FINAL BLOG!!!!

In a world filled with brilliant minds, I have a distinct mind of my own. I believe that I have been blessed with a very creative mind. Often I try to conjure different ways to think about certain, or like some like to say: "I think outside the box." Some people say that if, you try to stand out with new ideas or philosophies, you are trying to make yourself seem better than others. However, I feel that by doing your own thing, you create a since of individuality and nonconformity which is essential in the development of who you are as a person. I exemplified many things in time as a blogger. I exhibited curiosity by always trying to come up with new and distinct ideas. I get bored with the "norm," I need something new and exciting to keep my interest. I challenged my own beliefs by not just assuming that what I thought was true was true. I made it a point to always attempt to prove my beliefs to be true. Therefore, I will feel firmer in my beliefs and not have second thoughts or guesses. The third and final trait that I exemplified was my generating of hypotheses. I generated my hypothesis and I sought to prove it through blogging about it and finding information that corresponded to my hypothesis. One thing that I learned during my blogging days was that inches matter. Some may think that because inches are so small and insignificant, they don't matter. However, that small distance could be the decisive factor between a multitude of different outcomes.

One Final Thought

Growing up, I would always think to myself "why do things happen to me?" This is a very valid proposition because if you think about it, life is constantly decided by the difference of inches. Things happen for a reason, and that reason is inches. You may decide to set your coffee on the dash of your car as you are pulling out of your driveway as opposed to the normal area of resting, the cupholder. However, this morning you hit a pothole and that cup of coffee spills all over your dress slacks, instead of spilling on the vacant seat next to your cup holder. You have to turn around and go change your pants at your house because you were on your way to an extremely important job interview. Because you had to go change your clothes, you run late to the interview and don't get hired. Little did you know that the woman who would have worked in the cubicle right next to you would later become your wife. So now you are jobless and womanless all because of a matter of inches. I could go on and on about how thsi ripple effect could continue but I think that you guys grasp the idea I am attempting to convey. In this game we like to call life, things happen one and they affect our life one way or the other. These inches create our life and without them our lives could theoretically be drastically different from now. Just remember that inches do matter no matter how small.

Bill Buckner 1986 World Series Error

In October of 1986, in game 6 of the World Series between The Boston Red Sox and the New York Mets, one fateful play that occured haunts Red Sox fans to this day. Two words: Bill Buckner. Nicknamed "the error heard around the world," Red Sox first basemen Bill Buckner let a routine groundball trickle between his legs allowing the game winning run to score. The Sox were leading the series 3-2 going into the game, but this error committed in the bottom of the 9th inning allowed the Mets to win and tie the series. The play would have been the 3rd out and ended the game, giving the Red Sox a World Championship for the first time since 1918. However, this would not be the case. Buckner raised his glove up moments too soon, allowing the ball to roll between his legs and down the first baseline. Instead of leaving the stadium that night Champions of the World, the Boston Red Sox would lose the next game, handing the World Series to the New York Mets. To this day, Red Sox fans cringe at the very mention of the words "Bill Buckner." It is safe to say that the inches did not fall in the right way for this lonesome Red Sox player.

Luckiest guys ever - TOP 7 !!

This video is about many close encounters. All of these men were a matter of inches away from death. Hence the title of the video. If inches had gone one way or another, all of these fellas would be 6ft under the ground right now. However, all of them are alive due to a matter of inches.

REITZ & CATHEDRAL LAST PLAY

This video needs no explanation. It is the single greatest display of why inches matter. The so-called "god-sent" team, the Cathedral Fighting Irish, lost in the semi-state game to the Evansville Reitz Panthers. Reitz was leading 35-34 when Cathedral QB Andrew Pimentel threw a desperation pass to this receiver as time expired. At first glance, it may seem as if the receiver reached the endzone. However, a slower replay shows that the referee was correct, the receiver's knee and the ball were down inches before the goalline. A few inches farther and we would all have had to listen to Cathedral blabber on about how they had won another state championship. Thank God that these inches went for the good guys.

Just a Thought

Just the other day, I was thinking about how inches one way or another have affected aspects of life apart from sporting events. Take, for instance, the space shuttle Challenger. On its tenth journey on the 28th day of January, 1986, only 73 seconds into the journey, the shuttle disintegrated in mid-air. Researchers say that this catastrophe occured due to a malfunction with one of the O-ring seals on the right solid rocket booster failed to seal. This failure left a miniscule hole, allowing flames to leak out of the booster and into the external fuel tank. This hole was maybe a couple of inches big, however, those few inches were the difference in the lives of seven astronauts. The astronauts were killed instantly and in front of millions of people due to the national television broadcast of the fateful event. It's sad to think that a couple inches played a hand in the death of those people. Inches in life are everywhere, and they determine whether an event is catastrophic or successful. And in the case of the space shuttle Challenger, those couple of inches were more than catastrophic.

Any Given Sunday - Peace by Inches - Pacino

This video is from the movie Any Given Sunday which chronicles the season of a professional football team. Well-known actor Al Pacino is the head coach of this team, and his speech comes at a vital point in the movie. The team is about to face the best team in the league and, everyone is freaking out. Pacino tells them through his speech that it is up to them to make the difference, and that difference is just a couple of inches one way or another.

Super Bowl XXXIV

Days after entering into a new millennium, the people of the United States were graced with the opportunity to witness one of football's greatest games: Super Bowl XXXIV. This game featured two incredibly opposite teams: the Tennessee Titans and the St. Louis Rams. The Rams, who were commonly referred to as The Greatest Show on Turf, led the NFL in nearly every offensive category. However, the underdog Titans possessed a mediocre offense but a rather stifiling defense led by All-Pro DE Jevon Kearse. In this David vs. Goliath showdown, the Rams jumped out to the early lead, but the Titans remained within striking distance. The Rams scored late in the fourth quarter to take a 6-point lead at 22-16, but the Titans were giving up yet. On their own 10 yd line with only seconds remaining, Titans' quarterback, Steve McNair, found Kevin Dyson streaking across the middle of the field. It seemed as though Dyson would score to give the underdog the decisive score. However, Rams' middle linebacker London Fletcher dove to tackle Dyson inches short of the goalline and preserving the Rams' win. What could have been an upset for the ages was stopped a few inches short. Life is a matter of inches.

In this past week's national championship, Butler's Gordon Hayward was just a matter of inches from becoming arguably the greatest hero in Indiana sports history. Hayward not only had one, but two opportunities to win the national championship game against Duke. Deep in the depths of my soul, a little fire, actually a holocaust burns on the hatred I possess for the Duke Blue Devils. They are the Cathedral Fighting Irish of College Basketball, overrated, rich, preppy white kids. Anyways, back to the shots. Sports Science showed just how close Hayward's shot was to going in. It had the correct angle of projection and velocity. However, had the shot been 6 inches to the right, it would have given the ball a chance at going in and sending the state of Indiana back into a state of Hoosier Hysteria not felt in recent years.
Years before Gordon Hayward ever arrived at Butler, he almost quit basketball forever. Why you ask? Because he was a 5'11 freshman on Brownsburg's basketball team. Gordon, also an All-State tennis player in high school, thought he was too short to play basketball in colege so he was going to focus on tennis. However, in the summer going into his sophomore he shot up 9 inches, making him a 6'9 force and a member of the U-19 Team USA basketball team. Just think about how inches affected this situation. Without those 9 inches, Indiana basketball and college basketball as a whole would not have the same.