Despite sky-high expectations, Jenkins keeps a level head

Record-Press

Matt Kiebus 

June 27, 2008

WESTFIELD- One year from now, Westfield High School pitcher Chris Jenkins might be a first round pick in the Major League Baseball draft.

 MLB.com recently listed Jenkins and his mid-90s fastball as one of the top 10 prospects in next year’s draft. He was one of only two high school pitchers mentioned a s a potential top pick, which can mean a multi-million dollar signing bonus and expectations of a big league career.

 What makes Jenkins so refreshing is his willingness to acknowledge that all of the rankings and accolades are only hype, and that he must prove himself on the baseball diamond.

 “It’s very exciting and I’m trying to improve from where I am now,” he said, “because I’m not satisfied with the player I am today. It’s a lot of hype, but you still have to perform everyday.” 

 While his life-long goal of playing major league baseball is within reach, Jenkins is almost equally excited about scholarship offers from Stanford and Duke University, which are number hour and eight, respectively, in the US News & World Report rankings. Stanford offered him a scholarship without ever having seen Jenkins throw a baseball.

 “I highly value education and I think it’s very important; however major league baseball has always been my dream,” said Jenkins.

 Jenkins was named first-team all-Union county by the Newark Star-Ledger following the conclusion of his junior season, in which he helped lead Westfield to a record 18^th county championship appearance. With Jenkins on the mound, the Blue Devils dropped the county title game to Elizabeth High School, but one of his defining moments came against rival Cranford High School in the county semi-finals.

Pitching with a 4-1 lead, Jenkins ran into trouble in the bottom of the 6^th inning when he loaded the bases with no outs. The dormant Cranford crowd grew boisterous, but Jenkins was never fazed. He seemingly switched into a different gear, striking out the next two batters before getting the Cranford leadoff hitter to ground out to second base.  He ended the game striking out five of the last six batters and held Cranford’s first-team All-State shortstop Andrew Ciencin to an 0-for-4 afternoon.

Westfield coach Bob Brewster knew he had a special pitcher when Jenkins pitched his first game for the Blue Devils’ junior varsity team against Cranford.

“Out of the 10 outs, he struck out eight and walked a couple guys, but he did throw one pitch that went through the catcher’s mitt and through the backstop,” said Brewster.

Little did Brewster know his pitcher’s fastball was just starting to gain steam. Some recruiting services even project that Jenkins will develop the ability to throw 100 miles-per-hour, thought they add his game still requires polish.

David Rawnsley is the national director of scouting for Perfect Game USA, known as the foremost service in scouting and recruiting high school baseball players. He said that anyone putting together a list of the top players in the class of 2009 will include Jenkins near the top.

“He obviously has the size and the arm strength to be a top prospect, a potential first rounder, but his delivery and mechanics are a long way away right now,” said Rawnsley.

Jenkins’ size helps him generate the tremendous power behind his fastball, but it also causes problems. At 17, he is still growing into his frame; his long arms and legs make his release point hard to repeat consistently. He works constantly to improve his coordination, from taking karate classes to playing varsity basketball.

Off the field he might be just as impressive. A well-rounded student enrolled in honors classes at Westfield High School; he knows how far a Stanford or Duke education can take him in life. And like most accomplished young athletes, his parents have helped guide him every step of the way – from his mom rescuing lost socks and belts, to his father instilling the kind of work ethic his son needs to reach the next level.

“He is a very well-rounded individual. At the beginning of the school year he came to me and said, ‘I really want to go to a good school. I want to make sure I get a good education, because you never know what’s going to happen with baseball,’” said Brewster.

Jenkins knows there is always work to do, that he can always get better. He strives for excellence, knowing that if he slows down or becomes complacent there will always be someone behind him trying to knock him off. And when he isn’t trying to improve physically, he is working on the mental aspect of the game.

“For me, right now, I am just working on becoming a stronger person,” he said, “because all this talk is about me being a potential first-rounder and potentially throwing however hard I’m supposed to throw – it is all potential right now.”

Jenkins will spend his summer like so many 17-year-olds, playing baseball – the only difference is that he will be doing so against the best competition in the country. 

Next summer, he may be in a whole ‘nother league. 

What's worse than watching Packers-Giants alone? Watching alone in a country that doesn't care at all

The Greyhound

Matt Kiebus

Issue date: 1/29/08 Section: Sports

ROME -- Greetings. I'm in a foreign land where wine is cheaper than a bottle of water, and the natives play the wrong type of football. The Mitchell Report, Roger Clemens, steroids -- baseball in general -- are not talked about, watched or even acknowledged. 

On my first day I watched a handball match between Germany and Montenegro on TV. The German-speaking announcers were beyond enthusiastic; they gave Spanish soccer announcers a run for their money. 

To put it simply, it's another world over here, and it's really hard to keep up with the American sports scene because of the six-hour time difference, lack of televised games and Internet. 

However, I'm lucky my host family has a package called SKY sports. Basically it shows a lot of soccer, European basketball, volleyball, taped NBA games and amazingly live feeds of the NFL playoffs.

Yes, Joe Buck is just as annoying. 

I was awake until 4:15 in the morning watching the Giants-Packers game because I feel morally obligated to watch my father, Brett Favre, play anytime he is on TV. (Favre is second only to Bruce Springsteen on my list of false idols.) I was decked out in my flannel shirt and Wrangler jeans; I didn't shave for a week in anticipation.

As the night wore on, and the "gunslinger" was slinging in the direction of the weak Giants secondary, I prepared myself for what I felt was an eminent Giants-Patriots Super Bowl.

Then Lawrence Tynes missed a field goal. Then he missed again. A brutal death surely awaited upon his return to New York (or the Giants sideline).

Then the Packers won the toss in overtime. All was right with the world; the most rugged man alive was heading back to the mountain top, and he was going to carry the Packers to a monumental victory over the Patriots.

Then the Giants won.

Picture the scene. Me. Alone. I was lying on the couch -- getting cold just watching the game -- munching on bad potato chips and sipping a Coca-Cola that I paid five euro for. I knew Loyola's campus was erupting, and thanks to the late-great Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., you had into the early morning to celebrate.

After the deflating Favre loss, I was fortunate enough to have a three-hour ethics class on less than four hours of sleep. My mind wandered (we were studying Plato). I sat there angrily, questioning a world that not only let Brett Favre lose, but could allow a Giants-Patriots Super Bowl. 

Are you kidding me? What in the name of Don Shula did we do to deserve this? OK, it'll probably be a great game, and will attract one of the biggest markets ever for a Super Bowl. It takes the New York-Boston rivalry to another level. But, for all the non-Giants and Patriots fans in the world, we are forced to choose between the lesser of two evils. I can only think of two reasons to root for the Patriots: remember how much we all hate Miami, and Teddy Bruschi, the nicest linebacker alive.

I'm a Buffalo Bills fan. (Feel free to laugh.) Trust me, the games just aren't that exciting when your last playoff memory was the Music City Miracle 10 years ago. We also lost to the Giants once. Ever heard of Scott Norwood, or wide right?

Pardon my cynicism, but Patriots fans are the most obnoxious on the planet, narrowly beating out Eagles, Yankees and Duke fans. They also narrowly beat the Bills this season by a combined 94 to 17. 

Bill Belichick is great coach and also of other things that aren't appropriate to print. Tom Brady's ascots and velvet jackets get on a lot of people's nerves and Rodney Harrison likes steroids.

Giants fans are almost hilarious in their ridiculousness. I've never seen a group of fans hate everything about their team more than Giants fans at different points in the season. Tom Coughlin was supposed to get fired about 15 times by now, according to astute fans and the New York tabloids.

Eli Manning? The "awe-shucks" son of the NFL first family has been the most hated man in New York for a couple years now. Frankly, Isaiah Thomas would even admit that. 

Of course this all changed after his victory over the Packers. Eli beat Favre in Green Bay when it was negative- four degrees out. Before Week 15, Giants fans were calling for his head. All season, when the New York Football Giants had a commanding lead in the division, fans wanted him traded.

"He doesn't have the killer edge;" "Eli sucks" -- that was the normal public opinion. Well, he just led your team to the Super Bowl. Be happy for once, but just hope he doesn't channel Kerry Collins, your last NFC Championship quarterback.

All that being said, I like Eli and the Giants by three over the Patriots. 

I've probably made a good amount of enemies with this article, and I'm quite upset that I'm missing the hype leading up to the game, but I'll settle for my Venice trip this weekend.

As for the Super Bowl, the most watched American sporting event each year, I'm going to be in Tuscany, wine tasting with my class. 

If anyone would like to send me a nacho platter and some buffalo wings, it would be much appreciated.

Loyola students expect big things for consistent attendance and fan support

The Greyhound

Matt Kiebus

Issue date: 1/27/09 Section: Sports

Loyola College in Maryland is not known for our sports, we never have been, but as our school is gaining popularity and notoriety our sports program has been receiving more attention. Whether we deserve it or not is up for debate, but recently there have been complaints about our student body's attendance at our sporting events, most specifically men's basketball. While the pleas for bigger crowds are understandable, so are the reasons for people not being there. 

Loyola lacks tradition, I'm completely aware we have been around for 157 years, but we have undergone many drastic changes in the last quarter century and are still cementing our identity. The sports scene is behind the curve. The school's goal is to become one of the premier catholic universities in the United States; we need an athletic department to match. In a recent Loyola Magazine article was a ranking of the top 10 moments in Loyola Basketball's 100 years. Our number one moment was making the NCAA tournament and losing in the first round. Granted that was a special team, lead by the late Skip Proser and point guard Tracy Bergan, but what progress have we made since then? Wake Forest's basketball team has been ranked No. 1 in the country this year. Their coach is Dino Gaudio, Loyola's men's coach in the late-90s. He was an under 500 coach at the Evergreen, now he's no longer coaching in empty gyms, he's in packed houses. He's obviously a good coach, but why couldn't he succeed in Baltimore? A better question is can anyone?

I'm one of the few non-fair-weather Greyhounds fans; I've seen the 15 person crowds and yes it is sad. The real question is why so few people? The student body and alumni expect more from our current teams. The type of student Loyola attracts are winners, and lets face it, we aren't winning. Students don't care when our teams lose, but we desperately want something to be proud of. In my four years I have encountered one team that played and acted like winners. This year's soccer team had confidence, they had swagger, they fought their way to the No.6 team in the nation, and then fell flat on their face in the NCAA tournament. I tip my hat to their season, but we expected more. Basketball goes to the MAAC semi's last year and blows a 17-point second half lead to Siena. The same team we beat twice in the regular season and embarrassed at our home gym. Siena went on to the NCAA tournament and made it to the second round. Again I tip my hat to the basketball team, we've come a long way, but we expect more.

The lacrosse team is the most recognized Loyola sports program. Under former head coach Dave Cottle we were a force, a perennial top 5 team, reaching national semi-finals and making the national championship in 1990. Now we're celebrating just making the tournament. This generation of Loyola students doesn't want to settle for mediocrity, quite frankly we just won't. What the school needs to realize is that we aren't a school that kids grown up rooting for, Greyhound green is not Tar Heel or Duke blue. This is a school where students root for other colleges more than for the one we attend. Of my closest friends there is a Pitt Panthers fan, Arizona Wildcats fan, and a Maryland Terrapins fan. They are all proud Loyola students who love sports, but Greyhound games never captivated them. 

Seniors long for Andre Collins hitting 40-foot trey-balls, one senior said, "I'd rather watch Andre Collins vie for the national scoring title than our current team. I miss the days when the 'safe staff' didn't ruin all the fun of the basketball games." In countless interviews of the current student body, many people couldn't name five players on the basketball team. The amount of people that can talk intelligently about Loyola basketball is pathetically minuscule. I feel as though I'm maybe one of 20. I wish I were joking. How many people know that Jamal Barney has scored 40 points twice this season? A feat no one in school history has accomplished, not even Collins and Gerald Brown. 

How do we solve this? Win. Want to get the student body excited? Win more. Want to see crowds like the season opener in basketball more often? Keep winning. It's easy to say Loyola students are bandwagon fans, but sports are comprised of bandwagon fans from high school to profession ranks. How many were Arizona Cardinals fan before the playoffs? How many people rooted for the Tampa Bay Rays before the World Series? Philadelphia shortstop, Jimmy Rollins, criticized his own city calling them bandwagon and fair-weather fans. Guess what? He was right, but how many of those same fans euphorically celebrated at the World Series Championship parade? 

Like many Loyola students I went to a high school with a powerhouse sports program, and I went to all the games, I had pride in them. People just don't feel that way about Loyola. Once we got a taste of winning, we got spoiled. There are higher expectations, so are the goals. In a recent Greyhound article, Loyola was depicted as aspiring to be a Gonzaga or Villanova. I'm sorry but we aren't them, we will never be them. Even if, God willing, we build a basketball powerhouse, we will do it the Loyola way. 

We want to be inspired. We want packed houses and national attention. But criticizing students for not going to games isn't going to help. We will never be too proud, however, to hop on the bandwagon.

Scholz shines in Beijing, returns to LC amid praise, adulation

The Greyhound

Matt Kiebus

Issue date: 10/14/08 Section: Sports

One year ago Phil Scholz and Taxi walked the Evergreen campus in anonymity. He was a blind student lead by his yellow Labrador retriever. People knew who Scholz was, but no one knew Phil, the talented student-athlete who was about to take the campus by storm. 

Flash forward one year later. 

Now Scholz is one of the most well known students on campus. In the past year his story has been featured on ESPN.com, in the Baltimore Sun, and local TV stations. He threw out the first pitch at a Baltimore Orioles game. He was nominated for an ESPY in the category of Best Male Athlete with a Disability. He has set American swimming records almost every time he jumped in a pool. After his publicity and record swim times, Scholz earned a spot on the U.S. Paralympic team. From anonymity to limelight, Scholz found himself swimming in "The Cube" in Beijing one week after Baltimore's golden child Michael Phelps proved he isn't human and actually a fish. 

Scholz's last year has been a fairytale, and the trip to Beijing was the pinnacle. 

"Someone really had to pinch me," joked Scholz. 

Before Scholz flew to Beijing, he ventured to Colorado where he met the U.S. Paralympic team. Scholz spent three days in Colorado, getting oriented to his eight new coaches and thirty-seven teammates, before flying across the world to compete in Beijing against world class athletes in a venue that is truly one of a kind. 

However, Scholz's next stop on his Paralympic journey was Kadina Air Force base in Japan where he and the rest of the U.S. team got adjusted to the 12-hour time difference between Baltimore and Japan. Here, the team continued to bond and build chemistry. Scholz was one of the many Paralympic rookies on the team, which roughly made up one third of the team. He was one of three legally blind swimmers on the team; however, he was the only completely blind swimmer. 

The Paralympic games take place one week after the Olympic games conclude. The Paralympic athletes are treated the same as Olympic athletes. They live in the Olympic village with athletes from countries all around the world. Scholz met athletes from Poland, Ukraine, Japan and, of course, China. While he lived in the Olympic village, Scholz and the other athletes traded their countries pins, and Scholz came back to the United States with around 50. 

The opening ceremonies at the Paralympic games also took place in the "Bird's Nest." If you recall the four hour ceremony with the amazing synchronized dancers and visually stunning pyrotechnics, this is the same venue. The American Paralympic team walked out waving to the crowd in the same Ralph Lauren outfits that Phelps, Katie Hoff and the Redeem Team sported during the opening ceremony. 

Loyola swim coach Brian Loeffler and his family also went to Beijing to cheer on Scholz. 

"To see him compete in such an amazing facility was a once in a lifetime experience," said Loeffler. "The Chinese did everything to make it look and feel like the Olympics."

Many of Scholz's German family also flew out to Beijing to root him on.

"They were excited for me and really excited for Taxi," said Scholz.

Scholz qualified for five events at the swimming competition: 100 meter butterfly, 400 meter freestyle, 100 meter freestyle, 100 meter backstroke and 50 meter freestyle. The big difference between swimming in the Olympics and Paralympics was that the finals in the Olympics were held in the morning because of the star power of Michael Phelps; the time difference let his races air live in prime time. The Paralympic qualifying races were held in the morning, and the finals were at night. 

Scholz qualified for the finals in the 100 meter butterfly and the 400 meter freestyle. He finished eighth in the 100 meter fly and fifth in the 400 meter freestyle. Scholz led the 400 free after the first 100 meters and was in medal contention after 300 meters. Although Scholz didn't medal during his first trip to the Paralympics, the journey was still a fulfilling experience. 

"The games were an experience I'd never trade for the world." Said Scholz

Outside the competition, Scholz got to experience some sight-seeing in China. The Paralympic team made a trip to visit the Great Wall of China, the only manmade structure you can see from space and the Beijing Silk Market. 

"The builders of the Great Wall probably never thought a group of Paralympic athletes would be trying to navigate the Great Wall," said Scholz.

Scholz always shows a good sense of humor with his disability. On the flight home he was seated in the exit row. When the flight attendant noticed this, he responded he might not be the best person to sit there in case of an emergency.

The next step is London in 2012, where Loeffler believes Scholz should be in medal contention in the 100 meter butterfly and 400 meter freestyle. 

But for now, Phil Scholz is just another sophomore at Loyola College, with one hell of a story.

Swimming and diving open the new season in style

The Greyhound

Matt Kiebus

Issue date: 10/14/08 Section: Sports

Loyola's swim team opened the year with a major splash. It was an exciting day at the Mangione Aquatic Center on Saturday, as nine records fell in a quad meet against Boston College, Catholic University of America and the U.S. Naval Academy. 

Two Loyola school records were broken, the men's 100m backstroke and the women's 200m individual medley. 

Three pool records were broken, women's 50m freestyle and women's 1 and two meter diving. Phil Scholz set four more American records as he continues to set Paralympic marks. 

Loyola's men defeated both Boston College and Catholic University, while the Greyhound women were victorious over Catholic. 

Navy came out on top of the meet, defeating Loyola, Boston College and Catholic University on both the men's and women's side. 

"It was thrill to see how fast our men swam in the first relay," said Loyola coach Brian Loeffler. "They set the tone for what was a great first meet for us."

"I know they were excited to win the relay and almost break the school record. We do not typically break school relay records until MAAC's."

In her first collegiate meet, Courtney Trivino made waves, not only in the pool but on the Loyola record book. Trivino set a school record in the 200-yard individual medley, winning the event in a time of 2:10.77.

"Courtney had 4 great races today. It was very impressive for her to break a school record in her final event of the day, after some challenging swims earlier." Said Loeffler

Sam McQuaid was the other Loyola school-record setting swimmer on Saturday. McQuaid smashed his own Loyola mark in the 100-yard backstroke, winning the event in 51.72. Knocking .39 off his previous best of 52.11, set last season.

Loyola's Philip Scholz set four more American Paralympics Records in the S11 category- bringing his total to 19 for his career.

"Philip has picked up where he left off last season, rewriting the American record books for blind athletes," Loeffler said. "I expect more will fall as the season continues."

Other winning Greyhounds on the afternoon were sophomore Ozzy Torres, who took the 100-yard butterfly, sophomore Matt Fralinger who won the 100-yard breaststroke, and the 200-yard freestlyle and medley men's relay teams.

The Greyhounds continue their season on October 25 for their annual Alumni Meet at 1 p.m.

Emotion is key for college sports outdoing the pros

The Greyhound

Matt Kiebus

Issue date: 9/2/08 Section: Sports

elcome back to another year of shenanigans and good-hearted foolishness in the Charm City. This is the time of the year when old friends reunite, summer fades, leaves change color, the Mets hopefully don't choke, and most importantly, football season starts.

The return of college football and the NFL help create the man-weekend-paradise. No longer do I have to watch Aaron Heilman and the rest of the Met bullpen implode. Now I get to watch the Buffalo Bills consistently disappoint me. 

Call me old fashioned, but my heart lies on the college gridiron rather than with the corporate NFL. Imagine being at the Big House in Ann Arbor and hearing "Hail to the Victors" while being surrounded by a sea of maize and blue. For one second, think of being a sousaphone player (it looks like a tuba) who grew up in Ohio, and on one glorious Saturday afternoon you are sent out to the middle of the field at the Horseshoe in Columbus in front of 100,000 
people with the honor of dotting the 'I'. 

You can't help but admire the commitment and creativity of the student sections that drink for hours in advance at intrepid paces and then proceed to scream their lungs out in unison. From the whiteouts at Beaver Stadium at Penn State, to the orange crush at Neyland Stadium in Tennessee, the massive crowds and school spirit leave me awestruck. 

Waking up on Saturday mornings to watch the ESPN Game Day crew and the minor riot that occurs behind them is the perfect way to nurse the Friday night hangover. Lee Corso dons mascot heads while growing moderately more senile with each new season. Kirk Herbstreit wows TV audiences across the nation with his charm and winning smile. The ever-steady Chris Fowler, who is excited to get away from announcing Breeder's Cup races and tennis, likes to unnecessarily throw in his opinions. Desmond Howard, well he's just happy to be there. 

Don't get me wrong; I enjoy watching the NFL, and it gives men the viable reason to drink on Sundays while ignoring their wives/girlfriends/family/kids. When your favorite NFL team is the Buffalo Bills, the only losers of four straight super bowls, who haven't been to the playoffs since 1998, you'd be little bitter too. My early season hope always turns into late season misery.

What holds college football back is the postseason format. Where the BCS goes wrong, the NFL does right: playoffs. 

The playoffs are the most exciting time of the year for every professional sports league, be it the NFL, NBA, MLB; and the NCAA tournament in college basketball might be the most exciting of all. However, university presidents love the money given to schools through the bowl system. They don't care about discovering the best team in college football, but hey, the Music City and Humanitarian Bowls make students and alumni giddy with excitement right?

The NFL overtime system is frankly ridiculous, and the fact that there is a possibility of a tie is such a blatantly bone-headed rule. 

The college vs. pros argument stretches farther from the format of the seasons and postseason, past the fans and pre-game shows. It includes the players as well. In college, the athletes are playing for their schools, the names on their helmets, and their free educations. The percentage of college football players that go on to play professionally, whether it be in the NFL, NFL Europe, or Arena football is minuscule. College players don't play better during contract seasons. NFL players have no clue what it means to be a fan of their team. 

Sure, NFL players appreciate fans' support, but do they really feel the anguish of generations of failure? Or do they even know the pain of their own defeats? 

The college athlete knows their fan base; they live with them, go to class with them. They know what it means to be a fan. This is before they completely loose their innocence, before Escalades and mansions. 

Look at football players at division three schools: they practice just as much as USC, but do they get any glory? They mostly play with fewer fans in the stands than high school teams, but the game is pure. There are no illusions of grandeur, no salary caps, no fantasy teams. Most importantly, you never have to worry about your mid-market team moving to Toronto.

Matt Kiebus returns to States; final comments for the year

The Greyhound

Matt Kiebus

Issue date: 4/29/08 Section: Sports

I'm back to Loyola, first time in four-and half-months, and it feels more like home than home itself. I ate Wendy's, I played a pick up basketball game at Boy's Latin, and I was not honored at the Intramural banquet, even though I wrote a phenomenal article on it. Frankly I'm disappointed, Eric I'm talking to you. 

My parents greeted me at the airport, camera in hand, capturing my jet-lagged foolishness. I have tried to do every Jersey thing you can think of, I've bought pizza (not as good as Roma), started talking gangsta', consumed a few sub sandwiches, ate a nice juicy steak, cut people off while driving, disappointedly watched the Mets blow a game to the Phillies, and thankfully have not gelled my hair.

I slept until two p.m. on Monday, I still don't have a job or internship, and at this rate I'm going to be living at home until I'm 30 years old. In fact I fully expect it. 

I now am able to watch sporting events; I have been home since Sunday and have stared at ESPN for the last four days. I have not seen Kenny Mayne yet, it upsets me. 

Since I have been gone Darryl Strawberry of all people has joined the Sports New York booth, and the infamous Harold Reynolds is now a part of the SNY crew as well. The New Jersey Nets are still playing at the Meadowlands; and the Baltimore Orioles were in first place when my plane landed. 

The night of my return to the USA none of my friends were near me, I stumbled upon the freshman facebook for the class of 2009, noticing my friends, enemies, people I have met recently, and the unfortunately few that I never met at Reefers.

It was a nostalgic trip; I went on to look at my past yearbooks and grew upset. I'm done with classes, technically I'm considered a senior, and I'm supposed to be career oriented. The real world is one year away and I'm terrified, as is 90 percent of the rest of the class of 2009, I hope. 

While jobs and internships breathe down our necks, I pass the time by thinking about Luis Castillo hitting in the "two-hole" for the Mets. I am enraptured with Lute Olson recapturing his job with the THE University of Arizona Wildcats. The Buffalo Bills selected Leodis McKelvin from Troy State University with the 11th pick in the NFL draft, a classic example of a great combine leading to a high draft pick. I am sure Leodis has been tested plenty of times by the phenomenal receivers of the Sun Belt conference.

The USA is completely different than Rome, there are no more Bangladesh people trying to sell me "magic rocks," there are houses instead of strictly apartment buildings, and Primo's STILL SUCKS.

Abroad was outrageous, our normal nights are more ridiculous than my most absurd at Loyola. Senior year is around the corner, while it is unfortunate that it is my last year on the Evergreen campus, I promise to write real hard-hitting articles, I am excited for Intramural flag-football, pick up basketball, messing with countless freshmen and enjoying the last year that my parents have to pay for. 

I am excited for Loyola athletics: soccer team, after this season, if you don't win a NCAA championship I'll be disappointed. Greyhound basketball, I know you're young, but the expectations are high, show us a post-season appearance, I beg of you. 

Loyola baseball, oh wait we don't have a team. 

I was told we are probably changing our name to Loyola University, thanks for not distinguishing ourselves from the other three Loyola's across the States; we totally appreciate it (sarcastic). 

To all my readers, all 5.4 of you, I thank you for continually dealing with my terrible grammar and stream of consciousness writing, the fact that people read what I have to say continues to amazes me. 

This summer act as men and women for others and live the Jesuit ideals. 

Actually visit the Jersey shore, laugh at everyone wearing sleeveless shirts, and if you see a clown trying to surf and failing miserably, that would be me, send your salutations. 

Enjoy the break; I'll catch you around the corner.