if studies prove that there is a small chance to alter a person’s brain activity from talking on a cell phone. This means that 80 percent of people would risk a possible brain tumor or other long-term health effects to continue using their cell phone and only 20 percent of people would sacrifice their mobile phone for the sake of staying healthy and not taking a chance on getting a brain tumor from radiation near their brain. Amber Carey, 22, said “I have pretty much my entire life in my phone. I couldn’t go without one.” 

Denver Post Going Old-School With Frederick Cole

The Denver Post is making some changes in-house, and there are very few people more qualified as an adviser of a newspaper than Frederick Cole. Cole hopes to bring a hard-working mentality back to the newspaper business.

If Metro Had a Homecoming Would Anyone Care?

Photo by Lynzie Blair

“Most of the activities didn’t interest me, and I wish there was a climbing competition or snowball fight.” — Sean Kelly, MSCD Student, Junior 

Interview by: Walt House, Lynzie Blair and Charles Roberts

Homecoming still a mystery to you? Read More...

Who Wants to Meet a Bikini Fitness Model?

I've been on this campus for three years now, working and going to school full-time, so there is not much on this campus I know nothing about. However, there are thousands of people I do not know anything about on this campus and one person in particular that I have always wanted to approach and say something to. There is a girl who works out in the fitness center that has always intrigued me, and I finally had an excuse to talk to her. She is in very good shape and unbelievably strong. I noticed her when I was working out and I remember being amazed at how hard she was working and how much weight she could lift. She stood out and I've always been interested in finding out more about her. Today, I told her I had an assignment that required me to talk to someone I knew nothing about and she was very flattered that I wanted to talk to her. I think she thought that this was my way of hitting on her, which is not the case at all, but I wasn't going to insult her by saying that. I asked her basic stuff at first, finding out that her name is Alicia, she is from Philadelphia, PA and that she is a behavioral Science major with an emphasis in Social Studies. Once I got the icebreaker questions out of the way, I explained to her that I had seen her work out before and how impressed I was with her fitness training. Flattered again, she explained to me that her goal was to become a bikini fitness model and that ultimately, she wants to compete at the national level in fitness modeling. I do not know the first thing about competing in a fitness modeling contest, but she told me it is very much like body building for women, without as much of an emphasis on the muscles that accompanies male body building competitions. While there is not as much focus on the size of their muscles, female competitions do still require a physique attainable to only the most dedicated. This former high school cheerleader works out 6 days a week and is on a strict diet that she says she only breaks on the holidays. Her workout partner vouched for her claim, saying it is hard to keep up with someone so dedicated and that they drive each other, which is why they continue to workout together. Alicia is extremely devoted to achieving her goal, even continuing to workout despite having a torn tendon in her ankle. Any break in the routine would put her behind her goal of competing in her first local competition this summer and she wont let something like a torn tendon stop her short of that.

Sources Exercise: Journalist vs. Consumer

5 SOURCES AS A JOURNALIST

Nielsen Ratings for the week of Jan. 3--

As a journalist, if I were covering anything about television, the Nielsen Ratings would be the first place I'd go. These ratings are the end-all-be-all statistic when discussing the popularity of specific programs, because they cannot be argued or refuted. Using the Nielsen Ratings is a great way to back up an argument about how you think "Two and a Half Men" is better than "The Big Bang Theory", if you were to write a column about it.

http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/top10s/television.html



Pacers at Nuggets Box Score Jan. 23--

Not unlike the Nielsen Ratings, box scores of sporting events are a great source of information. Purely factual, box scores provide a concise recap of the game and statistics to give even further insight on what happened.

http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=310123007



West Regional Forecast--

If I were covering anything in the western region that had an event outside, The Weather Channel is an obvious place to start the report. If there is heavy snowfall, or gusting winds, it is likely to affect that event, which would be something readers would like to know about.

http://www.weather.com/outlook/weather-news/news/articles/region-western-us-weather-forecast_2010-03-25

The Los Angeles Times--

The LA Times is a newspaper that breaks a lot of stories on the west coast and nation wide. They are an accredited, established, newspaper, making them a quality journalistic source.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/

Channel 7 News Denver--

For a local story, there is a very good chance that Channel 7 News Denver has a reporter on the scene. Many times, they are there live, even breaking into other programs if they deem the story important enough.

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/index.html

5 SOURCES AS A CONSUMER

Facebook--

For news on friends, there is no better place to go than Facebook. I am even "friends" with my favorite sports teams on Facebook, allowing me access to photos, news, and announcements that I may have otherwise missed.

http;//facebook.com

Deadspin--

A website comprised of bloggers, Deadspin uses citizen journalism more than any other sports website I've read, having readers send along the stories via email. The writers then post the stories with some of their own analysis mixed in.

http://deadspin.com/

The New York Times--

As a journalist, the New York Times may be too long of a read for my purposes. As a consumer, The New York Times is informational and entertaining, offering lengthier, more in-depth articles.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/25/world/europe/25moscow.html?_r=1&hp

USA Today--

USA Today offers many different avenues in news output, with a multitude of different categories to choose from such as travel, weather, sports, and technology.

http://www.usatoday.com/

Twitter--

Twitter is becoming more and more relevant because it is the fastest way to break news. By cutting out reporters, the breaking stories reach the public much quicker. If I am following Chad Ocho Cinco, and he is traded this afternoon, I may read his tweet about it before he tells a reporting source such as ESPN.

http://twitter.com/