A little about myself: I'm a 24 year old college grad hailing from the University of Minnesota with a degree in Neuroscience and Biochemistry. This fall I'm enrolling in a doctoral program in Pharmacology and Molecular Science at Johns Hopkins University out in Baltimore. I'm born and raised in the Midwest, and Minneapolis has been my home for 6 years now, so we'll see in short order how the transition to living out East goes. But enough about my professional life and regional affiliation, I'm here to muse on a hodgepodge of items. For those that lack critical reading skillz, I'm big into biomedical science and several other sciences as well. I've always been fascinated by life and how, at every level, from atoms on up to ecosystems, there are numerous moving parts working together to produce the phenomenon that is the world/universe around us.
Due to my love for understanding how those moving parts fit and work together, and my relegation to living in states that have 4 not-so-distinct seasons( almost winter, winter, still winter, and road-construction), I developed a strong, distinct love for two cold weather sports: basketball and hockey. The movement, grace, and artistry of these two games are unmatched. Those who follow soccer, I hear you and understand your groans; alas, my ignorance of the game prevents true appreciation of subtle plays, and, frankly, diehard soccer fans are just vicious to newcomers. Baseball fans, I see you shaking your head, and I understand because I think Joe Mauer's stroke is a thing of beauty, too, but the game just moves too slowly at times and seems compartmentalized--there is no, for lack of a better word, flow. Don't even get me started on you NFL junkies, with your jaws now on the floor that someone dare challenge Czar Goodell's baby, although I do love me some Adrian Peterson. Basketball and hockey, to me, require a level of synchronous movement and trust in teammates that is more critical, or more obviously critical, than that required by the other two major U.S. sports. Sure, it's obvious when a receiver zigs when he should zag, or when a pitcher crosses his catcher up, but in those sports those incidents feel isolated. In basketball and hockey you can see the momentum swing gradually as players slide into or out of a rhythm with their teammates. When everything clicks you see things like the Bruins rallying from 3 goals down in the 3rd period in Game 7 to beat Toronto in round one of this year's Stanley Cup playoffs, or the Spurs' offensive clinic from Games 4 and 5 of the NBA finals. When it falls apart you get really obviously awful crap: hey guys look, it's the Charlotte Bobcats and Florida Panthers!
Anywho, hopefully that stream-of-consciousness rambling conveyed my point a.k.a. what will be the focus of my posts here: basketball and hockey. As a Big Ten and Minnesota boy I am by no means set on only discussing the professional ranks, so College Hoops and Hockey will be featured along with their professional counterparts from time to time.
Periodically, I may touch on buzzworthy intel from the realms of science, but ultimately this space will be a chance for me to provide my not-so-professional opinion on hoops and puck. I'll be kicking things off with a semi-live blog of the NBA draft this Thursday, followed by my take on a NHL draft primer for the festivities on June 30th.
Until then, stay out of the sin bin, eh?
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