First things first, do not misinterpret this, I love playing my sax. But there are sometimes when I wish playing would be a bit more fun.
For example: I recently played in a concert for the Case Jazz Ensemble II. Now I basically live off jazz music. In fact I believe that I am very well versed in the field (at least for listening). So in short I love jazz.
But I did not want to play at this concert. The entire jazz ensemble was smushed onto a stage that could barely fit a small band. And ,oh yeah, we are grossly over-staffed, which did not help the situation. In a nutshell I was not happy.
So how does this relate to life of the mind? I was thinking and I believe that the environment that you play in greatly affects how a group sounds. That night our group sounded smushed and cramped. We did not have our usual "big" sound. We also, however, played a lot tighter due to the closeness of everyone.
I know this from experience. When a group plays close together, they can hear each other very well. This makes it easier for everyone to fix their own mistakes. This comes at a cost. The cost is comfortability. When you are shoulder to shoulder with someone you don't really know an awkward situation arises. It is not fun. And it affects your playing.
I do not think that Jazz I is necessarily better than Jazz II, I think that they rehearse in a better environment. Where they are all close, but comfortable. This is why they sound both loose and tight at the same time.
The mind is affected by its surrounding. When you see a steak served on classy china with oregano and parsley in a lovely Bernays sauce your brain says, "that looks delicious!". But when that same steak is served on a trash lid with ketchup your brain think exactly the opposite. So presentation is everything.
So when I walked into that room, I saw a small staged crammed with people I was not familiar with. I was neither comfortable or happy. This affected my playing. In fact during one of my solos, I started out very angry and fast. My brain told my fingers that I needed to get out some aggression.
After the angry part of my solo, I settled down and grooved a lot more. I was able to close my eyes and enjoy the music that I was making with the people around me. It was really cool to hear my solo morph from short angry bursts to long and drawn out phrasings.
So remember this always. When you have a wedding or a party or a shindig of any kind, make sure the musicians are completely comfortable and relaxed. That way they can maximize their talent and play well for all the guests.
That is all. =)
Ian
Monday, November 17, 2008
Severance Hall
For one of my fourth hour I chose to go to a performance at Severance Hall. I went with my family who came up that weekend.
The music that would be played was a piece entitled "Seven Haikus" and Mozart's Great Mass in C Minor. I must say that I was very disappointed. I thought that I would be blown away, but I was left sorely mistaken.
I am not sure why I thought I would like this concert. I know a reason that I went was to spend time with my parents, but still I am not a huge fan of classical music. But I thought since it was in a minor key I would give it a shot.
I was sorely wrong.
The piece that was played before the Mozart was called "Seven Haikus". It was awful. I was trying really hard to make out some music from it. But I failed. Nothing about that piece interested me, at all. I really tried too. I wanted to find a shred of musicality, but no luck.
The piece was mainly atonal. It seemed like it was written by a child, with no sense of musicality. I mean even the featured piano was awful. I remember turning around and looking at my mom and saying "I paid for this?". It was not good.
So after intermission I got my hopes up about the Mozart. Again I was let down. The first movement was in minor, but the rest was definitely major. It was boring. I had more fun translating the Latin text rather than listening to the music. I had trouble staying awake, I honestly tried everything. Biting my lip, fidgeting, conducting, nothing seemed to work.
Do not get me wrong, the Cleveland Orchestra is sick nasty, I would give body parts to be in it. But these pieces didn't do anything for me.
So how does this relate to life of the mind. Well for mind, I was trying to find any conceivable way to make this experience interesting. I was so bored out of my mind, that it was hard to make it work. So I really cannot write about that.
But I know what the musicians minds were thinking. A group at the level that the CO is at is astounding. They no longer have to think "how do I play this note?". They are now thinking, "how does my part affect everyone else?". This is because the mind has "turned off". Thinking is no longer an option. The adaptive unconscious takes over.
The CO knows all their parts so well that they can have their adaptive unconscious take over and play for them. I think this is why they sound so good. It is because they no longer think about playing, they know that they can play. All these musicians have to do is listen to each other. That is how they are so good. Knowing that you have a crucial note in a chord is more important that a gliss. This is why the CO kicks butt.
I realize that this is loosely related, but it will become clearer in another blog. It is very different listening to a group play music than it is to actually play it. Now that is a great concept to look at.
I am out for now.
Ian
The music that would be played was a piece entitled "Seven Haikus" and Mozart's Great Mass in C Minor. I must say that I was very disappointed. I thought that I would be blown away, but I was left sorely mistaken.
I am not sure why I thought I would like this concert. I know a reason that I went was to spend time with my parents, but still I am not a huge fan of classical music. But I thought since it was in a minor key I would give it a shot.
I was sorely wrong.
The piece that was played before the Mozart was called "Seven Haikus". It was awful. I was trying really hard to make out some music from it. But I failed. Nothing about that piece interested me, at all. I really tried too. I wanted to find a shred of musicality, but no luck.
The piece was mainly atonal. It seemed like it was written by a child, with no sense of musicality. I mean even the featured piano was awful. I remember turning around and looking at my mom and saying "I paid for this?". It was not good.
So after intermission I got my hopes up about the Mozart. Again I was let down. The first movement was in minor, but the rest was definitely major. It was boring. I had more fun translating the Latin text rather than listening to the music. I had trouble staying awake, I honestly tried everything. Biting my lip, fidgeting, conducting, nothing seemed to work.
Do not get me wrong, the Cleveland Orchestra is sick nasty, I would give body parts to be in it. But these pieces didn't do anything for me.
So how does this relate to life of the mind. Well for mind, I was trying to find any conceivable way to make this experience interesting. I was so bored out of my mind, that it was hard to make it work. So I really cannot write about that.
But I know what the musicians minds were thinking. A group at the level that the CO is at is astounding. They no longer have to think "how do I play this note?". They are now thinking, "how does my part affect everyone else?". This is because the mind has "turned off". Thinking is no longer an option. The adaptive unconscious takes over.
The CO knows all their parts so well that they can have their adaptive unconscious take over and play for them. I think this is why they sound so good. It is because they no longer think about playing, they know that they can play. All these musicians have to do is listen to each other. That is how they are so good. Knowing that you have a crucial note in a chord is more important that a gliss. This is why the CO kicks butt.
I realize that this is loosely related, but it will become clearer in another blog. It is very different listening to a group play music than it is to actually play it. Now that is a great concept to look at.
I am out for now.
Ian
Blink Essay: Color Schemes
Malcolm Gladwell’s book, Blink, delves into a very interesting topic of the human mind. The subtitle of the book is “The power of thinking without thinking.” This small phrase talks about the human brain’s ability to respond to situations without consciously doing so. Gladwell refers to this power of the brain as the “adaptive unconscious.” What this means is that a part of your brain analyzes situations and sends a message to your body to respond. The adaptive unconscious does not need a conscious command in order to function. It uses the senses that your body experiences, assesses them, and tells your body to respond. This function of the brain has been used for a long time without the general population knowing it. The adaptive unconscious affects what we buy, how we feel, and how we interpret the world.
One way that the adaptive unconscious is used is advertising. Gladwell mentions different experiments in which different products were tested. The first test was one on margarine. “Margarine came out in the late 1940’s. Unfortunately it was not popular among customers; the product just would not sell. Louis Cheskin, an immigrant from the Ukraine, thought that there must be a reason for this (Gladwell 160).” What was it about margarine that made it so unappealing to the public’s eye?
“Cheskin decided to hold a luncheon where he would pit margarine against butter. But in order to make the margarine undistinguishable, Cheskin colored it yellow, to match the color of butter. After the luncheon was over, the guests were asked to rate everything about the event; including the food. As it turned out the yellow margarine was rated just as high as the butter.”
“Cheskin decided to go further with his experiment. He told the makers of a brand of margarine to name the product Imperial Margarine. This enabled the label artists to use a crown as an emblem. Cheskin also told the makers that the margarine had to be yellow, and that it must be wrapped in foil, as foil was thought to represent high quality. So what would happen if this spread was pitted against regular whit margarine? The answer was that the yellow, impressively packaged margarine won; no contest (Gladwell 160-161).”
This experiment shows us two things. One, our adaptive unconscious is a powerful mechanism. When the color of the margarine, its packaging and name were changed, it was automatically chosen above the regular looking margarine. The adaptive unconscious sensed there was something better about the changed margarine. The name, color, and packaging, all gave the adaptive unconscious good vibes, thus making it acceptable. When the margarine was left unchanged the adaptive unconscious threw out warning signs because it sensed a difference, an overall negative appeal.
Two, our adaptive unconscious can be tricked. When the margarine appeared to be butter, taste tests proved that margarine was just as good. Once the color that differentiated butter from margarine was removed, the margarine became acceptable. Butter was a comfortable commodity to people. The color made them feel “safe” and “happy”. So when the margarine was changed to the “happy” color, people felt that it was safe. Their adaptive unconsciouses were fooled into acceptance. This means that when something “harmful” is disguised as “safe”, people will go near it.
This change in appearance is discussed by Gladwell later on in the chapter. He talks with Davis Masten and Darrel Rhea, two men employed by Cheskin. Their job is to help companies advertise efficiently. Gladwell, Rhea and Masten, travel to a supermarket where the duo shows Gladwell some of the products they have worked on. “Rhea leaned over and picked up a can of 7-Up. “We tested Seven-Up… what we found is that if you add fifteen percent more yellow to the green on this package… [what] people report [is] that the taste experience has a lot more lime or lemon flavor. And people were upset”… Masten picked up a can of Hormel canned meat. “We did this too. We tested the Hormel logo.” He pointed at the tiny sprig of parsley between the r and the m. “That little bit of parsley helps bring freshness to canned food.” (Gladwell 163-164).”
What Masten and Rhea have done is utilize the adaptive unconscious. When buying a product, the first thing we see is the packaging. This first impression must make a positive an impact. When the adaptive unconscious senses something positive, it gives the rest of the body a good, comfortable feeling. So by utilizing different images and colors, a buyer’s opinion is manipulated. Utilization of colors is a technique not only used by marketing firms, but also by artists.
Most everyone knows of the famous artist Pablo Picasso. Picasso was born October 25th, 1881 in a Malaga, a small coastal town in Spain. Skilled in drawing from an early age, Picasso later became a painter. He is most noted for his impressionistic works, which revolutionized the world of art forever. He co-founded the style cubism, for which he would become famous.
Picasso went through two very specific periods in his artistic career. In this time his art reflects his feelings. The two periods were known as the Blue Period and the Rose Period respectively.
Picasso’s Blue Period occurred from 1900-1904. Picasso slipped into a deep depression after the suicide of his dear friend Carlos Casagemas. Soon after hearing of Casagema’s death, Picasso started to paint the majority of his works with a blue and green tint to them. The subject matter was usually morose, and the colors brought out the emotions of the paintings. A portrait of a man picking at a guitar called “The Old Guitarist” is the most notable and iconic work of this period.
The time preceding The Blue Period is known as the Rose Period. This period lasted from 1904-1906. Picasso’s relationship with model Fernande Olivier caused this period to occur. The subject matter is much more festive and jolly, and the colors are brilliant reds, oranges, and pinks. This period is what eventually spawns Picasso’s iconic cubist works.
When an admirer looks at works from these specific periods, he can feel Picasso’s emotions. A sense of despair and angst can be felt when looking at works from the Blue Period, while jollity and joy can be felt from those of the Rose Period. Picasso’s use of specific color schemes helps to bring out these emotions. Subject matter aside, the colors of these paintings is what our adaptive unconscious notices first.
Cooler colors such as blue and green carry a negative message with them, a sense of foreboding and sadness. When the adaptive unconscious looks at these colors, the emotions associated with the colors come out and affect the viewer. So when looking at a picture from the Blue Period the viewer gets a sense of longing and sadness.
The opposite can be said for the Rose Period pictures. The reds and oranges used together correctly bring out happiness and rebirth. They signify warmth and a sense that everything will turn out okay in the end. Again the adaptive unconscious picks up on this and tells the body to react accordingly. For a more “popular” look at the use of adaptive unconscious, we turn to the cinematic mind-teasers, The Matrix Trilogy.
Though the back-story of the Trilogy is quite intriguing, the “nutshell” version will suffice for the purpose of this essay. The Matrix Trilogies takes place in three locations; the Matrix, an extremely large computer program that uses humans for power; the Machine World, the upper layer of the earth which is now run by machines; and Zion, the human city where the survivors of the machine onslaught live. Each of the three locations has a preset color theme that gives the movie its feeling.
In the Matrix, the color theme is green. Everything that takes place in the Matrix is coated in a green tint. From the people to the sky, you get a feeling that you are inside an old-school computer program. The Machine World is colored blue. Like the Matrix, everything here is covered in a blue tint. The machines themselves are bluer than they are silver. Lastly Zion has a red/brown tint. Since Zion is underground and close to the Earth’s core, this is fitting. Most of the humans in Zion are of African-American descent, adding to the color scheme.
Each color gives each location a different feel to it, and the adaptive unconscious senses this. Anytime a character enters the Matrix, the green setting, the viewer gets a sense of falsehood. The adaptive unconscious notices the green of the shot and warns the body. You do not have to be a genius to figure out that the Matrix is not a good place to be. The same can be said of the Machine World. The dark blues of the landscape are caught by the adaptive unconscious, sending warnings to the conscious mind to stay alert because evil lurks in this world. But when adaptive unconscious “sees” the warming reds and browns of Zion, the body relaxes. The viewer knows that while they are in this setting, they are safe and secure, like they are at home.
The adaptive unconscious is in operation throughout the entire movie. It is sending signals whether you should be wary or calm. The last scene of the Trilogy really exemplifies what the adaptive unconscious has done.
The final act takes place in the Matrix. The scene starts out green, as it has for the first portion of the films. Slowly the visual effects team lifts the green tint from the scene, adding in more reds, yellows, oranges, and browns; the colors that signify safety and calm.
Whether the viewer understands the plot does not matter. The adaptive unconscious picks up the color change and send s messages to your body saying, “Relax, do not worry, everything is going to be okay.” If the viewer has the ending of the movie go right over their head, they have had the adaptive unconscious help them out. Now the viewer can understand that the Matrix is not so “artificial” anymore. Now that the “human” colors have been added, change is going to happen.
Whether we like it or not our adaptive unconscious is always at work. It is telling us what to buy, and what to feel. It controls how we think and interpret the world. Colors and pictures help us interpret what is around us. Whether it is to say, “I do not like this,” or “This could be exciting,” the adaptive unconscious is helping us out. How we feel is directly affected by colors because the adaptive unconscious tells us what to feel. What we buy is directly affected by this mechanism. Whatever looks more pleasing, we buy. Whatever causes us to have happy emotions, we buy. Without the adaptive unconscious, we could not be human at all.
One way that the adaptive unconscious is used is advertising. Gladwell mentions different experiments in which different products were tested. The first test was one on margarine. “Margarine came out in the late 1940’s. Unfortunately it was not popular among customers; the product just would not sell. Louis Cheskin, an immigrant from the Ukraine, thought that there must be a reason for this (Gladwell 160).” What was it about margarine that made it so unappealing to the public’s eye?
“Cheskin decided to hold a luncheon where he would pit margarine against butter. But in order to make the margarine undistinguishable, Cheskin colored it yellow, to match the color of butter. After the luncheon was over, the guests were asked to rate everything about the event; including the food. As it turned out the yellow margarine was rated just as high as the butter.”
“Cheskin decided to go further with his experiment. He told the makers of a brand of margarine to name the product Imperial Margarine. This enabled the label artists to use a crown as an emblem. Cheskin also told the makers that the margarine had to be yellow, and that it must be wrapped in foil, as foil was thought to represent high quality. So what would happen if this spread was pitted against regular whit margarine? The answer was that the yellow, impressively packaged margarine won; no contest (Gladwell 160-161).”
This experiment shows us two things. One, our adaptive unconscious is a powerful mechanism. When the color of the margarine, its packaging and name were changed, it was automatically chosen above the regular looking margarine. The adaptive unconscious sensed there was something better about the changed margarine. The name, color, and packaging, all gave the adaptive unconscious good vibes, thus making it acceptable. When the margarine was left unchanged the adaptive unconscious threw out warning signs because it sensed a difference, an overall negative appeal.
Two, our adaptive unconscious can be tricked. When the margarine appeared to be butter, taste tests proved that margarine was just as good. Once the color that differentiated butter from margarine was removed, the margarine became acceptable. Butter was a comfortable commodity to people. The color made them feel “safe” and “happy”. So when the margarine was changed to the “happy” color, people felt that it was safe. Their adaptive unconsciouses were fooled into acceptance. This means that when something “harmful” is disguised as “safe”, people will go near it.
This change in appearance is discussed by Gladwell later on in the chapter. He talks with Davis Masten and Darrel Rhea, two men employed by Cheskin. Their job is to help companies advertise efficiently. Gladwell, Rhea and Masten, travel to a supermarket where the duo shows Gladwell some of the products they have worked on. “Rhea leaned over and picked up a can of 7-Up. “We tested Seven-Up… what we found is that if you add fifteen percent more yellow to the green on this package… [what] people report [is] that the taste experience has a lot more lime or lemon flavor. And people were upset”… Masten picked up a can of Hormel canned meat. “We did this too. We tested the Hormel logo.” He pointed at the tiny sprig of parsley between the r and the m. “That little bit of parsley helps bring freshness to canned food.” (Gladwell 163-164).”
What Masten and Rhea have done is utilize the adaptive unconscious. When buying a product, the first thing we see is the packaging. This first impression must make a positive an impact. When the adaptive unconscious senses something positive, it gives the rest of the body a good, comfortable feeling. So by utilizing different images and colors, a buyer’s opinion is manipulated. Utilization of colors is a technique not only used by marketing firms, but also by artists.
Most everyone knows of the famous artist Pablo Picasso. Picasso was born October 25th, 1881 in a Malaga, a small coastal town in Spain. Skilled in drawing from an early age, Picasso later became a painter. He is most noted for his impressionistic works, which revolutionized the world of art forever. He co-founded the style cubism, for which he would become famous.
Picasso went through two very specific periods in his artistic career. In this time his art reflects his feelings. The two periods were known as the Blue Period and the Rose Period respectively.
Picasso’s Blue Period occurred from 1900-1904. Picasso slipped into a deep depression after the suicide of his dear friend Carlos Casagemas. Soon after hearing of Casagema’s death, Picasso started to paint the majority of his works with a blue and green tint to them. The subject matter was usually morose, and the colors brought out the emotions of the paintings. A portrait of a man picking at a guitar called “The Old Guitarist” is the most notable and iconic work of this period.
The time preceding The Blue Period is known as the Rose Period. This period lasted from 1904-1906. Picasso’s relationship with model Fernande Olivier caused this period to occur. The subject matter is much more festive and jolly, and the colors are brilliant reds, oranges, and pinks. This period is what eventually spawns Picasso’s iconic cubist works.
When an admirer looks at works from these specific periods, he can feel Picasso’s emotions. A sense of despair and angst can be felt when looking at works from the Blue Period, while jollity and joy can be felt from those of the Rose Period. Picasso’s use of specific color schemes helps to bring out these emotions. Subject matter aside, the colors of these paintings is what our adaptive unconscious notices first.
Cooler colors such as blue and green carry a negative message with them, a sense of foreboding and sadness. When the adaptive unconscious looks at these colors, the emotions associated with the colors come out and affect the viewer. So when looking at a picture from the Blue Period the viewer gets a sense of longing and sadness.
The opposite can be said for the Rose Period pictures. The reds and oranges used together correctly bring out happiness and rebirth. They signify warmth and a sense that everything will turn out okay in the end. Again the adaptive unconscious picks up on this and tells the body to react accordingly. For a more “popular” look at the use of adaptive unconscious, we turn to the cinematic mind-teasers, The Matrix Trilogy.
Though the back-story of the Trilogy is quite intriguing, the “nutshell” version will suffice for the purpose of this essay. The Matrix Trilogies takes place in three locations; the Matrix, an extremely large computer program that uses humans for power; the Machine World, the upper layer of the earth which is now run by machines; and Zion, the human city where the survivors of the machine onslaught live. Each of the three locations has a preset color theme that gives the movie its feeling.
In the Matrix, the color theme is green. Everything that takes place in the Matrix is coated in a green tint. From the people to the sky, you get a feeling that you are inside an old-school computer program. The Machine World is colored blue. Like the Matrix, everything here is covered in a blue tint. The machines themselves are bluer than they are silver. Lastly Zion has a red/brown tint. Since Zion is underground and close to the Earth’s core, this is fitting. Most of the humans in Zion are of African-American descent, adding to the color scheme.
Each color gives each location a different feel to it, and the adaptive unconscious senses this. Anytime a character enters the Matrix, the green setting, the viewer gets a sense of falsehood. The adaptive unconscious notices the green of the shot and warns the body. You do not have to be a genius to figure out that the Matrix is not a good place to be. The same can be said of the Machine World. The dark blues of the landscape are caught by the adaptive unconscious, sending warnings to the conscious mind to stay alert because evil lurks in this world. But when adaptive unconscious “sees” the warming reds and browns of Zion, the body relaxes. The viewer knows that while they are in this setting, they are safe and secure, like they are at home.
The adaptive unconscious is in operation throughout the entire movie. It is sending signals whether you should be wary or calm. The last scene of the Trilogy really exemplifies what the adaptive unconscious has done.
The final act takes place in the Matrix. The scene starts out green, as it has for the first portion of the films. Slowly the visual effects team lifts the green tint from the scene, adding in more reds, yellows, oranges, and browns; the colors that signify safety and calm.
Whether the viewer understands the plot does not matter. The adaptive unconscious picks up the color change and send s messages to your body saying, “Relax, do not worry, everything is going to be okay.” If the viewer has the ending of the movie go right over their head, they have had the adaptive unconscious help them out. Now the viewer can understand that the Matrix is not so “artificial” anymore. Now that the “human” colors have been added, change is going to happen.
Whether we like it or not our adaptive unconscious is always at work. It is telling us what to buy, and what to feel. It controls how we think and interpret the world. Colors and pictures help us interpret what is around us. Whether it is to say, “I do not like this,” or “This could be exciting,” the adaptive unconscious is helping us out. How we feel is directly affected by colors because the adaptive unconscious tells us what to feel. What we buy is directly affected by this mechanism. Whatever looks more pleasing, we buy. Whatever causes us to have happy emotions, we buy. Without the adaptive unconscious, we could not be human at all.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
4th Hour: LeBron James
We recently took a trip to the Quicken Loan Arena to see the Cleveland Cavs take on the Denver Nuggets. I must say that now I am a witness.
While watching the game I thought about analyzing the effect the crowd had on the players. But as the game progressed I noticed that the players had more of an affect on the crowd.
I found this particularly interesting. Every action that some player did on the court either made the crowd cheer, boo, or aww. If LeBron James would make a spectacular play the crowd would go absolutely nuts. And when Chauncey Billups would shoot a 3 the crowd would boo relentlessly.
So what I found was that, an audience really has no affect on a player's emotions or how they play at all.
Let's take the first quarter. The Cavs had all their starters in. This included LeBron. Whenever a big play happened for the Cavs, whether it was a steal or a downtown shot, the crowd would roar and jump. But when the Nuggets would score or do something good, the crowd would sit down or boo. This proved my first theory wrong. The players have a much greater affect on the crowd rather than the crowd on the players.
This was further proved in the second quarter. LeBron was out and a whole myriad of players were in, including Varejao. Varejao is a very interesting player. I do not consider him to be good at all, in fact I think he needs to go back down to college ball to work on some skills. But nonetheless he was in.
For almost the whole second quarter the crowd was quiet. The Nuggets were able to jump all over the Cavs and take the lead at the half. Having the "second string" players in for the Cavs quieted down the crowd, sometimes to a hush.
This showed me that 1) The players control the crowd, and that 2) LeBron James carries this team.
To further these two points whenever the crowd got too silent, the media guys would flash a picture of the Steelers' or Wolverines' logo on the scoreboard to rile the crowd up. The crowd would get back into the game, but the players would not play any better or worse. Also in this respect James never changed what he was doing.
James would basically go to the same spot on the court whenever he was offense. This spot was court left outside the 3 point line. The crowds reactions to what was happening to the game did not affect what LeBron was supposed to do. LeBron knows that if he is not at that exact spot, his team will fall.
In fact I believe the only reason that the Cavs win is because of LeBron. Having him on the team causes the opposing team to be worried. If you do not have a player that is ready to defend LeBron, the game goes to the Cavs.
A team that showed this was false was the Celtics. Last year the Celtics Paul Pierce stepped up and took on LeBron. This meant that everyone else on teh Celtics could worry about their own man. In the end, when LeBron was "taken out of the game" by Pierce, the Celtics ended up winning.
So this 4th hour taught me a lot. Cleveland needs to step up its sports teams. Hanging off of one player can only work for so long. I have not seen a team like the Cavs. LeBron is such a good player that he could be his own team. Without him the Cavs would most likely fall. If a team has a player that can take on LeBron toe to toe, the Cavs are toast. Chauncey almost did that is this game. I know that Pierce could do it, Kobe could do it, and so could Dwayne Wade. Cleveland sports need to get away from this one player approach and start playing as a team. This also goes for the Indians. First it was Sabathia, this year it was Lee.
I also learned that crowds do not affect the players at all. Those players are there for work. They get paid to play their butts off, and they do. No matter what the crowd says the players are on that court because they like to play. It is their life. They do not play for the crowd. They play because basketball is their life. It runs in their veins.
Lastly LeBron is the best. There is no one like him. He is so unique. Watching him is like watching magic. He is always thinking, how can I get my team in the lead, or how can we score some points. He is a genius at what he does. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that is the best right now.
I am a witness,
Ian
While watching the game I thought about analyzing the effect the crowd had on the players. But as the game progressed I noticed that the players had more of an affect on the crowd.
I found this particularly interesting. Every action that some player did on the court either made the crowd cheer, boo, or aww. If LeBron James would make a spectacular play the crowd would go absolutely nuts. And when Chauncey Billups would shoot a 3 the crowd would boo relentlessly.
So what I found was that, an audience really has no affect on a player's emotions or how they play at all.
Let's take the first quarter. The Cavs had all their starters in. This included LeBron. Whenever a big play happened for the Cavs, whether it was a steal or a downtown shot, the crowd would roar and jump. But when the Nuggets would score or do something good, the crowd would sit down or boo. This proved my first theory wrong. The players have a much greater affect on the crowd rather than the crowd on the players.
This was further proved in the second quarter. LeBron was out and a whole myriad of players were in, including Varejao. Varejao is a very interesting player. I do not consider him to be good at all, in fact I think he needs to go back down to college ball to work on some skills. But nonetheless he was in.
For almost the whole second quarter the crowd was quiet. The Nuggets were able to jump all over the Cavs and take the lead at the half. Having the "second string" players in for the Cavs quieted down the crowd, sometimes to a hush.
This showed me that 1) The players control the crowd, and that 2) LeBron James carries this team.
To further these two points whenever the crowd got too silent, the media guys would flash a picture of the Steelers' or Wolverines' logo on the scoreboard to rile the crowd up. The crowd would get back into the game, but the players would not play any better or worse. Also in this respect James never changed what he was doing.
James would basically go to the same spot on the court whenever he was offense. This spot was court left outside the 3 point line. The crowds reactions to what was happening to the game did not affect what LeBron was supposed to do. LeBron knows that if he is not at that exact spot, his team will fall.
In fact I believe the only reason that the Cavs win is because of LeBron. Having him on the team causes the opposing team to be worried. If you do not have a player that is ready to defend LeBron, the game goes to the Cavs.
A team that showed this was false was the Celtics. Last year the Celtics Paul Pierce stepped up and took on LeBron. This meant that everyone else on teh Celtics could worry about their own man. In the end, when LeBron was "taken out of the game" by Pierce, the Celtics ended up winning.
So this 4th hour taught me a lot. Cleveland needs to step up its sports teams. Hanging off of one player can only work for so long. I have not seen a team like the Cavs. LeBron is such a good player that he could be his own team. Without him the Cavs would most likely fall. If a team has a player that can take on LeBron toe to toe, the Cavs are toast. Chauncey almost did that is this game. I know that Pierce could do it, Kobe could do it, and so could Dwayne Wade. Cleveland sports need to get away from this one player approach and start playing as a team. This also goes for the Indians. First it was Sabathia, this year it was Lee.
I also learned that crowds do not affect the players at all. Those players are there for work. They get paid to play their butts off, and they do. No matter what the crowd says the players are on that court because they like to play. It is their life. They do not play for the crowd. They play because basketball is their life. It runs in their veins.
Lastly LeBron is the best. There is no one like him. He is so unique. Watching him is like watching magic. He is always thinking, how can I get my team in the lead, or how can we score some points. He is a genius at what he does. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that is the best right now.
I am a witness,
Ian
Over Vacation
The blog for this week is what I will do over vacation. Considering we have a couple of vacations coming up I will do the closest one, the Thanksgiving Break.
I am going home on the 25th in order to see my friends before I start seeing my family. On the 26th my high school has its last game of the year against the across town rivals. I love this game; it has been going on since the the two high schools were created. I am excited to see the outcome this year since my high school's football team is actually winning. We might stand a chance this year!
Through the grapevine I have heard that there will be a couple of get-together parties. I don't intend on attending these. I would rather have a small shindig where the people I want to see will be there. The people I am talking about are the people that have made me, me. They are the people that I have gone to school with, who I have hugged, punched, shoved, carried, and joked with. These are the people that I want to see and have a good time with.
I really do not want to relate this to "life of the mind". I enjoy my friends and do not want to have the thought of them be labeled with a course title. So I will try my best not to be bitter.
I have made great friends here at Case. I do not think that my mind will change at all. I mean I realize that I will be in a comfort zone. But that should not change a thing. My friends are my friends no matter where I am with them.
However I know everything will be different. People, including my friends, have changed. I have accepted this. I am not scared that I will lose any of them. I am not scared that they will come back hating me. I am nervous that it will be hard being our "old group".
College changes people. Instead of getting a general education, they are taking classes that will affect their career. My friends will ave to change in order to accomplish their goals. Already I have heard things that I would never expect my friends to do.
Hopefully we all can just chill like we all used to do. I do not believe that a group of friends gets as close as my group has. We all love each other and want each other to succeed.
It really will be interesting going back home.
I think that is all about this subject.
Go Lions!
Ian
I am going home on the 25th in order to see my friends before I start seeing my family. On the 26th my high school has its last game of the year against the across town rivals. I love this game; it has been going on since the the two high schools were created. I am excited to see the outcome this year since my high school's football team is actually winning. We might stand a chance this year!
Through the grapevine I have heard that there will be a couple of get-together parties. I don't intend on attending these. I would rather have a small shindig where the people I want to see will be there. The people I am talking about are the people that have made me, me. They are the people that I have gone to school with, who I have hugged, punched, shoved, carried, and joked with. These are the people that I want to see and have a good time with.
I really do not want to relate this to "life of the mind". I enjoy my friends and do not want to have the thought of them be labeled with a course title. So I will try my best not to be bitter.
I have made great friends here at Case. I do not think that my mind will change at all. I mean I realize that I will be in a comfort zone. But that should not change a thing. My friends are my friends no matter where I am with them.
However I know everything will be different. People, including my friends, have changed. I have accepted this. I am not scared that I will lose any of them. I am not scared that they will come back hating me. I am nervous that it will be hard being our "old group".
College changes people. Instead of getting a general education, they are taking classes that will affect their career. My friends will ave to change in order to accomplish their goals. Already I have heard things that I would never expect my friends to do.
Hopefully we all can just chill like we all used to do. I do not believe that a group of friends gets as close as my group has. We all love each other and want each other to succeed.
It really will be interesting going back home.
I think that is all about this subject.
Go Lions!
Ian
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