Entry #6 2024 Heisman Football Race

                                            2024 Heisman Football Race

This current year might be one of the most excited Heisman trophy races in recent years. There are 3 of some of the biggest names in college football. Realistically, 2 of them have a very good chance to win this prestigious award. This award is given to the best overall player in college football over that year. 

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The three names in the Heisman race in this point of the 2024 CFB season is Cam Ward, Travis Hunter, and Ashton Jeanty. All three of these players are very good in their own way; however, this award can only go to one of these players.

Ashton Jeanty:

Ashton Jeanty is a running back who players for the Boise State Broncos. They are projected to make the playoffs and win the Mountain West conference. His team is currently 5-1 and is very possible from the team to not loose another game the rest of the season. He is on pace to break the all-time rushing yards record. This record was previously set by Barry Sanders in 1988 with 2,628 yards rushing. Jeanty is on pace to shatter this record by almost 100 yards. There has only been one player since the record was set to come close. That player was Melvin Gordon in 2014 with 2587 yards. People might ask how this guy is not the unanimous favorite. He should be but he plays in the Mountain West conference; therefore, people are downgrading him because he is not in one of the power 4 conferences. I personally think that he should win no matter what team or what competition he is playing against. Breaking a record that is almost 40 years old is very impressive. He is already ready for the NFL and will fit on any team.

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Cam Ward:

Cam Ward is the quarterback for the University of Miami. He is leading the number 6 team in the nation. He is an improvisor quarterback who excels at every part of the game. He leads the entire league in passing yards with 2538 yards just over halfway through the season. He also leads the league in touchdowns with 24. People explain him as very calm and composed. Ward is the most NFL ready quarterback. Cam is projected to go as the number 1 quarterback off the draft board. He is projected to lead his team to an ACC title and make the College Football Playoffs this winter. While he is the best quarterback of the year, I believe that he will end 3rd in the final Heisman voting. I also think that this award should not go to quarterback. This is because a quarterback can control a game whereas a wide receiver or a running has to rely on the quarterback to give them the ball.

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Travis Hunter:

Travis Hunter is a cornerback/ wide receiver for the Colorado Buffaloes.  His team is 5-2 and have a chance to make the playoffs if they find a way to win the Big 12. The very first argument for Hunter is that he plays both sides of the ball, offense and defense. Throughout the game there is very few times he is not on the field. The only time he will be off the field is if he is injured or takes a 1 play rest. He is not just good on both sides either. He is at the top of each of his positions. Since he plays wide receiver that allows him to make acrobatic plays as a defensive player that many other people at his position cannot do. He is one of the most known players in the league. His highlight videos might be the most impressive than anyone else I have seen. While his stats on the season aren't astonishing and eye catching, he has a very good chance to win. While I do think he should win the Heisman I think he will win especially because of his publicity. 

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I think overall this college football season is one of the craziest years. There is no clear favorite after most of the big-name schools are all beating each other. Along with that, the Heisman race is very exciting with these 3 players. There are also the possibilities of other people joining the race since there is still plenty of the season left. Over the last few years quarterbacks have won the Heisman however I think this is the year where a non-quarterback wins the award. I am hoping that Ashton Jeanty wins the award. The award is up in the air there is no clear favorite in my opinion at this point in time 

Entry #5 Is Higher Education Worth it in Arizona

                     Is Higher Education in Arizona Worth it?

Is college actually a good investment to get into? What if college is too hard? These are questions that people graduating high school deal with as they approach adult life and the tuff decision of college or the workforce. I personally struggled with this decision myself until ultimately choosing higher education at the community college level.

After reading the two articles from the Arizona Republic about higher education in Arizona, Arizonans with college degrees can make more money. Here’s how much (azcentral.com) and Ducey: Why Arizona needs more college grads (azcentral.com). The two articles gave me a better understanding of what higher education means specifically to the state of Arizona. I still have my opinions, and I do not completely have a stance on the situation.

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I am just over half a semester into community college, and I have already noticed certain things that catch my eye. Things such as some people just do not have an all the time in the world to focus on school. Problems such as a full-time job, or having a family are two issues I have noticed at the community college level. While people at a 4-year university might not have the same issues as a junior college student. College needs full attention and focus to be able to pass and graduate. 

While college is better because of the endless career opportunities after the fact, it is very expensive. If someone is not fortunate enough to get into college on a scholarship, it can be very expensive even at the junior college level. It is a very had decision to make, and it could be one of the biggest decisions in someone's life. College is a great opportunity to meet new people and make memories along the way. When talking to people about their college experiences everyone has different views, and they are all mixed. 

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My choice of college honestly only became of my sport. I was out a track and field meet the GCC Track and Field coach, Brad Fields. Otherwise, I might have not gone to college. I had no idea what I wanted to do as a career. I did not want to waste money on classes and schooling when I did not know what to do in the future. I am still kind of unclear, but I have sort of an idea at this point in my life. I definitely think I picked the right choice. While also getting a higher education, barely have a semester in I have made very good memories and met very good people who I enjoy being around all the time.

I definitely have a mixed opinion about this matter because people who do not go to college can definitely make a good amount of money, I personally have people in my family who made a very good living without going to college. Higher education is very important, but I think it is a decision that can vary depending on the person. I think it is a good idea with a career in mind. I also think not going to college would also be a good decision.

Entry #4 Music

 Music 

Music allows people to express themselves and allows people to communicate in a way that is different than any other way. Music is used in every culture in the world for different purposes. Personally, I listen to a wide variety of music it completely depends on my mood. Music helps me get through any day especially when days get hard. 

Country: 

Country music allows me to concentrate on a situation, specifically school. My parents are always listening to country which brought me close to the genre. I have been to one concert in my lifetime, and it was a Morgan Wallen concert. He is my favorite country artist. His music is very diverse. Sometimes he features in rap songs. I think that he honestly does not have a bad song. I do not just listen to Wallen. I listen to a lot of Morgan Wallen, but I enjoy all country music. It allows me to chill and relax. Artists like Thomas Rhett, Luke Combs, Kane Brown, and Zach Brown are notable country singers I listen too.

Rap and Pop:

Rap allows me to have a good time. When I have a family or neighborhood gathering pop, party music is played. I can't listen to rap if I am trying to focus on a task like school. I listen to rap music to have a good time. A very important use for this genre is to get me ready for a race in Track. During my warmups I listen to this genre to get me ready. I also listen to rap and pop at practice. It locks me in and focuses me in that way. When I'm hanging out with friends I listen to rap and pop and make memories. Artist like Bruno Mars, Travis Scott, Drake, 21 Savage, and Don Toliver are listened to. Even artists like Michael Jackson I enjoy that can fall under the pop category.

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Classic Rock:

I listen to classic rock with my grandpa for the most part and occasionally when I am in the mood. There is no specific time I listen to rock it is honestly nostalgic more than anything. Besides country, classic rock could be used to focus. The choruses of this genre are relaxing in its own way.  In my opinion classic rock is very underrated and underappreciated. Musicians I like are Led Zeppelin, Queen, Journey, Guns n Roses. These are a few that I listen to.

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Music overall helps me in any instant of the day. Music is used for anything and everything anyone wants to use it for. Music can help in good and bad situations. Such as, being alone just listening to a specific type of music that sooths and relaxes them. Streaming apps like Spotify allow people to be more diverse with all types of music. This is because in the modern day these apps allow people to stream any type of music, any song whenever they please. Music has almost become a daily essential to my daily life.  

Entry# 3 Why are There More UCL Tears in the MLB in the Modern Day?

 WHY ARE THERE MORE UCL TEARS IN THE MLB IN THE MODERN DAY?

    In 2024, MLB teams all over the league have experienced season ending injuries throughout the entire season. In a 162-game season and extra games throughout October for the Playoffs bad injuries are bound to happen. However, there has been an extreme increase in season ending injuries for pitchers. Pitchers' most popular injury occurs in the elbow. Specifically, the UCL, Ulnar Collateral Ligament. If a pitcher has a complete tear in the ligament, they will need full reconstruction with a surgery called Tommy John Surgery. The surgery was named specifically after a pitcher named Tommy John who had this procedure done on his UCL.  Recovery takes over 1 full calendar year of recovery before they can pitch in a major league game again. People have been speculating since the start of the season and dating back to last year, wondering what the issue for the influx in injury is. The article Why are MLB pitching injuries on the rise? Four possible causes from pitch clock to changes at amateur level - CBSSports.com depicts very good reasons. They do a very good job of not swaying towards one possibility because there are multiple factors that go into the issue

Velo:

There are a few reasons people believe about the rise in injuries for pitchers. One reason is the rise in velocity Since the start of the 2015 season the average fastball in miles per hour has increased at a very constant rate. In April 2015 the average was 92.6 to now in April 2024 is 94.0. Just this summer Ben Joyce, Angels pitcher, had the fastest strikeout at 105.5mph. Along with the average speed rising, spin rate is increased as well. With both of these comes faster elbow speed which is more stress on the elbow causing more injuries. 

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Pitch Clock:

Another possibility is because of the pitch clock. This forces pitchers to speed up their routine before each pitch otherwise the pitcher will be punished. This also forces more stress in the elbow because there is less time of recovery in between each pitch. Before 2023, a pitcher used to take essentially as much time as they'd like in between pitches. There is a 0:15 second limit to pitch the ball without any runners on the bases. There is a 0:20 second time limit with runners on base. The pitch clock has been a rise of concern since it started last year. When it started last year, this was the first thing people went and blamed. 

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This article has very good information about the topic of pitcher injury. There is no bias towards any specific reason for this issue. However, the main cause in my opinion is because of velocity. Velocity will always be increasing with these young kids throwing between 90-100+ mph as early as 16 years old. There are pitchers in the league pitching 105mph. The stress caused by this high velocity will always increase injury. With the addition of the pitch clock, injury will continue to increase until something is changed within the league. This will not happen though, unless some mechanism is created to limit injury it will always be problems.