But seriously, you can't miss me if you're in St. Louis

I'm prepping for the first Friday MVC Tournament which is No. 1 seed and co-conference champion Northern Iowa up against up-start Indiana State which provided Arch Madness' first upset as it downed defending regular season and conference tourney champion Drake.

As for the white sports coat ... it's baaaaaack.

We'll see if it brings the Dawgs better luck.

March: In like a Saluki, out like a champion.

Something like that.

Behind the scenes of the MVC Tourney: Networking

So far, one of my favorite things about the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament has been socializing with other journalists. In fact, it is something I look forward to whenever I show up to cover a game.

At this stage of the game, being a senior only a few months from graduation, it's about contacts. My goal is to meet everybody and make a name for myself. So far, I have befriended photojournalist Bill Greenblatt, who kindly provided the DE with its photo tonight. That came in part for a connect I made during SIU football season, Indiana State sports information director Mike Williams, who directed me to Greenblatt when I came to him in search of a photo.

People who know me on a personal level know I am a genuine person. For that to also happen on a professional level and for it to be appreciated, makes me feel special.

I think one of the best contacts I have made so far was actually one I had made in Normal, Ill., and that's John Mullin of the Chicago Tribune. Mullin covered the Bears beat when I was a young newspaper reader and now, covers Illinois college hoops like a blanket.

Today I learned he teaches a class at DePaul and was in the midst of reading one of 20 feature stories he assigned his students. If I only had the opportunity to take a class with a Chicago sports writing legend, I'd do it in a heartbeat.

In the mean time, I am recruiting Mullin to appear on the newest DE staple: The Sports Huddle. A web exclusive video that usually focuses on SIU sports. If time permits, Mullin agreed, in principle, to appear.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

You should too.

So long from St. Louis ... where's the after party at?

A blog about press credentials

I'm channeling my inner St. Lunatic.

"You can find me in Saint Louie" is just running on repeat in my head right now. I'm actually here, in St. Louis, Mo., covering the Missouri Valley Conference Men's Basketball Tournament. This is the first time I've been here not as a fan, and to be honest, I'm having an awe-struck kind of moment here.

So this is really exciting, to me. I kind of figured it would be like that, though. When I was a kid, my friends filled up on hot dogs, pop and then eventually beer. I bought media guides and filled out score cards at ball games. I think then I knew I was destined to be different. Destined to be special.

Keep your eye on this blog for insider info. And by insider info, I mean a look at the life of a newspaper beat writer.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Rapper + Teenage Angst = Hit song!

I know I'm supposed to hate this song, but I don't. I know I'm supposed to hate Wayne for using the autotune and then sing on top of that. I know I'm supposed to dis Weezy F. Baby for selling and going rock.

And for some gosh-awful reason I'm not sure why I like this song. It's hip-hop-meets-teenage angst.

I like it.



She had it all figured out/ But she left me with a broken heart/ F@#ked around and turned me down/ Cause she didn’t think I could play the part/ But now the prom queen, the prom queen/ Is crying senseless outside of my door/ She never know how/ How everything could turn around

Reason #4892 I'm afraid of long-term relationships

Via fmylife.com:

Today, I went to Tiffany's to exchange a bracelet my boyfriend had given me for our year anniversary. It was the first gift that he actually spent money on me for. The sales lady then told me that the necklace was not a real Tiffany's item. FML

FML, really? Because he didn't get you a necklace that was not worth thousands-upon-thousands of dollars on a necklace. I swear I thought someone once told me you can't buy love.

Oh well, you've got to absolutely love the superficial world that we live in today.

Tomorrow on FML:

Today, I went to the dealership to exchange the Ferrari my boyfriend bought me. I wanted a Porsche. FML

Newspapers shouldn't be allowed to just die

I think I've blogged enough about girls and sports lately. And it won't be long until I'm blogging about press credentials as my Spring Break starts Thursday morning in St. Louis.

So for this blog, I'm switching gears and talking about something else I love more than a normal person probably should (or would).

Newspapers.

There hasn't been a day that has gone by since I started working at the Daily Egyptian in which someone or something somewhere has informed/reminded me that newspapers are dying. Whether it be a guest speaker in a class, a fellow reporter, a news report or a blog. Newspapers are "dying" and I get it.

People are buying less newspapers because its content is found for free online. Advertisers are advertising less because it's cheaper online and the classifieds have shrunk because of places like craigslist.

Yet, newspapers seem to be thriving online. Plenty of content, just like the hard copy with online exclusives ... you know ... a teaser for you to go online and get that extra tidbit. News consumers continue to read and link newspaper clippings via the Internet, so things can't be all that bad.

As for college kids like myself, it's a daily struggle.

Contrary to popular belief, the DE is not a class. It is not a club. It is a job. A legit newspaper. The staff consists of real people, 18 to 20-something-year-olds who are getting their first glimpse of life in the real world.

We are reporters. We are correspondents. We are beat writers. We are editors. We are photojournalists. We are page designers. We are everything that you expect out of your regular run-of-the-mill newspaper.

Except we don't have our degrees. Yet.

So when I see my friends and co-workers visibly upset about The Rocky Mountain News actually dying, it hurts.

It's bothersome. It's sad.

So when the Internet goes down and we can't post our stories to the Web, a simple and oh, so true thought crosses my mind.

This is why newspapers cannot die. Because when the Internet goes down and all of the technology we have grown accustomed to fails us, there will be a hard copy of the newspaper awaiting us in a stand on the corner. At the convenience store. In the hands of a guy in the middle of the street. On your front step.

The point is that there is always a need for that daily hard copy.

Because as long as there is someone who wants to go deeper into that investigation the 10:00 p.m. news spent 30 seconds on, the daily paper that can go into a 1,000 word detailed account of its happenings should be there.

As long as there is someone interested in a good human interest story, newspapers should be there.

And for the fan who wanted to know how their favorite player performed beyond that highlight slam-dunk, home run, catch, pass, kick, shot, throw, etc., newspapers should be there.

And to be completely honest, despite the big news of the week, I feel as if they will be there. And I want to be a part of it.

FML February comes to an end

February was pretty crummy month, if I may say so.

SIU struggled with a 3-5 record in the month as it tried to keep its collective head above water without senior guard, team leader and all-around good guy Bryan Mullins. But February ended with a 72-68 win on Senior Night (my senior night, too) and instead of playing in the dreaded Thursday play-in round, the Salukis clinched the No. 5 spot in the MVC and have a very winnable game against No. 4 seed Bradley.

Insert link to The Big Dead Sidebar post about the Bradley Braves MVC Shuffle here.

Then there was Valentine's Day -- yuck. Seriously. All sorts of bad. Not enough liquor in the world to crack a smile on my face. Well, at least I was a very well-dressed son-of-a-gun on Singles Awareness Day.

The weather was down and then up and then down and then nice and then it f*cking sucks. Fast forward to May, please.

And while you're at it, make sure that Milton Bradley doesn't injure himself while drawing a gosh-forsaken walk. Go figure anti-stat heads hate OBP. There's nothing grinderiffic by hurting yourself via the base on ball.

But seriously, I'm glad the shortest month of the year is over.

Gimme some March Madness. Gimme some NFL free agency signings. Gimme some World Baseball Classic.

Um, on the other hand, maybe not so much on that last one.

Just get me out of February with my sanity, my health and a (somewhat) hearty paycheck and I'll be a little happier tomorrow than I was yesterday.

Thank you for your continued support of the writer/editor/founder of Girls Sports & Press Credentials. I promise March will be better, if only because there will be more days which means more chances to have complete happiness.