Recent Happenings

First and foremost, I would like to congratulate fellow schoolmates on a suburb job winning the College World Series (CWS) to become the National Baseball Champions!! There are a few things about this feat that I would like to draw your attention to, but first some quick background about the CWS for those not in the know. After 64 teams are selected by the NCAA based on regular season records, they meet in groups of four from which one team will advance. That is called regional play. After that, two regional winners will meet and play a best 2 of 3 series in the super regional to determine who will go to the College World Series. The field will by now be narrowed down to 8 teams. The CWS is played in Omaha, NE and the teams are split into two brackets. You play until you lose two games or reach the top of your bracket (see bracket), at which point only 2 teams will remain. These two final teams will play a best 2 of 3 game series for the National Championship. This year the two final teams were the Oregon State Beavers and the North Carolina Tar Heels. Alright, now that I have you thoroughly confused, allow me to continue.

- The Beavers became the first team to lose their first CWS game and the first game of the championship series, and still win it all. They won 6 elimination games (a record).
- The last team to win after losing their first game was the 1998 USC Trojans. It had only happened 9 times in CWS history.
- The Beavers are the first truly Northern-based school to win the series since Ohio State in 1966
- The Beavers had made it to the CWS two times prior to this year, but had not won a game until this year. Oregon State became the first team since Georgia in 1990 to win its first CWS game and a national title in the same season.
- This is the second NCAA National Championship OSU has gotten in any sport. Their first was in 1961 in Cross Country.
- Their record this year was a school best 50-16.
- Pitchers drafted in the first round of the 2006 MLB Draft finished with a 1-5 record in seven games against Oregon State in 2006.

Pretty interesting stuff. Needless to say, it seems that this is everything everyone is talking about around this small college town. Also an interesting side note, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (my future school), were one of the eight teams at the CWS.


Speaking of sports, I am now backing the Ukrainians in the World Cup. They play on Friday against Italy. I would back the Canadian team, but I don't think they play soccer. I would cheer for the USA, but they have already been eliminated in a fashion as disappointing as Canada's Olympic hockey performance. This leaves me cheering for the country that my great-grandparents immigrated from.


While on the topic of family, I would like to give a huge shout out to friends who have decided to soon double their current family of one. Congratulations on your engagements guys.
- Aaron Fedusenko will be marrying Gabby Young (I have yet to meet this girl)
- Sheldon Trenchuk will be marrying Rhonda McAfee (This one too)
- Chris Ivany will be marrying Kalin Mittleider (Not this one, we go way back)


Because we are discussing giving into temptation, I did something today that I haven't done in a long time. A friend that works in the same office as I do purchased a bag of Spitz sunflower seeds (yes, the ones made in Bow Island, AB) and did not like the dill pickle flavouring. I haven't chewed sunflower seeds for at least five years. I gave it up for fear that I would wear down my teeth to nothing. Well, I almost finished off his bag today in a couple hours and quickly realized once again how enjoyable it is. We'll see if I forget their influence over the next few days, or completely cave.


Finally, my office has become my new home, partly because I have been spending all sorts of time there working on getting everything finished up and partly because I have liquidated most of my household furniture. It is like I am bouncing around in an empty apartment. I only have a chair, lawn chair and small TV in my living room. I do still have my bed though, so good night's sleeps are still coming my way.

Well, take care people.