Here's an article that I wrote for the MSU Reporter print edition. I have since revised it and made it fit for online publication.
MSU overcomes flu, beats MSU-Moorhead, SMSU
By Tyler Buckentine
The Minnesota State wrestling team has recently found what it can do when it's healthy, and what the Mavericks are limited to when they're sick.
In the wake of a flu-bug that spread through the MSU locker room, the Mavericks returned to full strength, dominating the weekend's competition - 40-3 against Minnesota State Moorhead and 49-0 at Southwest Minnesota State.
It was 11 days ago when flu-bugged No. 1 MSU was wiped out at No. 2 Nebraska-Omaha 32-7. Though some of the wrestlers competed with the flu, two regular starters - Tommy Abbott and Travis Elg - were sidelined with the illness.
"We definitely didn't compete at 100 percent," 149-pounder Abbott said.
Last Monday, only 8 wrestlers felt well enough to practice so it was unclear where the team's health would be Friday against the Dragons.
The Mavericks had a full lineup Friday, with the exception of Nick Smith, who sat out with a concussion.
No. 5 Abbott returned to the mat Friday, where he pinned MSU-Moorhead's Troy MacFarland - who filled in for No. 7 Shane Walton - in 1:20 at 149 pounds.
"I wanted to wrestle [Walton] because that would've been a good match to get under my belt before regionals," Abbott said.
Elg - who also sat out with the flu against UNO - picked up 2 wins last weekend with a decision and a technical fall.
Friday's match was highlighted by Jason Rhoten's 21-5 tech fall over Tallen Wald at 157 pounds because with the win, Rhoten shattered MSU-Mankato's all-time wins record of 126 victories set by Jack Eustice in 1977.
"Nobody is more deserving of recognition than Jason is," Mavericks coach Jim Makovsky said. "He's been such a huge difference maker in our program."
"Rhoten is a machine," Abbott said. "He works hard on and off the mat and he's an all-around good guy."
Rhoten turned around and got a pin Saturday against the Mustangs' Logan McAlpin in 2:01.
8 out of ten wrestlers earned bonus points for the Mavericks at least once over the weekend starting at 133 pounds with John Putman, who got a major decision and a tech fall.
No. 4 Andy Pickar won by forfeit Friday, but got a 21-5 tech fall over SMSU's C.D. Johnson at 165 pounds. Ben Becker and Tom Block each picked up major decisions at 184 and 197 pounds, respectively, and Brady Wilson pinned MSU-Moorhead's Jon Swart.
Rhoten's wasn't the only record-breaker Friday. The Mavericks (17-1-1, 7-1-1 North Region) set a new program record for dual wins in a season after slaying the Dragons.
MSU-Mankato will host No. 11 St. Cloud State in the North Central Conference finale Friday against Truman State Saturday. Both duals will start at 7 p.m. at the Taylor Center.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Sunday, February 17, 2008
It was nice to read one of these articles that is actually related directly to me. In her article, Blogging Between the Lines, Dana Hull talks about Blogs becoming an important part of a newspaper reporter's job description.
It hits home for me since I have another blog, BuckenBlog, that I update about once a week. I know, once a week is clearly not enough and I need to post more often. I know I would have more posts if updating BuckenBlog was actually in my job description or if was paid to update. It is not part of my job and I do it for free, therefore, the blog relies on my shaky self discipline.
I'm a sportswriter so my blog sticks to sports, mainly the ones I cover (wrestling, baseball and soccer). I give my take on the game or match and what is to come for the team. Since I don't have to worry about getting anyone into legal trouble because of what I write.
But that's that something most sports bloggers usually don't have to worry about, since the world of sports is typically light-hearted and away from the top news stories. That is, of course, unless you aren't blogging about a congressional steroids hearing and/or dog-fighting, but that's a different story.
When I do keep a blog that's sanctioned by a newspaper, I don't intend to write anything too serious that could end up getting me and/or my employer in trouble. I would hate to see any writer or newspaper go up in smoke after what someone said in a blog. After all, it's just a blog.
Hull brings up this point: "Should blogs rise to the same reporting and sourcing standards as content that appears in the print edition?"
I don't think so. Blog content is the blogger's opinion and gives the blogger a chance to have fun with his/her beat.
It hits home for me since I have another blog, BuckenBlog, that I update about once a week. I know, once a week is clearly not enough and I need to post more often. I know I would have more posts if updating BuckenBlog was actually in my job description or if was paid to update. It is not part of my job and I do it for free, therefore, the blog relies on my shaky self discipline.
I'm a sportswriter so my blog sticks to sports, mainly the ones I cover (wrestling, baseball and soccer). I give my take on the game or match and what is to come for the team. Since I don't have to worry about getting anyone into legal trouble because of what I write.
But that's that something most sports bloggers usually don't have to worry about, since the world of sports is typically light-hearted and away from the top news stories. That is, of course, unless you aren't blogging about a congressional steroids hearing and/or dog-fighting, but that's a different story.
When I do keep a blog that's sanctioned by a newspaper, I don't intend to write anything too serious that could end up getting me and/or my employer in trouble. I would hate to see any writer or newspaper go up in smoke after what someone said in a blog. After all, it's just a blog.
Hull brings up this point: "Should blogs rise to the same reporting and sourcing standards as content that appears in the print edition?"
I don't think so. Blog content is the blogger's opinion and gives the blogger a chance to have fun with his/her beat.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Link Practice
After half a centruy of scholarly work, new documents about the lives of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg have been made public.
"Certainly, after 50 years, the unique historical value of these records outweighs any secrecy rationale," said Thomas S. Blanton, the director of the National Security Archive, which filed the petition, with support from more than a dozen scholars. The archive, based at George Washington University, is a nonprofit group that uses the Freedom of Information Act to challenge government secrecy.
Among the historians were John Lewis Gaddis, the Robert A. Lovett professor of military and naval history at Yale, and Ronald Radosh, adjunct senior fellow at the Hudson Institute in Washington and past president of the Historians of American Communism.
"Certainly, after 50 years, the unique historical value of these records outweighs any secrecy rationale," said Thomas S. Blanton, the director of the National Security Archive, which filed the petition, with support from more than a dozen scholars. The archive, based at George Washington University, is a nonprofit group that uses the Freedom of Information Act to challenge government secrecy.
Among the historians were John Lewis Gaddis, the Robert A. Lovett professor of military and naval history at Yale, and Ronald Radosh, adjunct senior fellow at the Hudson Institute in Washington and past president of the Historians of American Communism.
Week 3
Just got done reading the article "Blogs Influence Availability of News, But Not Quality" and though I agree that blogs do not increase the quality of news, I don't completely agree that they increase availability and speed.
There are a lot of people without access to the internet and I don't think they're going to be rushing to the library so they can get on a computer and catch the latest news from a blog.
I don't agree that blogs help the speed of news that much. Blogs will usually beat the newspapers to the punch in terms of getting a story out quicker, but you're forgetting about TV, radio and online newspapers. They work just as fast as blogs.
And out of the media sources that I mentioned, you're going to get more reliable news from somewhere other than blogs because blogs are often heavily biased.
I never looked to blogs as a source of news or story ideas and I don't ever intend to. I have nothing against online news. In fact, I use it quite frequently, however, I want to get the news from a reliable source.
If I want to find news online, I'll go to websites like CNN's or ESPN's cause they have good information. If I want additional commentary on the subject from their writers, then I'll be happy to visit their blogs.
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