GO TO NEW BLOG!

Looking for my writings? Go to my NEW BLOG at www.bryanpayton.blogspot.com. Postings begin on Jan. 1, 2009! Check it out and feel free to comment!

IDS Column: Weezy a sports pundit?

I am currently a sports and men's fashion cloumnist for the Indiana Daily Student. I have been writing for them since May, 2008. I have held down my columnist gig since August of this year. I will now be posting my articles on this blog just incase you don't get to read them in the paper or at idsnews.com. My columns run in the paper every Teusday and Friday and will be posted on this sight soon thereafter. Here's my most recent column. Enjoy.

In a weekend when I can honestly say I watched very little sports, it appears from the looks of SportsCenter to be one of great excitement.

I was researching for this week’s column by surfing the Web, and I came across a lot of interesting material. In an article written by ESPN columnist Mark Schlabach, I noticed Clemson fired their football coach, Tommy Bowden, after a disappointing 3-3 start.

Chicago Tribune reporter Fred Mitchell wrote about how the Falcons pulled off a miracle in beating the Chicago Bears.

ESPN NASCAR blogger Ryan McGee mentioned Cindy McCain showed up at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Charlotte, N.C., to watch the NASCAR Bank of America 500.

But finally, I came across Lil’ Wayne’s ESPN blog to find some baseball news, and I thought, “Wait a minute. Did I just see a blog by Lil’ Wayne? The same rapper who released The Carter III earlier this year? Young Money? Weezy?”

Yes, that Lil’ Wayne. I don’t know about you, but I found this to be a very creative and innovative idea by ESPN. Kudos to them for making such a move.

I began reading the blog to see if this was for real. It certainly is.

On top of that, he actually knows his stuff. He puts his own spin on things, which makes his blog an entertaining read.

Who would’ve known Weezy’s favorite player is Brett Favre? Here’s what he had to say about the wily old vet: “Now on to Brett Favre. He must know God’s phone number, ‘cause he is superhuman. Like, Brett Favre? Come on. He’s like 3,900 years old and he threw for six touchdowns? He’s never even done that in his whole career. ... There’s a reason why he’s my favorite player of all-time.”

Also, check out his comical take on Aaron Rodgers’ shoulder injury: “It’s a tricky thing. They say shoulder, and when they say that, that means he could be seriously injured. It’s like me telling you, ‘I’m sick,’ but not telling you what’s sick about me. I’m skeptical about it, because when you say something like ‘he has a sprained shoulder,’ come on, who sprains their shoulder? I’ve never sprained my shoulder.”

Obviously, Lil’ Wayne is no athlete, but I can definitely see where he’s coming from. This is the sports world we live in – get used to it, Weezy. But who does sprain a shoulder?

I don’t know how long Lil’ Wayne will continue to be an ESPN blogger, but now that I’ve discovered it, I plan on being a regular reader. You can read his blogs on ESPN.com by searching “Lil’ Wayne.”

It still remains to be seen if he’s capable of actually maintaining a career as a sports pundit. As a sports blogger/columnist myself, I say welcome to the club, Weezy.

KEEP THE FAITH

If you've been paying attention the last four weeks you don't need me
to tell you that we've now dropped four straight. But let me assure you,
I'm not about to panic. Therefore, neither should you. Let me tell
you why - we're a great team, period.

We're fighting each day to get better. Unfortunately, things have not
always gone our way. And when it rains, it pours. But the
bottom line is, that's life. As young men we're learning a valuable
lesson in all of this. Yes, times are rough and we're nowhere
near where we expected to be at the beginning of the season. This is a time for soul
searching. I can tell you that my teammates and I, we're all in and we will not stop
fighting, not for one second. Things may not always go our way.
Yes, there have been mistakes made, and to be honest, there will be
more. That is part of the game. But we must continue to move forward and
keep the faith in order for wonderful things to come our way.

God has a plan for us this season. I do not know what it is or what
exactly will come out of this physically, psychologically or
spiritually. But one thing I do know is that it will be for the greater
good. God has given us the talent, all we can do is play our best. In
every game a team will saunter off the football field with its
spirits crushed and its pride wounded. And on the other side there
will be a team celebrating with joyfulness and glee. We plan on being
the winning team. Why? Because we know we can do it and we, more than
anything, have faith.

Murray St. Recap

Saturday’s game was an important one for our team. We needed to see how we could handle an opponent we knew little about who would come into Bloomington hungry for a win against a Big Ten team. I give Murray State credit. I felt like they played hard and I wish them the very best of luck the rest of their season. But we took care of business on Saturday.

The day began at 9:30a.m., as we were allowed to sleep in a bit due to the late game. After eating brunch at 11 a.m.,we all retired to our rooms for some time to relax and watch some football. My roommate, Trea Burgess and I, switched back and forth between the Michigan vs. Miami (Ohio) game and the Ohio State vs. Ohio game.I was mostly interested in watching Ohio play because my former prep school teammate, cornerback Mark Parson, plays for the Bobcats.They gave the Buckeyes quite a scare.

In the moments leading up to our game I did my best to keep my mind free of distractions while staying mentally loose at the same time. My entire football career, it is these types of games that have been the most trying on me mentally for the simple fact that we were “supposed” to win. I prepared the same way I would for any other opponent, but I sometimes tend to put undue pressure on myself for the simple fact that I’m afraid to fail. Therefore, I do my best to clear my mind.
As for the game itself, I am very proud of our defense. Holding the Racers to three points was outstanding. I have the utmost confidence in the defense every time it takes the field. I’m also very proud of my teammates on offense, especially the offensive line. The condition that they are in is second to none. I think you’d be hard pressed to find another offensive line in better shape than ours.

I was so happy to see Thigpen score two touchdowns. He deserved to have a great performance. He works hard and I know he will continue to have a great season. I was also excited to see D. McCray find the end zone after the trying year he had last season. Congratulations to Zach Davis-Walker on his first collegiate touchdown. Now, we need to get Trea in the end zone. Also, congratulations to Damarlo Belcher for scoring his first touchdown last week, to Tandon Doss for his first collegiate receptions and Ben Chappell for scoring the first rushing touchdown of his career.

Ofcourse, I was happy to find the end zone for the first time this season. Although, for a moment earlier in the game, I thought it wasn’t going to happen. On a run in the first quarter, I got the ball and tried to spin off a defender. As I did this the defender and another player corralled meand bent me backward. Both my knee and ankle were in a weird position and for a split second I thought to myself, “Well, my season’s over.” But thanks to the good Lord above, I got up okay.

I want to thank all of you who attended the game. You made your presence known and believe me, we all appreciate it. Encourage your colleagues and friends who didn’t attend the game to attend the Ball State game in two weeks. You all make a difference, so we need more and more of you.

The Grind

Preseason camp has gone well thus far. We are in the middle of what we players call “The Grind.” It is hot, the days are long and guys are getting banged up, but the practices and hard work continue. Training camp is something that can become a burden if you let it, but our coaches have been doing a great job keeping our eyes on the prize.

Guys are finding interesting ways to pass the time and dinnertime conversations are becoming one of the most enjoyable aspects of camp. Guys have done everything from watching the Olympics to singing and dancing soulfully to the smooth sounds of R&B from the 60’s and 70’s. Naps are also important, though I’ve only taken two since camp has started. I prefer to watch television, or read a book or magazine during our limited free time.

There comes a time when you realize that you are going to have good days and you are going to have bad days. And even the good days can seem downright awful. Maybe you dropped a pass, or fumbled or missed a block. We all try our hardest not to allow those things to happen, but one must know that this is football and these things happen to everyone. Every player is working hard to be successful for this football team and to help us become better than ever.

“The Grind” is a necessary evil. We will get through it and be better football playersbecause of it. We have all been very busy and any free time we get we definitely take advantage of it. If we are not beating each other up and playing fast, we are meeting, eating or sleeping.

I cannot wait for the season to begin. But first we must get better through training camp and pay the dues that training camp requires of all of us to become better players and ultimately a better team.

A Young Man Determined

Wideout Brandon Walker-Roby knows he ready for greatness…No matter what’s happened in the past.

On a one hot muggy day this past summer I can remember us players being in the beginning stage of one of Mark Wateska’s unforgiving workouts. It was probably the second forty yard sprint we were running when I noticed a big neon green object out of the corner of my eye. When I looked over it was Brandon Walker-Roby out in front of everybody running hard with a SPARQ parachute attached to him to create resistance while he ran. For a split second I was surprised, but when I thought about how his summer has gone I thought again.

Brandon has stepped up his game this off-season. He hasn’t been perfect but there’s a sense of urgency that wasn’t there before. Of the twenty of us players redshirted from Hep’s first recruiting class he was one of the few to earn playing time as true freshman back in 2005. Since that year his production has steadily declined. But Brandon has big dreams and is bound not let his past performances hinder those dreams. “My career hasn’t gone the way I wanted it to be,” said Brandon. “The way I see it is you only need one year. I look at Devin Thomas (formerly) of Michigan State. His sophomore year he only had six catches. He came out his junior year and killed and now he’s in the league. So, I really don’t look at the last two years of my career. I just have to move forward.”

Fast forwarding is more like it. Brandon has found the time all summer to make himself better despite also interning with Channel 8 News in Indianapolis. He is now bigger, faster, and stronger due to a combination of workouts from his personal trainer at home and Mark Wateska’s grueling workouts here in Bloomington.
More so than anything, it is the pursuit of happiness mixed with a healthy dose of fear that pushes him each day. “My biggest fear is not being successful,” he explains. “I see lots of people out here working nine to fives and they hate it. I can’t see myself doing that. I have to be playing football. It’s my motivation to do what I want to do in life and be successful.”

Though, a budding TV journalist, football is Brandon’s dream job. He doesn’t think he can make it to the NFL. He knows he can make it. He already witnessed a blueprint on how to make the pros when his brother, former IU wideout Courtney Roby, experienced success on the college level before making it big. “Looking at his success lets me know that I can do it,” said Brandon as he reflected. “It shows that guys in the NFL are regular people just like him. I see what he’s had to go through to get there it’s the same thing I’m going through.”

Brandon now has the determination and the motivation. He has the God-given ability to do great things both on and off the field. He has great inspiration from both his brother and his mother, who often times doubles as his motivator in life. Brandon has put in the work in this offseason. He has grown up in his four years and wants to lead. He wants to do things his way to breed success. He’s not afraid to dream big and will not give up on his dreams for anybody. This is the new and improved Brandon Walker-Roby. The young man who’s more than prepared to rewrite his own history.

CLOSED FOR THE SUMMER

Yes, I am closing the blog for the summer. I have started work for the Indiana Daily Student newspaper and I want to concentrate on writing for them and doing my best in that area at this time. I will also being concentrating on my schoolwork and getting ready for the season. I'm setting things up to where I will b posting on my blog more consistently, giving you five or six posts a week. The blog will return on August 1, beginning with my Training Camp Preview so come back then. Until then, have a great summer. God bless.