The NBA got underway on Oct. 26 with 3 games heading the line-up.

With the new editions of players to NBA rosters and rookie scouting reports, the league games now are the hottest tickets to have and watch on TV.

From barbershop talk to gym huddles around the weight bench, local fans are anticipating which team will be the best, since Lebron James, Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade have teamed up.

Local Miami Heat fan Clinton Green believes that Miami will be championship bound once they begin to play off of each other and find their rhythm in upcoming games.

“I think eventually it’s going to work out because once they get together, they will get better and better as the days go by,” Green said.

Other fans are opposed to the fact of the fantastic three winning a championship ring so soon because of the Kobe Bryant factor.

According to Los Angeles Laker’s fan, Keith Alexander, he believes that Miami is overrated and has too many guys that don’t know how to work with each other on the court.

Not forgetting the Boston Celtics who welcomed Shaquille O’ Neal as another player for the team and the return of Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo, most Boston fans believe their team will win.

For Boston Celtic fan, Troy Craig, both the Heat and Lakers are overrated.

“They were only a few players away and a quarter away from winning the championship last year, so I think they’re going to win,” Craig said.

Laker’s fan Rod Coachman stated the Lakers will win the championship and beat the heat by seven. According to Coachman, he believes that Miami has a chance to go far, talent wise, but not win a championship just yet.

As the 2010-2011 season has tipped off, most teams have beefed up their rosters with youth and experience and now the stakes are higher between the Eastern and Western Conference.

Out of the east, the Orlando Magic adds depth to the bench with rookie Daniel Orton from Kentucky University while the Washington Wizards landed 2010 first round draft pick John Wall from Kentucky and signed Yi Jianlian over the summer.

The New Jersey Nets added forward Derrick Favors from Georgia Institute of Technology and in New York, Amar’e Stoudemire presence will hopefully sign with the Knicks.

In the western Conference, the Los Angeles Clippers made way for the return of Blake Griffin, the first round draft pick in 2009 and the newest addition to the Phoenix Suns, local Augusta State University Basketball Star Garret Siler.

Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Jeff Green also lead the team of young stars in the west.

The Sacramento Kings also added former Kentucky star DeMarcus Cousins and Tyreke Evans, while Chris Paul, came back from a knee injury during the 2009 season and adds guard Jerryd Bayless to the team.

If you watched the FIFA World Cup this past summer, at some point the urge probably struck to lace up a pair of cleats and give the great sport of soccer a whirl.

If you didn’t get your chance, don’t worry because there is another great opportunity to do just that at Augusta State University. The University approved of a soccer club being put together this semester. One of the founders of the club, Victor Gutierrez, said he felt like there was a need for the club at the school for many reasons.

“Well, just thinking about how many people go to Augusta State University and how many people I know personally who play soccer, we wanted to pursue this,” Gutierrez said.

Last year the paper work was completed to have the club approved, and they were able to get uniforms. Although the club was assembled and ready to go, they were still unable to arrange where the members could actually play games against other schools, according to Gutierrez.

Gutierrez also said they will try to take advantage of some scholarship opportunities that the school offers. Not only does the school allow students to apply to have a club, but certain ones have a chance to receive $500 through the approval of the Student Government Association (SGA).

“We definitely want to plead our case that this is a good cause to give money towards,” said Gutierrez. One way G u t i e r r e z is trying to earn money for the club is to approach the SGA to see if they, among others, will sponsor them. He said he will have to prepare a speech for them explaining why the club is a good idea, what the money will go towards and why it is important.

There are no limitations to how many people can participate in the club meetings, Gutierrez said. However, they do want to strive for 22 to 25 players for the club team. The goal is to have an A team and a B team. The A team will consist of the more talented and experienced players, while the B team will be more along the lines of reserve players. They do encourage men or women to come out regardless of skill level. A women’s soccer club team is also in the works.

Gutierrez, a junior Spanish major, is not the only founder of the club; in fact there are several others who had a helping hand. Stephen Cordaro, a sophomore business management major, Armand Law, a junior pre-nursing major and John Martin, a senior biology and pre-med major, have all joined forces with Gutierrez in getting this project off the ground.

“The best part about being out here is the exercise and bringing friends together to have fun,” Cordaro said. “We have a solid core of guys that are committed and consistent with this club.”

The founders said, even with all the fun they may have, there is also a high level of competiveness that goes on during these practices and meetings. Martin said he was playing on a regular Wednesday night meeting with the club, when he went in to slide tackle one of his soccer mates, and ended up getting kicked in the shin. He broke his leg during this play.

“I thought I had an easy slide tackle coming in, but as I swept the ball away, my friend just ruthlessly kicked me in the shin,” Martin joked. “A number of different other players at the time said they could hear the break of the leg all the way across the field.

Another one of the perks of coming out to these club meetings is seeing new faces.

“You get to meet a lot of different people, there’s people from Nigeria, people from Atlanta, I even met someone from South Korea,” Law said. “It can get really competitive out here.”

The club members said they hope to start playing against other schools in the area starting next semester. If students would like to be a part of this, the club get together every Wednesday from 5:30 p.m., until dark. The men have practice every Saturday from 10 a.m., to noon. The women practice right after the men from noon until 2 p.m.

Fans everywhere could not believe the history that was made when Texas Rangers and San Francisco Giants moved on to play each other in the World Series.

Baseball fans were shocked when San Francisco Giants beat the Philadelphia Phillies and Texas Rangers beat the New York Yankees, seeing both losing teams have been in the World Series numerous times. The Giants, who have won the World Series five times, and the Rangers, who have never gone to a World Series in franchise history, faced each other during the 2010 World Series.

Giants have had legendary baseball players including Gaylord Perry pitching a no hitter in 1968, Willie McCovey winning the 1969 National League MVP award, Willie Mays hitting his 600th career home run in 1969 and Barry Bonds winning his third MVP in 1993. They were the first team to hire a black manager, Frank Robinson, in 1981, and the first to have an allbrother outfield in 1963, including Jesus, Felipe and Matty Alou.

However, the Giants have been known to have one of the worst fields due to horrible weather conditions. They have the third longest championship drought. In 1985 they lost 100 games in a season, the most in franchise history. Then in 1989, a year they made it to the World Series but lost to the Oakland Athletics, a 10-day delay was called after the Loma Prieta earthquake.

Giants’ All-Star pitcher, Tim Lincecum, is among the top players, with 16 wins and 231 strikeouts. Brian Wilson, one of the players responsible for this seasons slogan “fear the beard,” has also been a powerhouse for the team leading with 48 saves.

Cole Watkins, senior management major, said he thinks the Giants have a good chance. Although he’s been a lifelong Atlanta Braves fan, he’s excited to see the rookie Buster Posey, who has been following before his professional careers.

“I’m disappointed that Braves weren’t able to pull it out in the post season,” Watkins said. “I’m rooting for the Giants and Buster Posey, starting catcher, because he’s a Georgia boy.”

This being the Rangers first time at the World Series is no surprise since the team has only been in Texas since 1972, previously being the Washington Senators. It was not until 1974 that the team really came into its own, placing second behind the World Series champions Oakland Athletics.

In the early 2000s, Rangers received negative media attention for signing Alex Rodriguez with a 10-year, $252 million contract. The media thought there was too much emphasis placed on this one player and although he pulled his weight for the team, the Rangers still struggled. In 2003 he was traded to the New York Yankees, who the Rangers beat this year to move onto the World Series.

Josh Hamilton, after a constant struggle with drugs and alcohol, became clean and sober in 2005 and he now has the highest batting average, of .359, and highest slugging percentage, of .633. Vladimir Guerreo, another player proving the Ranger successful batting this year has one of the top RBIs with 112.

Chris Lett, a sophomore history major, is behind the Rangers 100 percent.

“It has been 66 years since the San Francisco Giants have won a world series,” Lett said. “They’re going to have to keep on waiting.”

A baseball league began on Oct. 2 that is like no other in the Augusta area.

Miracle League Baseball is a program giving children and adults with disabilities a chance to play baseball. Those with developmental or physical disabilities are eligible to play on a special rubber-surface field laid flat.

According to J.D. McCauley, program director, the Miracle League has 30 participants. Each player is paired with a buddy who assists them in moving around the field, throwing and catching the ball. The “buddies” are MCG occupational therapy students.

“We have two teams of 15,” McCauley said. “We kept it open and kids started coming in after we did our big opening weekend.”

Each player is given the opportunity to hit and score a run in each inning. There is no final score, and everyone is a winner. This is obvious from the laughs and smiles found on faces as they cross over home plate.

“I used to play baseball growing up, and imagining these kids having the chance to do anything like this is special,” McCauley said. “They get a chance to do something that everyone else takes for granted.”

Along with the kids, the parents also enjoy the experience that the league offers. According to Malcolm Morris, a parent of a child that plays in the league, the setup of the games is fun for the parents, as well.

“Watching the kids smiling as they run the bases is great,” Morris said. “The way they have it set up as far as announcers and volunteers, it allows the parents to step off to the side and watch their children interact with other people.”

Anyone can volunteer for the Miracle League. It requires filling out an application and running a background check, according to McCauley. Volunteering is a rewarding experience because it allows a person to interact with the kids and be a part of the experience, according to Payton Willis, a volunteer at the Miracle League.

“My favorite part is interacting with the kids and seeing the smiles on their faces,” Willis said. “A lot of them have never done something like this, and it may be new to them, but they’re having a blast at it.”

Initial funding for the league began three years ago through sponsorships and special events. Recent funding has been received through selling bricks that can be engraved. Several local and national companies have sponsored the league, whether by purchasing a brick or putting up a sign in support.

According to a news release, the renovation that added the rubberized surface, new dugouts, fencing, pavilion and scoreboard totaled approximately $350,000. The field is on the premises of the Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center. The Miracle League plays on Saturdays through the fall, and they expect to play in the spring.

On Oct. 26, a dream became a reality when former basketball standout, Garret Siler, was put on the active roster for the NBA.

Siler was active for the Phoenix Suns against the Portland Trailblazers; however, he did not play, but people who are close to him say this has been a long journey.

Coach Dip Metress said he was initially shocked by the news of his former player’s jump to the NBA.

“When he got here in 2004, he was a big guy who never really played (basketball), but he put a lot of time in the fundamentals, and he knows what he is, he is a post player, which has helped him a lot,” Metress said. “I am just proud of the fact that an Augusta State person is out there representing us.”

Siler holds the record for best field-goal percentage among all NCAA divisions. He also racked up 1599 career points, while playing for the Jaguars, which is seventh best in school history, as well as the Peach Belt Conference. Siler led the Jaguars to back-to-back Final Four appearances and was named All-American during the 2008-09 season.

During his high school days, Siler played one year of basketball at the Academy of Richmond County, under the leadership of Steve Nobles.

Nobles said he could not imagine this would happen and was very happy to hear about his former player’s accomplishment.

“He worked his way up to the highest level of basketball with only seven years of experience, ” Nobles said. “Garret dedicated himself to become more physically fit, as well as being more skilled on the court.”

Caleb Brown, a senior communications major, who played alongside Siler, said he was very happy for him and his family and called this experience for Siler a blessing.

“(Upon hearing the news) it was a great feeling,” he said. “It is wonderful I could just sit here and say that I played with someone who is in the NBA.”

Howard Brown, a senior kinesiology major, and Siler were teammates for more than three years. Brown said he was very excited to learn of his teammate’s promotion to the NBA.

“I know it has been a long time coming for him,” he said. “He was a very good teammate and he put in a lot of hard work.”

Metress remembers the first time Siler practiced for the Jaguars.

“The first time he came into the building he did not know how to get down the steps because he had never been in the arena, so he was just standing at the top,” Metress said. “Then during his very first workout he forgot his sneakers, so he had to drive back home and get them.”

Echoing his coach, Siler said he had to take the time and put his heart into training.

“You have to get into the gym, and have someone who knows what they are talking about and can teach you the fundamentals of the game,” Siler said.

Caleb Brown remembered the first time he saw Garret and was astounded by what he saw.

“When I saw Garret for the first time, I thought this guy was huge,” he said. “He had long arms, and he had good hands too. He could catch a lot of passes a big man cannot.”

According to Metress, Siler’s size and the ability to do what the coaches tell him are some of the qualities that will keep him in the NBA. However, Metress noted Siler needs to work on getting in better shape, and be motivated, knowing he is playing in the highest level of basketball.

Caleb Brown suggested Siler should remain humble and keep playing hard. Brown also suggested that Siler has the potential to remain in the league for the next five to 10 years.

“He is a big man, 7-foot and huge,” Brown said. “He can rebound well and defend the post; I do not think he will have any problem remaining in the NBA.”

Recruits all around the nation will be given a chance to decide which players receive scholarships and become college athletics.

Wednesday, Nov. 10, marks the start of the early signing period for NCAA programs, which continues until Nov. 17, giving players a chance to commit early to a school and team.

Joey Warren, media relations director for Augusta State University Athletic Department, said that the school’s athletic programs approach recruiting differently being in Division II for most sports.

“Typically men’s and women’s basketball don’t sign early because they are holding out for D-I schools,” he said, “We will usually have a few volleyball or cross country players sign early.”

As to who the players are that might sign early, Warren said coaches must remain silent until documents make the contract legal.

“Until the National Letter of Intent comes across my desk none of the coaches or programs can say anything about the kids they are recruiting,” Warren said. “Once they do commit, the coach can then make one statement either through a press release or having a press conference.”

Although they cannot comment directly on the players, Warren said that the recruiting process and what coaches go after in a student-athlete is something that is absolutely within range of comment. Women’s basketball head coach Nate Teymer said the recruiting process for individual programs is usually based on finding an athlete to fill a need.

“I say that we are trying to put a puzzle together, which means we are looking for the right pieces,” Teymer said. “For instance, if we lose a point guard, we are going to have to bring in a point guard. (Recruitment) is fill the need first, but if someone comes along that is a superb talent then we will still recruit them as well.”

Teymer, who is stepping into his first season as head coach, said one of his main goals and strengths has been recruiting local areas for talent.

“We really try to hit the Georgia-Carolina area and the whole Southeast region really hard first,” he said. “I’m originally from Iowa so I try to go back and hit up some Midwest schools up in Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska.”

When Teymer is out on the recruiting trail he said he is most obviously looking for talented players, but he knows that being right for Augusta State is a requirement. He said it can be difficult to not focus on talent but he said that is why it is a process analyzed over several times seeing the player.

“If I feel I know they can play and fit in here, we will look at grades and character of a kid,” Teymer said. “If there is not going to be any issues off the court and if they are going to represent the school well overall, we look into them more.”

Talented local athletes fill most of the jerseys at Augusta State.

“Almost every program at ASU has at least one local athlete on its roster,” Warren said.

During the signing period there is a good chance that some of the programs may get an early commit and Warren said you can expect to hear and see about signing parties from the high school talents in celebration of their moment.

Warren encouraged fans of Augusta State athletics to look to the Web site for all updates on recruits.

I cannot quite remember how I first found out about the comical Late Night with Conan O’Brien show. It was probably through internet videos because 12:35 a.m., (the time Conan came on) in my high school days was considered late. I do remember watching full episodes religiously everyday on NBC’s Web site after school in the year 2007 and so on. I had to get my Conan fix.

Many aspects of the show captivated my attention. For starters, his unrehearsed, unfiltered reactions to crazy occurrences. I remember an episode in October 2007 when a fire alarm went off in the studio. The show just got back from a commercial break when the alarm sounded off.

Conan’s puzzled, confused look, gave it away that this was not a comedy bit, but a random, unplanned incident. The bizarre alarm is going off in the background while Conan is trying to figure out the cause of the noise. I found it hilarious when he compared the alarm to a “thing on Startrek” because it sure did sound like something from science fiction. Then moments later, a voice echoed in the studio. Conan then proceeds to say, “What is this? A New York Subway?” He was able to take a spontaneous incident and turn it into a contagious laughter.

One of my most favorite times in Conan history was when the writers were on strike. I was quite happy the strike was taking place because the ratings for his show dramatically increased. Some of the best pieces of comedic work came out from the strike. One very memorable moment during the strike was when Conan, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert were in some fictitious scuffle with each other on who made Mike Huckabee. All three comedians brawled on camera against one another.

Another moment I liked from the strike was when Conan grabbed a guy out of the audience and gave him a tour of Saturday Night Live and NBC’s news studios. Then as they went back to the studio, they found a small food store where they grabbed as much food possible and brought it to the audience. The unplanned, randomness, of the events taken place, along with Conan’s commentary, was what made this humorous.

Humor to me does not call for some sort of special reasoning for something to be funny. If it makes people laugh, then the job is complete. Conan makes people laugh. He is a comedian. End of point. He can take almost any situation and turn it into one huge ball of laughter. He has a large fan base behind him, and with me, it is now bigger. I think he is just about all set. I cannot wait to watch his new show on TBS. I would not blame Conan if he inadvertently robbed large chunks of Leno’s audience. I guess we will just have to see.

I’ve worked since I was 14 years old. Granted my first job was a paper route, but the ethic and value of being a hardworking, self sufficient woman was instilled in my brain at a very young age, and thus will forever remain.

I’ve been out on my own from the time I was 20, working at least one job and for the past four years two jobs to make sure all my financial obligations are met. For the past 10 years I’ve worked in a local supermarket, and in that time I have had to suffer as I watch countless customer after customer use food stamps to purchase expensive, lavish, unhealthy and unnecessary food with my tax dollars, while I eat food purchased on a minimal budget, go to college to earn two degrees in order to positively contribute to society, work two jobs and pay taxes, all while living without healthcare or government assistance because I “make too much money.”

I didn’t realize $13,000 per year was too much money, but I will let you readers do the math.

Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) is a program that allows those who are less fortunate to be assisted by the government in order to buy food to eat.

To my understanding, when the program was first devised, it was an opportunity for those who had fallen into hard times a way to get back on their feet, but now, after seeing what I have seen and continue to see on a daily basis, I question not only the validity of this program, but the motives of those who use it, abuse it and – to be perfectly honest – remain to be content with the life that has been provided to them by our government, myself and my fellow tax-paying citizens because it’s just too damn good.

I know that there are those who truly do need help. Many have recently lost their jobs and have put what little money they have toward things like rent or utilities, leaving them with little left over for food. This I feel is completely understandable and absolutely warranted. Yet, where is the line drawn and why aren’t there more rigid standards for the program?

Tostitos Pizza Rolls, Kool-Aid, cases of sodas, pounds of candy, frozen dinners, Doritos, crab legs, Boar’s Head premium roast beef subs, three-tiered princess castle cakes, meat and cheese platters, fruit trays, $500 wedding cakes and anything else that most of us can’t buy on occasion or day-to-day are purchased on a regular basis with food stamps. Never in there is fresh produce or whole grains purchased.

How is this right? My question to everyone is this: Do you know this is what’s really going on with the system?

Do you know that these items and a plethora more are being consumed by those who are using our tax dollars to purchase items they really don’t need to survive, and by my standards are certainly NOT starving? And lastly, are you OK with this?

I am not.

Is it possible for a person to die of starvation if they can’t buy hot wing platters and deli sub sandwiches for themselves and their friends? No. Can someone become malnourished if they don’t buy a $500 four tiered wedding cake with intricately hand-made fondant flowers and hearts? I’ve never heard such a thing, but if they do, I give an oath now to stand up at their funeral service and assert a full apology for my assumption followed by a heartfelt and remorseful eulogy.

All sarcasm aside, the point is there is a serious problem with the system that just seems to be overlooked, or rather swept under the rug in the name of gluttony. Not only is this problem wasting our tax dollars, but it’s a large percent of why America is obese.

If I had money to spend on food that was given to me as a helping hand, I would use it with caution and restraint. Spoiling ourselves every now and then is alright, but blatant disregard for self control and ungrateful disrespect has turned these offenders into junk food junkies who have come to expect this once helping hand, now hand out without appreciation for such a gracious gift.

Does everyone prefer the double cup holder stadium seating in Regal, instead of the history-filled theaters downtown such as the Imperial and the Miller.

Recently I was exposed to newspaper clippings, old photos, movie posters and articles about the old theaters located in downtown Augusta. Theaters back then were real. It was the place to go every weekend, for everyone. Lines would be wrapped around the corner just to get in to see the premier of “Jaws.” Tickets were cheaper and worth the money. Special events were held to tie in with the movie being shown.

Now everything has changed. The old theaters have closed down and were replaced by big, big and bigger. To these franchises it’s all about who can make the most money. With higher priced tickets and a Coke for $5, you can not go to a movie without spending a small fortune. And for what?

It seems like as theaters got worse so did movies. What happened to movies like “The Godfather,” “Network” and “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly?” Now it’s all about dating vampires and marrying your sister’s ex-boyfriend. Production value has been replaced by tons of computergenerated imagery. It’s almost as if the audience has been dumbed down. If a film such as the classic “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” were to come out today it would be a box-office disaster, whereas a movie such as “Step Up 3D” goes on to make more than $40 million.

And who would have thought they would see the day when Blockbuster and other rental stores would close down. I sound like I’m 30 years older than I actually am just by saying, I can remember being a little kid and going to Blockbuster to rent movies Friday nights. Now we have Red Box. Yes, it’s convenient, but you only have 25 movies to choose from. Where are you supposed to find the classics? We also have Netflix. Sure they have pretty much everything, but who wants to wait for their movie to come in the mail days later.

I think it’s time for a change. It’s time to bring back the old movie experiences our parents so fondly enjoyed. Wouldn’t it be amazing to have a drive-in theater back in Augusta? The nearest one is over 30 miles away in South Carolina. The Big Mo drivein offers double features for the price of one along with cheap concessions. With two screens and an old time feel there really is no place around like it.

Today it seems like more people would rather illegally download a film to their computer or purchase a bootleg copy than actually experience it the way in was intended to be. It’s hard to blame anyone for doing that when places like the Miller Theatre just remain closed. What if it, or a place like it, were open today? What if they showed midnight shows of “Airplane,” “Goodfellas” and “The Deer Hunter?” Maybe then we would get to understand how much fun it was for previous generations to go to the movies.

If the future university graduate is to be prepared for the economic, business, educational and political challenges of the future, Spanish language should be a part of the curriculum for the degree in communications, business, education, nursing, public administration, political science, psychology, social services, economics and criminal justice.

When one considers that Spanish is the official language of 22 countries in the world, the majority in the Western hemisphere and Spanish is the second most common language spoken by approximately 400 million people in the world, behind Chinese with English a close third, it is obvious that the global marketplace of the future will require the ability of Americans to communicate with our trading partners, customers and neighbors in Spanish.

Today America has a Hispanic population that has become the largest minority group in our country. According to the 2009 American Community Survey conducted by the United States Census Bureau, Spanish is the primary language spoken at home by 35.5 million people with another 10 million people speaking it as a second language.

Whether we agree with it or not, America is becoming a bilingual country. Florida, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and California have large Hispanic populations.

How often have you encountered Spanish speaking employees just in your own community in the food service, construction, landscaping, business or health fields? How often have you dialed a company or business and been given the option of hearing the message in English or Spanish? Additionally, whether we like it or not, the issue of approximately 20 million illegal aliens from Spanish speaking countries in American has to be resolved.

Those graduates that can speak some degree of Spanish will have a competitive advantage over non-Spanish speaking graduates over the course of next four to five decades as they engage in their chosen career fields.

If I could predict the future I would say that over the next decade America will move away from dependence of durable goods and services from China, Indonesia, Malaysia and India and will return to our manufacturing base within our own country and Spanish speaking countries of the Western Hemisphere. Without such a shift and the return of our durable goods manufacturing base to the Americas, America will continue to experience chronic unemployment rate at the 10 percent level and constant financial and economic turmoil.

As global economic, financial, demographic and business activities change with an increase in the Spanish speaking population in America, the university graduate of the future will face new challenges in earning a living in the national and international marketplace.

The ability to speak Spanish will be an advantage and will enhance the individual’s competitiveness in that arena. Spanish-language education should be an integral part of the curriculum in any field that relies on human interactions.