Sunday, September 28, 2014

Incentives

a). In the world today incentives  are used as motivation for a large variety of people. An incentive is something as simple as a form of payment that is used to stimulate motivation. Incentives govern human behavior because the world today revolves around the idea of a sense of accomplishment. The world is constantly striving to find the next big thing, and those who find it are frequently promised a reward of some sort. Based on the economy, the best reward someone can receive is a cash prize or something of value. People today are very materialistic and are constantly trying to  earn as much money as possible to add to their name. For example, if there is a middle class man working in the technology business and hears news that there is a large cash incentive for whoever brainstorms the best idea for a new phone that tops them all, he will strive to be the man who has the best idea to give his children a blowout christmas or buy a new ”toy”. Another example of incentives at work is in Major League Baseball. Agents nowadays are doing everything they can to get the most money possible for their client because they make a percentage off of what their player earns. Knowing this, they negotiate incentives for their players saying if they hit a specific amount of home runs, make the all-star team, or accomplish some milestone, then they earn an extra amount of money for the season. Players in a contract year normally have more incentives and are trying to earn a new contract for their next year so they are more motivated to play well. Incentives govern the lives of work people and professional athletes and motivate them to strive for success. 


b). When I was nine years old I had an aesthetic experience that changed my life forever. At this age I attended my first ever Redsox game. I was oblivious to the game itself because at that time I had not attained basic baseball knowledge. My take away from being at the game was the environment that the players get to play in day in and day out. My dream of competing on a field with as much beauty as Fenway park was born. The following year I had my parents sign me up for recreational baseball. Since that day I have played on numerous travel and aau teams constantly hoping that I can soon play in front of the big crowd. My parent's purchase of a ticket to the Redsox game also bought me a dream I  still have to this day.

Monday, September 22, 2014

Long-Term Bucket List


1.       Live in a Mansion: The idea of living in a mansion is  something that has impressed me because it represents wealth. That and I would not mind having an indoor basketball court right next to my indoor swimming pool. I used to consider people who lived in mansions to be snobby until I actually met someone that lived in one. Then I realized that although he is wealthy he uses his mansion to house his parents as well as his wife's parents, not just to display his wealth.
2.       Live to 100: With all the complex diseases and cancers that are constantly surfacing in the world today and the increasing rate of adult obesity, it is said that my generation will not  live as long as our parents. This is hard to believe because even with the advancements in medicine we are predicted not live to our parents age.
3.       Witness Something Truly Majestic: Although this is broad it leaves many things to observe. Something majestic could be the Great Wall of China, the pyramids in Egypt, or even Stonehenge. Basically anything that you see and hear about but never get to witness first hand.
4.       Go to space: I always wondered what it was like to be in zero gravity and I think it would be pretty cool to be one of the few people that actually set foot on the moon. It always also be interesting to see the earth from another perspective for once in my life.
5.       Sky Dive: I know it's a mainstream item to put on your bucket list but it's only used a lot because many people are thrill seekers and want to be able to say they fell from the sky at least once in their life .

Thursday, September 18, 2014

New Post




        In the article, “The Case Against High-School Sports”, Amanda Ripley demonstrates her concern that high-school sports are cutting into the academics of students. In the text she uses many examples from a broad spectrum of sources that support her claim.  Being a high-school student at this time I would have to disagree with Ripley and her writings in this article. High-school sports are the most important part of a student athlete’s high-school career. During a sports season, many students are in a more positive mood throughout the course of the school day. In any learning environment it is important to have a positive attitude because students will listen more when they are in a decent mood, where as if a student is having a bad day they zone out and do not absorb any information taught to them in the class. I disagree with Ripley’s points on sports in “Pasco County, Florida” and “Texas” because the educational systems down south are very different from the schools in the New England region and weight their academic and educational systems differently. 

I also disagree with what the author Is saying because students athletes tend to succeed more when they are preparing for, or are in a sports season. In our school they allow you two failing grades. Once you fail two classes then you can no longer play that sport. In other schools the penalty can be as severe as if you have any failing classes then you cannot participate in sports related activity or clubs. In a nut shell students will work very hard to make sure they can play the sport they love because chances are sports are the only reason they came to school that morning. Some students strictly rely on sports to get themselves through the day. That leads me to my next point.

From my school experience I can easily say sports help me get through a long day consisting of essays and long tests. For some it is coffee that keeps them going, others it's an extremely caffeinated  energy drink, and for most athletes it is the knowing that in 7 hours they are going to be touching the field. Students will then tend to succeed more or at least be more willing to learn because they use their game later in the afternoon as motivation to perform well both in the classroom and on the field. My concluding argument for Ms. Ripley is sports bring communities together as one, not math classes. If you have to spend more money on a football player than a math student, so be it. That's a price the school should be willing to pay in order to get their community involved with the school . Last time I checked you don't make any money off concessions in a math class..


Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Rhetorical Article: High school Sports Effect on school

Ethos:
-"I’m a little skeptical about this, in part because student athletes actually tend to perform better in school. "

-The author describes his position on the topic and does not think highschool sports are affecting the students success in the classroom 


Logos:
-"At this moment in history, now that more than 20 countries are pulling off better high-school-graduation rates than we are"

-"The difference is that 93 percent of South Korean students graduate from high school, compared with just 77 percent of American students"


Pathos:
-"I’m a little skeptical about this, in part because student athletes actually tend to perform better in school. Indeed, students with low grades are usually not allowed to participate in varsity sports."

-"Still, anyone who’s ever attended a varsity football game in rural Texas or urban Maryland knows where high schools are placing their energy."


URL: http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/college_guide/blog/just_get_rid_of_high_school_sp.php




Tuesday, September 9, 2014

My Pet Peeves


1.Joe Buck: In my opinion there is nothing worse than trying to watch 
your favorite sports team play while it is being announced
 by Joe Buck. His voice alone makes me mute my TV, which
 I have done multiple times. Even worse he constantly regurgitates whatever is said by the other announcer in his press box
with his own unintelligent spin. My advice to you is next
time Joe Buck is announcing a televised sports game that you are watching, mute him.

2.      The excessive use of ‘like’: One time or another we have
stumbled across someone who has had this issue. The person
is trying to explain a situation and it seems as if instead of pausing
where a space would be they decide to say the word like. Or they try
 to create an argument by rambling on with examples constantly using like to start another idea. It’s annoying.

3.      Obnoxious gum chewers: Another bad habit that many people have that annoys me. My ears want to bleed when I hear someone chewing gum with their mouths open. It makes a clicking noise that to me is like nails on a chalk board. Also, it is annoying when people are talking to you and they are chewing gum at the same time  because I find it hard to concentrate on what the person is saying when you can hear them chewing their gum.



4.      Game Cancelations: Being a baseball player I have traveled for many away games. It is irritating when you drive an hour or so to a game only to realize half way there Mother Nature wants to let a few inches of rain loose. Even worse than that…when you show up to a field after a storm a few days prior and the home team has made no effort to make the field playable for a game, and instead of calling ahead and telling the team that the field isn’t playable they wait to tell you in person..

5.      Pugs: Ironically one of my pet peeves is actually about a pet.
 Not to be offensive but I find pugs to just be an ugly dog. Their
small curly tail reminds me of a pig and their squished nose
doesn’t look anything like all the other dogs, which bothers me.
Also, the first time I came face to face with a pug it peed on me.
Not a very good first impression for the breed.


6.      Those who dislike Baseball: I am a very avid baseball player and I love the game. It really annoys me when people who don’t understand the concept of baseball can say, “It’s boring”. It really isn’t boring if you know what you are watching. I respect all other sports so I would appreciate it if everyone showed the same respect towards baseball.

7.      People who are never wrong: I can’t stand when I’m in the middle of an argument with someone who believes they are never wrong and will not relent until you say they are right. I’m not easily swayed to admitting the other person is right when I am 100% sure I am right. With that considered I have nearly ruined many friendships over a stupid argument about a sports statistic or something of the like because the other person felt they knew the right answer… I have no issue with people sharing their open but after a while they need to learn the argument will never end