Cedar Point Pictures

So I was able to go get some of my Cedar Point pictures developed yesterday, even though I felt like crap. I went to Wal-Mart to do the one hour photo and needed to pick up some stuff while I was there. I didn't realize how difficult it is to pass a hour in Wal-Mart when you don't need that much. I tried to waste time by browsing through the sporting goods, but that didn't last long, so I just went and crashed on the benches in front of the pharmacy. If not for those benches, I would have been in major trouble. I really didn't feel good at all and just needed a place to rest. But I guess that is what I get when I don't get much sleep and spend 14 1/2 hours at the best amusement park in the world. So it was worth it.

To the left is a photo of Millennium Force from the walkway in front of it. You can see how tall it looks standing below it. At a monsterous 310 feet, it really is a tall ride. You can also see the 80 degree drop on the right side of the hill that gets you going 93 mph. The pic on the above right is of Top Thrill Dragster. Standing below it, it rises to a height of 420 feet and goes 120 mph. To give you an idea of it's true height, if you look at the picture, you can see a train going up the 90 degree ascent hill. Another of my favorites on this ride is the 90 degree descent with a corkscrew in it. Altogether, these two rides alone make the trip worth it. Then add in the other coasters and rides that are there, and you will have a full day ahead of yourself of pure fun.

WOW!!!!

Wow. That's all I can say about Cedar Point. There is a reason it has been rated the #1 Amusement Park in the world for the past 8 years and that is because it has the best rides in the world. The group spent a total of 14 1/2 hours at the park, arriving just after it had opened at 9:30 AM and leaving at midnight, after spending about 30 minutes in the souvenir shop. I think in total, we rode 12 rides, including all of the major ones. I have now riden the #1, 3, 7, and 11 steel roller coasters in the world, as well as the #1 wooden coaster in the world, which is actually located at Dollywood.

The best part of the whole trip was getting to ride Millenium Force, the #1 ride in the world. When we got to the park Saturday morning, we discovered that Millenium Force had been closed all day Friday and was to be closed Saturday as well. Needless to say, that put a little damper on the day. We went ahead and rode everything else, and then grabbed some dinner around 8pm. After dinner, we decided to go ride Top Thrill Dragster again. While walking that way, Richard, the deacon in charge of the Young Professional's and College group, noticed a train going up Millenium Force. We saw another go up, and then decided that maybe the ride had opened and that we would go check it out. We got over to the ride and saw that it was open and that the wait was about 1 1/2 hour. We jumped in line and was part of the best part of the day. The wait in line was electric. One of the cool things about Cedar Point is that on the bigger rides, they have DJ's that have a booth set up and take requests for songs during the wait. The song selection added to the excitement in the air, and you could really feel an electricity in the air during the wait in line. When we finally got up to the loading station, we boarded and the ride is unlike any I've ever seen. As soon as you exit the loading station, you go up the hill. No turns or a few feet before going up the hill. The track jumps inclines as soon as you exit. Additionally, it's only about a 20 second ride up the 310 foot hill at a big incline about 50 degrees. The ride is right on Lake Erie and rises above all but one ride in the park. As we said, you know your on a tall ride when it has a blinking plane light on the top of the hill. But like everyone in line told us, the best time to ride Millenium Force is at night. It's crazy going down an 80 degree incline at 93 mph for 300 feet with no idea where the track is. The best part by far was not knowing what was coming up ahead. We literally got off the ride and were amazed at the ride and it is now my favorite ride of all time. Look for pictures tomorrow as well as some more details form the trip.

So todays the day

So for those that don't know, today the Young Professional and College group at West End leave for the weekend to travel up to Sandusky, Ohio. Now, for those that are currently wondering what in the world is in Sandusky, Ohio, let me tell you. Cedar Point, rated the number 1 Amusement Park in the world for an 8th straight year in 2005, is located in Sandusky, Ohio on a peninsula that sticks out into Lake Erie. I was able to make a trip there when I was younger, around 7th or 8th grade I think, but they have added lots of new rides since then. I posted about some of the better coasters awhile back, but came to find out that Cedar Point has the #1, 3, 7, and 11th rated steel roller coasters in the world. So what does all of this mean? That I am going to have a freaking awesome time. With over 16 roller coasters, Cedar Point was voted "Best bang for your buck" with an entrance fee of only $40. That's $5 less than Six Flags with tons of better rides. I will travel at over 120 mph, and no it's not going to be in the car but on a coaster, and go over 420 feet in the air. I'm going to be sure to take tons of pictures, hopefully like those I took at Six Flags, and I will be sure to post some of them after the weekend. So check in on Monday to hear more about the trip and all the fun that went on. Plus my own review of some of the best roller coasters in the world.

World Cup

As I sit here watching the U.S.' World Cup hopes coming to an end, I realize how much the game of soccer frustrates me. It's really frustrating to watch a game that goes so slow and has hardly any action. As I have said to people before, soccer is probably a really fun game to play. I gave it a shot as a child and didn't like it at all, but I have no foot-eye coordination at all. All of my coordination is in the hand-eye area, but oh well. So back to my original point. Soccer is probably a great sport to play, but it might be the worst sport in the world to watch. Maybe it's the fact that it seems like the field is huge and there are only 11 players on the field at the time. And it also seems as though refs can control the game so much more in soccer than in any other sport. There is so little scoring that it seems as though 1 bad call could lead to a goal and that ends the game. Take today's game for example. The penalty kick call was horrendous as the U.S. player never even pushed the Ghana player, but that one bad call really changed the outcome of the game.

One of the issues I have had with the U.S. team in the games I have seen is that they seem to want to set stuff up too much. One thing I have learned in watching sports like this such as soccer or hockey is that you can't set stuff up. It's almost like they try to hard to make the perfect play or the perfect pass to set up a goal. And that hardly ever works out. I don't think I ever saw the U.S. take a shot from the midfield off of a kick. And I saw all three other teams in the group do that. The U.S. just tries to make the perfect play and that is one of the main reasons why I think they ultimately lost and that they only scored one goal themselves in the World Cup (I'm not counting the goal in the Italy game since Italy actually scored it on themselves). And another thing I don't get and I'm not familiar with all the players is why Eddie Johnson didn't play that much. The announcers made the comment when he came in that he was the U.S.' best goal scorer and that is what you need when you are playing in a must win game. I guess that just goes to bad coaching in my opinion and i really think that's what all of the World Cup goes back to. It just didn't seem like the U.S. team was ever ready to play in the World Cup and that goes back to coaching. And it's a big shame to because so much was made about this U.S. team and how good they were, and it was really a big chance to gain more U.S. soccer fans, but after the performance by the U.S. team this last two weeks, they have disappointed a lot of fans and the country as well.

Champs....

So in the last two days, we had two professional champions crowned. Both the Carolina Hurricanes and the Miami Heat won their respectice league titles. Unfortunately, I didn't get to watch game 7 if the NHL Finals Monday night due to my softball doubleheader and movie watching afterward, but it appeared as though Carolina pretty much handled the whole game in winning 3-1. Watching NHL playoff hockey is always exciting for me, as the Stanley Cup is probably the most cherished trophy in all of sports. There are tons of superstitions involved with the Cup. Most players will never touch the Cup, even if it's in front of them, until they have won it. When a team makes it to the Finals, most won't even touch or take photos with the Conference trophy that they get because they claim that the Conference trophy isn't what they seek. And then there is the playoff beards. But, anyways, if you ever watch the NHL Finals, watch how much joy is brought to these guys when they finally win the Cup. You will never see so much joy on any other professional's face ever. So on to the NBA....

I was only able to catch the 2nd half of the game last night due to another softball game, but it was a really exciting game. I had been cheering for the Heat throughout the playoffs, as I have always been a Shaq fan, and have become a Dwayne Wade fan as well. I really enjoy watching Wade play, as he can do just about anything he wants on offense. He is one of the best players I have ever seen at taking the ball to the basket, as he seems to just be able to do so at will. And don't even start with all the "Well, it's because the refs blow the whistle everytime someone gets close to him." That's ridiculous. He takees the ball to the basket stronger than anyone, and gets held and pulled everytime down the floor. But back to the game last night. I was really enjoying the game last night, until I looked at my window and noticed that it was flashing. Thus, I looked out the window to see 2 cop cars and my next door neighbors standing in the parking lot. I'm not going to go into what happened, cause I still really don't know and I couldn't make it out through the window, but it distracted me while the game was coming to an end. Needless to say, I was quite happy to see the Heat win game 6 to pull win the title. So I thought I would take this opportunity to throw out a congratulations to the Hurricanes and Heat for their titles the last two days.

Wade = MJ?

I really hate comparisons in general, but the world seems to love them, especially ESPN so I thought I might look into the latest comparison they have been billing. Is Dwayne Wade the next Michael Jordan? In a heart beat, NO. I don't think there will ever be another Jordan. But Wade might be the closest thing to one right now. He is averaging 34.4 points per game in his first NBA Finals appearance. And "hero" status isn't made in the regular season. You can only get that label by performing in the postseason, just as Jordan once did and as Wade is doing now. The only difference that I can see right now between Jordan and Wade is that Jordan was probably a better defender than Wade is currently. Jordan's 3-point shot was probably better, but I might have to say that Wade is better at taking the ball to the hole. Lots will say that Jordan won 6 titles, let's wait and see what Wade can do. Here's something to think about: Look who else was on Jordan's team. He had a great defensive player and all-around player next to him in Pippen plus many others. In the '94 season that Jordan took off, Pippen still helped lead the Bulls to a loss in seven games in the 2nd round to the Knicks. Now, I'm not saying Jordan wasn't a great player, cause he is probably the best ever, but he had some help too. And Jordan didn't lead his team to the Finals until his 7th season. Wade did so in his 3rd. Wade this year has had the supporting cast to help him do so, but he has personally led his team to victory in the playoffs (see the Finals for proof, as he has won two games, 3 and 5, by himself). So here's my suggestion. Instead of calling Wade the next Jordan, how about we just call Wade the next Dwayne Wade?

Random Rumblings from the World of Ben

1) We finally have a series in the NBA Finals! It looked like the Mavs were going to blow the Heat out of the water after the first 2 3/4 games, but the Heat responded and looked dominant in last night's game. My boy, The Diesel, looked like his old self out there finally and was making some really good moves. His one spin move against Eric Dampier was nice and then his no-look pass to James Posey in the 2nd half was awesome. And, of course, Dwayne Wade was awesome as usual. I've always been a Shaq fan, and I enjoy Wade's game, so I am pulling hard for the Heat to win it. And how about Jerry Stackhouse's tackle of Shaq? I don't think I've seen a 7 ft 300 lb guy fly like that before.

2) Last night was a good night for softball. I play with Calvary Chapel in a league out in Karns, and I finally hit my 1st homerun of the season last night. In my defense, I have hit two off the fence this year, and it's a big field, but I just felt like I had been in a slump. I actually felt a lot like Barry (hold the steroid jokes please) did going for 714. I felt like I was putting all this pressure on me to hit one out. I went to the batting cages last weekend, and I think I rediscovered my swing, so we will see. And just to continue the Bonds analogy, yes, I was walked my next at bat. So after the game, I hurried over to KCS to see how my West End team was doing. They were playing New York Ave. so I was pretty sure they were winning, which they were. So that was good news. 2-0 on the night is pretty good I think.

3) The Stanley Cup Finals has been really entertaining to watch this week. Wednesday night's game was great, as it featured 5 goals in the 1st period and a shorthanded overtime game winner. For those that aren't hockey fans, I recommend trying to attend a NHL game. Hockey is one of those sports where you will get hooked if you go to a game. It is a great experience live, and especially true at a NHL game. So if you get the chance next year, make the short trip on I-40 over to Nashville and check out the Preds.

4) Looking forward to next weekend as I will be making a trip up to the best amusement park in the world, Cedar Point. The College and Young Professional group at West End are taking a trip up there and it looms to be an awesome trip. Can't wait to write about it and show off some more great coaster pics.

Dumb Athletes.... or Competitive Athletes?

I thought I would make a comment about athletes after reading a recent article in ESPN The Mag and then after the whole Ben Roethlisberger motorcycle accident. For those that have been hiding in a cave for the last three days, Ben Roethlisberger, the Steelers 2nd year QB and youngest QB to ever lead their team to a Super Bowl title, was injured in a motorcycle accident on Monday when he collided with a turning car while riding his motorcycle helmetless. He was tossed into the car and proceeded to break the car's windshield with his head. Although he had numerous injuries to his head and face, he appears as though he will come out of this ok, and will be able to be back by the beginning of the football season. It is not a law to wear a helmet in Pennsylvania, therefore Big Ben had told many people in the past that he preferred not to wear a helmet for comfort. Now on to the magazine. In this week's ESPN The Mag, John Daly tells us about his gambling problems in which he estimates he has lost between $50-60 million gambling over the years. So this brings me to my point.

Lots of athletes these days find things to occupy their time when they are not playing their sport. Some are more dangerous, see Roethlisberger, and some more costly, see Daly. My point being, when their are athletes that are at the top of their games in the sport they play, many will find other ways to help fulfill their competitive spirits. Many of these athletes are some of the most competitive people you will ever meet. While some might make some really dumb decisions, see Roethlisberger that could potentially end their careers, others like to gamble with all the money they make. Another article by Bill Simmons in the same ESPN The Mag brought home a good point to me. In a recent book by Michael Leahy, Leahy recounts a blackjack game between Jordan, Rip Hamilton, and Antoine Walker in '01. Jordan proceeded to lose half a million that night before playing two hands at a time to make up the money, which he did. Leahy blasted Jordan for that instance. Simmons, who happened to be at the casino that night playing a slightly smaller money game, only $15, saw it as just friends hanging out having a good time. He also saw some interesting things. He specifically remembers Hamilton, still a young player who hadn't done anything, being totally comfortable in the high stakes section of the balckjack tables. Simmons remembers thinking that was a good sign for him in the future. Clutch plays later in the NBA Finals, and there you go. So what does all this mean? It just goes to show that lots of athletes today find themselves resorting to other means to help solve their competitive natures. Many resort to gambling, just not on their own sports as that is highly frowned on. Others resort to more dangerous activites, such as motorcycles, and gamble with their careers. Some get lucky, see Roethlisberger, others not, see Jay Williams and Kellen Winslow. I guess this just goes to show that when athletes get into these predicaments, don't hate on them for what they have done. Who knows what you would do if you were making $10 million a year and were one of the most competitive people in the world?

Highlight video

Ok, so I am one in a few when it comes to being a UT basketball fan. Now, don't get me wrong, I had lots of people join me this year in support of our basketball Vols. But not many where with me back in the Wade Houston days when the team only won 5 games all year, or the Kevin O'Neill days when they would only score 50 points on a lucky day, or in the Buzz Peterson era. Now, I am thrilled to be joined by all of these fans, and I hope they continue to support the team next year. But this post is about last year. The season was a tremendous one last year as everyone jumped on the wagon of New Head Coach Bruce Pearl and his "controlled chaos" style of play. And needless to say, it was a great season. The team improved beyond leaps and bounds of what anyone ever imagined. They advanced to the second round of the NCAA and won the SEC East. But everyone already knows this. So on to the purpose of the post.

It recently came to my attention of a highlight video that had been put up on UT's website. The video recaps some of the highlights from the year, namely UT's wins vs FL, at FL, at UK, and others. It features a song by Flipsyde named Someday that will get anyones blood flowing as it is a good fit for the video. Included are a couple of audio snippets of Pearl from throughout the year. Even if you aren't as big of a basketball fan as I am, but have a small interest in the team, then you will absolutely love this video. I got goosebumps the first time I saw it, and have watched it about 5 times since then. So here you go, saving you all the trouble of searching it out, click here for one of the best UT highlight videos you will ever see!

Who's #1?

So raise your hand if you stayed up to watch the Lady Vols last night? Since no one has their hand up, including me, we missed an incredible game. I had planned on watching the game, but a 1 1/2 hour rain delay to the Arizona/Oregon State game, along with two extra inning games, meant the most anticipated battle of the day didn't start until after midnight here in Eastern Standard time. Speaking of extra inning games, how about the Alabama/Northwestern game. Northwestern tied the game in the bottom of the seventh(the last inning for those not up to date with softball rules) with two out and two strikes. The batter, a freshman, cranked a homerun over the center field fence off a pitcher that hadn't given up a homerun all year. I was kind of torn when this happened, cause I don't like Alabama, but I wanted to watch the Lady Vols play, and I knew with extra innings now inevitable, I was screwed. And how bad does the Alabama center fielder feel this morning? With a runner on second, and 1 out, Northwestern hit a grounder up the middle and the centerfielder charged in to try to make the play at the plate, and let the ball roll under her glove. I felt bad, but then realized at 11:45 pm, that Alabama had lost and the Lady Vols were soon to come on. WOO HOO!

So with UCLA losing to UT last night, I am sure they are a little upset with the fact that they had to play UT in the opening round. UT should by no means have been an 8 seed in the tournament. The team with the #1 offense, #1 defense, top hitter in the game, SEC Tourney champs, #5 in the country, and 5 FIRST TEAM All-Americans is the lowest seed at the WCWS? Are you serious? Unfortunately for UCLA, they were ranked that low and thus provided for the most anticpated match up of the day. Needless to say, UT probably should have been a 4 or 5 seed. The NCAA really screwed UCLA in this one. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not a UCLA fan by any means, but the #1 seed in the tournament, which they deserved to be, shouldn't have to face a team of UT's caliber in the first round. It can be argued that they are better than Oregon State, Arizona State, Northwestern and Alabama. And here is one last thought for everyone out there. How can you be one of three finalists for player of the year, a First Team All-American, but Second Team All-SEC? So Monica Abbott is one of the three best players in the NATION, but she can't even make first team in her own conference? UT can only have 3 First Team All-SEC players, but 5 First Team All-Americans? Something just doesn't add up there. Anyways, be sure to watch the Ladies again tonight as they take on Northwestern on ESPN2 at 9pm(we can only hope).