Foul Territory

As didn't the previous few weeks worth. Victoria, Victoria. Today was only opening day for the Yankees and Devil Rays, and that was in Japan. Sure, the Sox played today, but the result didn't count. The Sox don't kick it off until Sunday night. Which means on Monday, half of Red Sox Nation can write off the season as a loss already. The rest will be standing in line to buy World Series Tickets seven months early. As for Vikki, she at least gets the consolation prize of the real Opening Day being televised on ESPN.

Ladies and Gentlemen, let me introduce you to the Wendell H. Murphy Football Center at NC State University. I'd heard of this place, but never been there until I joined the wrestling team for practice there today. They don't usually practice there, but the water was shut off in their normal facility. The first word that came to mind was "ridiculous." The place is massive, and it's brand new. The picture included with this post is a shot that gives a good look at the weight room, which overlooks the football stadium. You can see more pictures of this monument to excess here. It's fairly obvious that they've spared no expense putting this place together. I just walked around it in awe of the size and expense. It's one of the perks of knowing a few people in the right places that me, some schmuck grad student who's been at the school all of seven months can go strolling around in this brand new, off-limits kind of place, and be welcome doing it. It is arguably the best facility of its kind in the nation, and it shows how much the people here love their football. That's the other amazing thing. This giant facility (just look at the pictures) is solely for the football team. It's a 100,000 square foot gem of a building that 99% of the students at the school will never see the inside of, let alone use. It's a good thing that the $32,000,000 cost for the center and stadium improvements was paid by private donors. It is a bit sad, however, as you see students protesting and writing letters over a $300 tuition increase. I think that tuition increases and wage freezes implemented in the recent past could be avoided if the donors dropped some of their cash on academics, rather than football. In state undergraduate tuition and fees at NC State is $3970 for one year of full time study. For $32 million, those donors could have given full scholarships to over 8,000 students for an entire year or made other investments in faculty salaries and the like. However, those people have the right to do what they please with the money that they have earned, and NC State athletics is not supported with any taxpayer money, so they must have funding from somewhere in order to operate, and the football and basketball teams make a lot of the money that the other sports use to pay their bills. Let's just close this little spiel by saying that I was, and still am, in awe of that place, and I would give NC State a second look based on that alone if I was a talented high school football player.

To Jake Clackett who finished he wrestling career last night in the NCAA tournament in Dubuque, Iowa. He won one of his three matches to fall just short of placing, but he ends his career with over 100 wins, putting him in the top five in Messiah History. I'm sure he'll be feeling the same things next year about this time that I am right now. Most people miss the excitement, but have to move on, and I'm sure he'll be no different.

I am simply trying to go to the Loras College website to find out results of the Division III National Wrestling Tournament. This is the first time in 4 years that I haven't actually been there, so I would like to know if Jake won his first match. That is all.