I feel like typing. I don't know why but sometime's I get in these moods where I just wanna type until I run out of things to type about.

I honestly don't think anyone has any idea about how excited I am and how much of an honor it is to get to be one of the hosts on Hot Topix. This is the beginning of my dream. I keep thinking if I'll ever make it and I tell myself that it's just a dream and it will never happen because I'm not good enough to ever be on Sportscenter. Lyndi tells me I am. She knows I can be great. I thought that until I was sitting in front of that camera with people calling into the show. Then I realized I could do it. It's what I was meant to do. I may not be the most lively, the funniest, or even the best at doing that but I love what I do.

I miss high school. I DON'T miss all the drama and stupid things that kids worry and fight over. What I miss about high school is how it was an easier time and it just felt good being at home all the time and just having fun with little responsibility. Now...

Well, college is the threshold of the real world. I have so much responsibility now and it's kind of hard knowing that there's no more family vacations and no more sitting around just doing nothing. There's always something that needs to get done and while I love this lifestyle sometimes I wish that I was a senior again.

On to something extremely important right now: basketball. #11 in the AP poll. #14 in the ESPN/USA Today poll. 17-3 overall, 8-1 in the SEC. Won at then #5 Texas and at home against then undefeated and #2 Florida. Beat Kentucky AT Rupp Arena. I'm just sayin that it's been an awesome year. You know what we were predicted at? 14-17 overall, 7-9 in the SEC. We came into this season ranked 85th in the country. We're now ranked 11th out of 365. 20,000 people come to watch every home game. The students love the team. Bruce Pearl is unimaginable. The man can flat out coach. He knows how to work a crowd. He could care less what the alumni think and the most important opinions are that of the biggest fans: the students.

I've had the opportunity to meet him, shake his hand 3 or 4 times, and listen to him talk about what he wanted to accomplish and what he has accomplished. In 13 years he has never had a losing record. We close out our home schedule with Kentucky. I couldn't see a more fitting team to play in the last game in Knoxville this year.

Just for perspective, us beating Kentucky was like Oakland beating Siegel. Yeah, it's THAT important.

I went to the first game of the season. I told Bruce Pearl we would cheer for him and the team win or lose. He feeds off of us. We feed off of him. The players are more respected on campus than the football players. This is the team we've been dying to have play here. They're undersized than almost everyone they play. They're less talented than the higher ranked teams. They play with grit, love for the game, and heart. That's why we're 17-3. We support them in anything.

Don't think I'm just on because we're winning. We could be 3-17 right now and I would STILL go to the games and cheer until I made a parent leave with their child. I have a passion for sports. I have a passion for my team no matter what school it is. I've been out of middle school for 5 years now but when I hear something good about Central it makes me happy. I keep up with Blackman and how they're doing in all their sports and pull for them whenever they play. I've not been a die-hard Tennessee fan for long andyou can even call me stupid or whatever you can think of. I love this place, I love this town, and I love this team. I cheered for our crappy football team even though they lost to Vandy. I cheered until I couldn't breathe..literally. I had to stop, grab my sides, and take a minute to regain oxygen.

There's nothing like beating an undefeated team at home and rushing the court. There's nothing like being part of a riot after coming back from 21-0 at halftime of a football game. You just can't beat the feeling when something like that happens. Ask anyone at Oakland and Siegel when they play in basketball. Ask whoever will beat Riverdale in football. Ask me when Tennessee is playing any sport.

I guess why I'm so excited is because of my senior year in high school. Me and Jason went to every single basketball game. The season was coming to a close and we ended up only winning 6 games. At one game we were literally the only two fans there. We out-yelled the other kids by a longshot. The team told us how much they appreciated it. The cheerleaders had someone to actually yell to. I wanted so bad to have more people there to enjoy the game like I did. I had to go 3 hours and another time zone to find it but I found it nonetheless.

Good ol' Rocky Top..

Here we go again.

cantrell.out