Riker’s Block

  • Summer Reading Roundup

    Summer Reading Roundup

    With all of the free time I expected to have this summer, I was determined to make the most of it and rekindle (no pun intended) a longtime interest- reading. I fondly remember working through all the summer reading programs as a kid, but with the hustle and bustle of school and sports taking over,…

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  • Nostalgia Blast: The Tech Wiz

    Before I head off to the next chapter of my life at Northwestern University, I want to take a trip back down memory lane with the Nostalgia Blast series. Each column will focus on a certain part of my childhood and explain how it made my last 17 years so unique and fun. Today I’ll…

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  • Nostalgia Blast: Number One Fan

    Before I head off to the next chapter of my life at Northwestern University, I want to take a trip back down memory lane with the Nostalgia Blast series. Each column will focus on a certain part of my childhood and explain how it made my last 17 years so unique and fun. Kicking things…

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  • Why the Los Angeles Rams Will Win Super Bowl LIV

    Picking a Super Bowl champ at the start of each season is a very inexact science. Over the past 10 predictions I have done, only one time did I pick the correct champion, and that was my own 2012 Baltimore Ravens. There are chalk ones, like correctly predicting the Seahawks-Patriots in 2014, and outside-the-box ones…

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  • 2019 NFL Preview: Best- and Worst- Case Scenarios for All 32 Teams

    One of my annual traditions is to pick every game of the NFL schedule and make predictions from Week 1 all the way to the Super Bowl. I did that last Saturday for two hours, and then the news of Colts quarterback Andrew Luck’s retirement sent shock waves  through the sports universe (and destroyed my…

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  • Ed Reed: Pick-six king enshrined in Canton

    Back in elementary school, I frequently read a book about the Baltimore Ravens and one line always stood out. In discussing Baltimore’s tradition of stifling defenses, it described the Ravens’ unit as something to the effect of  “tougher a brick wall” and “stingier than cobwebs.” I saw those imposing Ravens defenses for four glorious years…

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  • State of the Franchise: Dallas Cowboys

    Set the Browns aside, and the NFL team that has captured the most media attention this offseason has been, as usual, my Dallas Cowboys. 2019 figures to be a pivotal season for the Boys, with arguably the most talented team since the dynasty of the 1990s, but success is far from guaranteed. Already, star running…

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  • Oral History: Behind the Scenes of Braintrust Productions

    Nicky G. Bum Squad. Oh We Rollin. The following article is an oral history of the Braintrust Productions (a.k.a. Wootton XC videos) and their impact on all those involved over the memorable span of three years and six films.  Each section (with the exception of the conclusion) contains a YouTube link to the corresponding video. …

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  • Three dynamic duos highlight wild NBA free agency

    KD-Kyrie. LeBron-AD. Kawhi-PG. This year, NBA free agency felt like teams were trying to build the best NBA Jam team possible. The two-on-two arcade game became reality during the last week, as duos that NBA fans had only fantasized about suddenly joined powers and revived franchises in Brooklyn and Los Angeles. Aside from a lot…

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  • Toy Story 4 falls short of infinitely high bar

    Back in 1995, animated classic Toy Story explored the premise of how the relationship between children and their toys can define a childhood. And as the trailblazing movie rose to historic relevance and wide acclaim, it also demonstrated the potential for movies themselves to be a central aspect of one’s childhood. For me, it was…

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