It's been a while. (Understatement of the year)

I haven't written here in over a year now. The reason is I felt like it was a waste of time. If people aren't reading it, why bother writing it. Well, I changed my mind. Writing is something I enjoy doing. It is something I feel I'm good at. So here I am, back at the helm.

What's on my mind? Well, my girlfriend for one, but also college football. I can't wait for the season to start. The fall afternoons of sitting on the couch and watching gridiron action all day long are something I long for. To be at a game and hear the crack of the pads, the band playing, the cheers of the crowd. I get chills just talking about.

My Troy Trojans will take on Bowling Green September 3 in their first game of the year. So the countdown is on, just 92 more days until kickoff!

It's been a while....

I know it's been a while, and I need to get back on this. Not too much going on...college baseball has started which is always one of my favorite times of the year. I am a huge baseball fan. I grew up playing it from little league even into my first two years of college. This is something about the game that is so beautiful to me. To some the game is a slow, boring atmosphere; to me it's a intense chess match. Small moves making a big difference, pitcher against batter, coach against coach. Every pitch matters, every inch on every play is crucial. It's a sport that has given me many great memories, on the field and off and it's something that will always be close to my heart.

Here are some pictures I took so far this year in Troy's season:

This quote kind of sums it up:
You see, you spend a good piece of your life gripping a baseball, and in the end it turns out that it was the other way around all the time. ~Jim Bouton, Ball Four, 1970

Signing off, Jono

PS: if you read this, please leave a comment. Let me know there is someone out there that checks it out.

Sorry...

Sorry for the lack of blogs recently. That will change soon. Christmas is a crazy time and I was away from my home in Troy. I was able to go on a few photo expeditions, which was great. More on those to come...

Here is a photo I'll leave you with. Shot from a low angle with a wide-angle lens at a Troy basketball game. Enjoy:

Top 5 Christmas Movies

This is my list of top 5 Christmas movies. It may not be a very reliable list because frankly, I haven't seen all the Christmas movies I've been told I need to see. And maybe one or two of these you wouldn't necessarily consider Christmas movies...but the drum roll please.

#5: Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost In New York

Yea, I know. It's not one movie, it's two. But it's my list so I get to choose! Anyway, I've heard many people say they thought the first one was good but that was all they needed. The 2nd one was two much. Well I think they're wrong. I enjoyed two just as much when I was a kid. Seeing someone your own age alone in New York city in that big hotel with all the ice cream, it's amazing!

And a second round of Joe Pesci and Christopher Lloyd was worth it.

#4: Miracle on 34th Street(The Newer One)

I know the original is the better one according to everyone, but I'm not a fan of older movies, so the more recent one does it for me. A classic tale of a young girl not believing in Santa, then who else comes around to help her believe but the jolly old man him self, Saint Nick.

#3: Rudy

Yes, the football movie. Not a movie about Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer. I chose this one because it always seems to be on during the holiday season. It also helps that it is one of my favorite movies of all-time. And if the final scene in the movie doesn't get you something have to be wrong with you!

#2: The Santa Clause

Tim Allen as Santa Claus, funny stuff. For someone who grew up in the Tim Allen/Home Improvement era, this movie was a classic for me as a 9-year old.

and my #1 Christmas movie is.....

A Christmas Story

First of all, I have to thank TBS. Without them, would we get to enjoy 24 straight hours of A Christmas Story. I have seen the whole movie, but I don't think I've ever seen it all the way through. I'll watch the first 20 minutes, then go do something, then finish the rest of it later. The 24 hours is great! This movie is full of classic scenes as well. The mall scene, the dog-eating turkeys, the new lamp for the family. Those are just a few of the great scenes from this movie. If you haven't seen it, check it out. Chances are if you tune to TBS on Christmas Eve or Christmas, you won't miss it!

Signing off, Jono

Superman wears Tebow pajamas!

So the finalists for the 73rd Annual Heisman Trophy presentation have been name:

Tim Tebow of Florida, Darren McFadden of Arkansas, Colt Brennan of Hawaii, and Chase Daniel of Missouri will all be in New York on Saturday to find out who will win the stiff-armed statue.

To me, there is an obvious choice: Tim Tebow.

The award is given to the "Most Outstanding Player" in college football for that season.

Not the most talented player, not the one with the best career stats, and not the one whose team had a great year.

While all these other players had great season, Tebow had a season that will go down in history.

At the quarterback position, Tebow was the country's second leading passer. He threw for 3,132 yards, completed 68% of his passes, threw 29 TD's and just six picks in his sophomore campaign and his first year as a starter! But that's not all...

Tebow did it on the ground as well....he rushed for 838 yards and 22 touchdowns. YES, 22 TOUCHDOWNS! That's an SEC record for rushing TD's, and he's a QUARTERBACK! He was the first quarterback in the history of I-A football to throw for 20 TD's and run for 20.

While his team may have lost three games this year...Tebow was consistent in every game.

Tebow's worst game of the season was against Georgia: He threw for 236 yards and a score but ran for -15 yards and 2 TD's. The reason: he was playing with a bum shoulder and his coaches told him to take it easy on the ground.

McFadden, last year's Heisman runner-up, struggled in several games this year. Auburn: 17 carries, 43 yards. FIU: 19 carries, 61 yards. Mississippi State: 28 carries, 88 yards.

While McFadden should be a top NFL draft choice, even after this, his junior year, it looks like he will finish second in the Heisman voting once again.

Brennan once again put up big numbers. But he throws the ball 3,000 times a game!! That's what their offense does. Brennan also missed playing time in games this year due to injuries. And while Brennan now owns the record for TD passes in a career, his best shot to win the award was last year when he threw 58 touchdowns and for well over 5,000 yards.

Daniel was a really good quarterback for a really good team. But unlike Tebow, Daniel did not do it all by himself. He played with All-World freshman Jeremy Maclin who could run, receive and return. Daniel also had a proven running back in the backfield in Tony Temple. And while Daniel threw for more yards then Tebow, he was not THE OFFENSE as Tebow was for Florida.

Tebow has also got something going for him: he's a pop culture phenomenon. Check out TimTebowfacts.com and you'll see what I mean.

This year has been a crazy season for college football, an unprecedented one at that. And I expect the Heisman presentation will be the same. An underclassmen has never been awarded the Trophy, but on Saturday expect to see Tebow holding the hardware.

Signing off, Jono

Da-na-na Da-na-na

For all those who checked out my first blog, you know that I'm a fan of Troy. Not only am I a fan, but I'm also an employee of the University. I work at Troy University Television. I am the master control operator which basically means I program what goes on air and make sure it stays on air.

Another perk of my job is Trojan Sports Now. It is a weekly sports show dedicated to telling all the in and outs of Trojan sports of which I am the producer and anchor of the show. During the football season, I concluded each episode with a highlight video of that weeks game.

I love highlight videos. Hard hits, big plays all over some rock or rap song that is big at the time. What else do you need to get pumped up for a game.

Well here are two of the videos:

Signing off, Jono

Photog...Is that a word?

Thanks to a generous donation to the Jonathan Sellers Photography Foundation, I am now a photographer(well at least a beginner). I am now shooting with a Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi that came equipped with Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-22 zoom lens. I am still learning about my camera and what it means to be a photographer. Heck, I got the thing on Saturday! But I plan to update this blog with what I'm learning as well as pictures I have taken.

My goal is to be a sports photog. My passion is sports and I believe I can show that through photography. My first shots with the new camera were at Troy University's (my alma mater) final football game against FAU(more on that to come). I got shots pre-game of the players getting ready for the Senior appreciation as well as their entrance to the field.

After the game, my dad, sister and I(all trying to become photogs) ventured back to the car taking shots along the way. I took a few on the school's quad that I thought turned out okay.

Now about the game...WHAT HAPPENED? The Troy Trojans football team had been stellar at home all year. Troy was 4-0 at home at Movie Gallery Veterans Stadium with the average score being 39-11. Yes, we were dominant at home. The team was 8-3 going into the final game against FAU which would lock up a conference championship and a spot in the New Orleans Bowl. Also of note...Troy was 4-0 all-time against FAU, so this was an easy win, right??

Wrong!

I wish I knew what happened, really I do. It seemed we weren't ready at the beginning. Our defense did not play like they had for the past 10 games. It seemed everyone was waiting for the offense to score all the points like it had all year. And while they did get 32, 20 of those came in the fourth quarter as the team made what seemed like an improbable comeback only to come up short with an incomplete pass on fourth down with :28 seconds left. As the ball fell to the grond, so did my heart sink in my chest. That loss hurt...to have such a great year come up short in the end is not a good feeling. So no outright championship...no New Orleans Bowl...no nothing.

There's always next year.

Signing off, Jono