Hey all,
I have always hated writing these reflections because I find them stupid and cheesy. Somehow everyone expects me to take time out of my day to write about how great my class is, how amazing my classmates were, how much I learned and how much I am going to miss my class. English 201 was one of my favorite classes that I have taken in Madison. My class was an eclectic group that was lead by a very good professor. I did learn a lot and will miss the discussion driven atmosphere.
Now that the sentimental stuff is out of the way, I can use my final few lines to say what is on my mind. Firstly, I was apart of the best cohort in the class. We had the best people, the best work and the most fun. We also found the best place to “study” in the entire Helen C White/College Library area. The place is furbished with a couch, dry, erase board, privacy and is easily accessible that is why we are the best
The second thing on my mind has to deal with my first post. At the time, I posted on Sean Avery and his suspension from the National Hockey League. After much criticism and a six-month hiatus, Sean signed with the New York Rangers. He finished the season with the Rangers and was an integral part of the Rangers turnaround this year.
The third thing that is on my mind has to deal with a few of my sports theories. These theories I hold as central tenets to any teams success in any sport and would like to officially document them. In my view a General manager needs to do three things in order to build a good team. First, he must draft good players and many of them. Look at the teams who played in the N.F.L’s conference championship. The Patriots had four picks in the first hundred overall selections while the Eagles had more than 10 total selections. Every year these teams are criticized by so called experts because they failed to make a big signing in free agency.
These experts forget that drafted players have been thoroughly reviewed by a team’s scout who understands teams system and what the team culture is. They take this knowledge and apply it to incoming athletes. Scouts are professionals and for the most part do a good job of finding the right talent to fit the right situation.
My second postulate is to avoid signing free agents to mammoth contracts. Often, these contracts are bloated and eat up most of the cap space a team has. Look at major Yankee signings over the past few years (this years group is not mentioned because it is too early to pass judgment). Carl Pavano, Jose Contreras, Jason Giambi, Jonny Damon, Steve Karsay, and Kyle Farnsworth, All these players were signed to big deals after producing in a contract season. If a franchise does not believe a player is worth being that teams franchise player than do no sign him to a monstrous deal and make him yours. Odds are they know something you do not. Instead of spending millions on “franchise” players, sign veteran role players who can help your team’s young nucleus grow without killing your cap. The Detroit Tigers did this with Kenny Rodgers, and the New York Rangers with Brendon Shanahan. Sign veteran players to fill a specific need and teach your youngsters.
The third way to build a champion is defense. The Iron Curtain, ’85 Bears, and New England Patriots have built dynasties around having a fearsome defense that can prevent scoring and get the ball for the offense. This theory is also true in Hockey. Last years Stanley cup champions and perennial president trophy candidate Detroit Redwings are the perfect example. Detroit’s lineup is stacked with Norris trophy winner Nick Limstrom and Selke trophy winner Henrik Zetterberg. Detroit’s two best players have won awards for their defensive prowess!! Add in Brad Stuart, Brian Rafalski and Marian Hossa and this team is electric on both sides of the ice. By doing these three things, a general manager can build a playoff team that is a contender every year.
Now that I have my final thoughts on paper I would like to thank everybody for a great semester. Although I have only had two of them, this semester was awesome and I will miss Wisconsin over the summer. I love it here. The sports, academics and parties are great but what makes this place special is the people who inhabit it. I have met the most wonderful people over the past year at the University and cannot wait to meet the many multitudes of others that I do not know about.
On Wisconsin,


Matt