Riker’s Block

  • The cross country team for my high school held a banquet and a number of seniors gave speeches. To at least partially pay them back for what they’ve done for me, I wrote a speech of what I’d say if I had been at the podium.     Good evening, As a freshman coming into

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  • Through ten weeks, the surprise of the year is that not one but two teams hold undefeated records. The two teams that faced off in Super Bowl XXXVIII, the New England Patriots and Carolina Panthers, are on track for a rematch in Super Bowl 50 in February. Through Week 11, the Patriots and Panthers have

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  • On October 19, millions of viewers tuned in to ESPN’s broadcast of Monday Night Football. Most of the viewers wanted to see football. But many others turned the game on for another reason- the premiere of a new trailer for Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens. On the same night, the official movie poster

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  • The 2015-16 NBA season is upon us! The season tips off Tuesday night and won’t end until the buzzer hits zero on the NBA Finals. This year, a number of teams are in contention for a NBA Finals championship. Who are the front-runners, challengers, wild-cards, and long shots? Front Runners Golden State Warriors (Won Finals)

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  • Year after year, football shows us that there is one position that is more valuable than the rest. And that is the quarterback. In the NFL, it is extremely difficult to win the Big One without an elite quarterback, and recent history backs that up. With Super Bowl 50 approaching, don’t expect that trend to

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  • College athletics make millions of dollars for schools every year, but unlike professional sports, its athletes don’t earn a penny. The NCAA, the governing body for college athletics, has restricted student-athletes from receiving any type of payment, other than a scholarship, from a school for playing for one of its sports teams. Several Division 1

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  • When a big-name movie has the potential to smash box office records, the production often fails to live up to the hype. The next film expected to make a huge smash is Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which arrives in mid-December. The Force Awakens, which is the seventh installment of the Star Wars franchise, garnered

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  • Last year, the Kansas City Royals were one base hit away from winning their first World Series championship since 1985. Catcher Salvador Perez popped the pitch up and San Francisco 3rd baseman Pablo Sandoval caught it, giving the Giants the 2014 World Series in an exhilarating seven-game matchup. That game only made the Royals stronger.

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