Rick Reilly... Really?

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Dear Mr. Rick Reilly,

Although most of your articles are spot-on and you are heralded as being one of the best sports writers around, your recent article you wrote for ESPN.com had a minor flaw in that you had a glaring logical fallacy present.  While examining whether, professional golfer, Tiger Woods has lost a step in his golf game it seemed as if you subjected your writing to both a hasty generalization and joining the bandwagon.  Although it is true that Tiger Woods is not playing golf like he used to, he did just finish rehabbing his leg and has just started playing PGA sponsered events again.  It seemed like you were jumping to a conclusion that he might not ever break the records that he was projected to shatter early in his career even though there has not been nearly enough time to judge Tiger's future in the sport.  In your article I also noticed that you were somewhat going along with what many reporters have been predicting: that Tiger Woods might not ever be what he used to be.  He is still a young athlete who has never been in better physical shape in his life, both strength and endurance wise.  These reporters that are making these accusations have no evidential support to back their statements, and you are seeming to blindly examine this even though there is really no reason to except that it will catch the eye of the common ESPN.com reader.  Even though this article is very interesting and for the most part done very successfully, I just found a few problems with some fallacies that you might want to consider for future writings.  I have a great respect for you as a writer, for you deviate away from what every other sportswriter writes about and you take it to the heart. Thank you.

Is Fight Club Worth Fighting For?

In the movie, Fight Club, there is obviously a lot going on.  Not until the end of the movie does the audience come to find out that Tyler Durden is actually Edward Norton's character, he is just the fearless, confident, basically everything "Edward" is not version of himself.  Early in the movie Edward was a timid and lifeless man living only for his possessions but as the movie went on a second side of him started to show (albeit in a split personality, alterego form) in Tyler Durden.  He is everything Edward wishes he could be.  Violence became a main issue in this movie, Tyler started an all out fight club, which slowly branched out into different cities until the entire country was involved in the underlying motive for the fight club which was Project Mayhem.  He used the glamour and masculinity of a fight club in order to gather people for a cause that was seemingly helpful and good.  They basically used this violence to get to a deeper level and manipulate the members into joining a now cult-like club.  I completely agree with this portrayal, as many different societies and communities have used violence for a more underlying issue.  Although it is usually unnecessary, in this case it made perfect sense to use something as violent as a fight club in order to rally the troops and create something larger than anyone ever intended to create.

Secure with mortality?

"The sure extinction that we travel to
And shall be lost in always. Not to be here,
Not to be anywhere,
And soon; nothing more terrible, nothing more true.

This is a special way of being afraid
No trick dispels. Religion used to try,
That vast, moth-eaten musical brocade
Created to pretend we never die,
And specious stuff that says No rational being
Can fear a thing it will not feel, not seeing
That this is what we fear - no sight, no sound,
No touch or taste or smell, nothing to think with,
Nothing to love or link with,The anasthetic from which none come round."

-Philip Larkin

I think this obviously explains the fear our society places on death. Now, although the author of this quote implies that he is more 'knowing' than the readers in that he/she can explain that death is an inevitability, it seems that he is trying to convince his or her self that he is at peace with death. The fact that he or she is even writing a piece on this becomes evident that he or she is very insecure with the entire idea of death. Oh and by the way, it became very clear to me that the author isn't secure with the idea of death by how he or she could explain in such detail of how death would be: "no sight, no sound, No touch or taste or smell, nothng to think with, Nothing to love or link with." If one was so secure with the idea of death, then there would be no need to analyze this so deeply. I also find it interesting that he goes from general ideas early in the passage and later in the passage he delves deeper into his mind and explains every little thing that he fears in death. The way he explains death and how he explained religion shows that he is definitely not affiliated with any type of religion at all. He doesn't say that there is a better place, only that it is a place where the 5 senses become obsolete.

I don't blame the author though, I am not so sure that I am completely secure with the idea of death. Though I am only 18, and still have a long way to go in life, hopefully, I am also insecure with death. I understand what he is trying to say when he says that the senses are all gone. How he explains this definitely applies to me because everybody dies and nobody is immortal.

Lou Gehrig's "Farewell to Baseball Address"

Fans, for the past two weeks you have been reading about a bad break I got. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth.



I have been in ballparks for seventeen years and have never received anything but kindness and encouragement from you fans. Look at these grand men. Which of you wouldn’t consider it the highlight of his career just to associate with them for even one day?



Sure I’m lucky.



Who wouldn’t consider it an honor to have known Jacob Ruppert? Also, the builder of baseball’s greatest empire, Ed Barrow? To have spent six years with that wonderful little fellow, Miller Huggins? Then to have spent the next nine years with that outstanding leader, that smart student of psychology, the best manager in baseball today, Joe McCarthy?



Sure I’m lucky.



When the New York Giants, a team you would give your right arm to beat, and vice versa, sends you a gift - that’s something. When everybody down to the groundskeepers and those boys in white coats remember you with trophies -- that’s something.



When you have a wonderful mother-in-law who takes sides with you in squabbles with her own daughter -- that’s something.



When you have a father and a mother who work all their lives so you can have an education and build your body -- it’s a blessing.



When you have a wife who has been a tower of strength and shown more courage than you dreamed existed -- that’s the finest I know.



So, I close in saying that I might have been given a bad break, but I've got an awful lot to live for.




Lou Gehrig's Speech in Video





After Lou Gehrig was diagnosed with 'Lou Gehrig's Disease', he knew he had to retire from baseball. He contracted the first known case of 'ALS' which was more commonly known as 'Lou Gehrig's Disease'. It is a disease that slowly shuts down the muscles through their nerve endings shrinking. He kept playing throughout his illness until it became too much and after about a month after being in the Mayo Clinic, he finally retired. This obviously made it impossible for him to continue playing the sport he loved. This speech was so influential and powerful because this disease he was suffering from was so rare and there wasn't much to be known about it at that point. He did not explain his situation, he didn't expect any remorse, and he didn't even make his famous speech about the disease. Lou Gehrig looked at the positive side of his life by explaining how lucky he was to even be playing baseball. He made the impression that it was every boys' dream to become a professional in the sport they love, and when it came down to his final steps on a baseball field, he relished in every single moment of it. In his last line he said, "So I close in saying that I may have had a tough break, but I have an awful lot to live for." Gehrig did not make his fans endure a painful speech about how bad it is to be him, but instead gave the fans something to remember for the rest of their lives' as they were treated to Gehrig being grateful and thrilled with his experience of his own life. He looked toward the positive side of life by seeing his life as if he had more to live for than to dwell on the disease that will one day kill him.



This outstanding speech can be applied to Burke's pentad quite easily. Gehrig's Act was obviously his farewell speech. He was finishing off his career by thanking the ones he loved in the sport and also thanked the fans. The Scene was in New York Yankee's 'Yankee Stadium.' He played for the New York Yankees and therefore it was only logical to have his speech take place there. The Agents were Lou Gehrig, the upper management of the team, the other players, and the fans. The Agency was that everyone was very sad and upset about Gehrig leaving the team and the game, but at the same time very inspired because of his moving speech. Even though he was leaving, he made everyone feel good about his departure because they found out through his speech that he will be moving on to a better place in his life since he could no longer play baseball. The purpose was that Lou Gehrig had contracted a disease and couldn't play baseball anymore so he needed to provide everyone with a sense of closure, which he did an outstanding job of doing.



Lou Gehrig was one of the most loved players of his time and after the public discovered Lou's devastating news, the entire country was in a state of shock. One of the greatest players of all time had just been diagnosed with the first, and still extremely rare to this day, case of ALS. He is just one of many in the Baseball Hall of Fame, but is still considered one of the best baseball players of all time.

Led Zeppelin vs The Beatles

Music is a very important part of my life. Ever since I began listening to The Beatles in elementary school I have been interested in the foundations of the Rock genre. To me, there weren't any other bands nearly as influential as Led Zeppelin or The Beatles. Although many other bands have influenced the music scene, I believe that these two have passed every single other band that is out there. But which band is the most important to rock?

The Beatles laid the founation of the entire 'Rock n Roll' genre. They were leaps and bounds above every other band around in the 1960's. With 27 #1 hits, they could be the most successful band ever also. Although Led Zeppelin had a very large demographic in their audience, The Beatles had an even larger one with their appeal to both the pop and rock genre. Without The Beatles, rock wouldn't be anywhere near where it is today. It is evident in many ways. Since The Beatles' music recently became available for advertisement, it seems like I can't go one commercial break without hearing one of their many hits! Even a movie, Across the Universe, was made with many of their hit songs playing in this musical. Even though many teenagers who enjoy rock may not agree, it is as close to a fact as possible that The Beatles is the most important band for Rock n Roll.

Now, Led Zeppelin didn't set the foundation for Rock n Roll, but they were the first bands that ventured into the Hard Rock/Metal genre. Songs such as Kashmir, The Song Remains the Same, No Quarter, etc. were considered ground breaking and still very popular. Led Zep. has been considered and accepted by all different ages as one of the 'hardest' and best bands of all time. They were also a very flexible band that played all different kinds of music. D'yer Mak'er was a song by them that even has a reggae feel to the song; some of their songs were more slow and 'ballad-ish' while others were very deep and intense, EX: No Quarter.

Though both bands are widely accepted as some of the best bands ever, I feel that even though I enjoy listening to Led Zeppelin a little bit more than The Beatles, the latter is a much more important band that should be listened to by all. Any arguments?