Throughout the years, one of the most talked about superheroes when it comes to film is Spider-Man. The character has been re-casted 3 times, been drama to come with it, and even an animated film. With this, I will be ranking all 8 Spider-Man movies.

8. The Amazing Spider-Man 2

This is by far the worst Spider-Man movie to date. Do not get me wrong, Andrew Garfield played this part great, but it is just unfortunate that the writing for this movie was abysmal. It follows the theme that way too many Spider-Man movies are following: too many plot lines. First you have Spider-Man himself, and then you have his girlfriend Gwen Stacy. And then at the beginning of the movie, Rhino is the villain that Spider-Man begins to fight. And then throughout the movie, the villains Electro and Green Goblin get added into the picture. And to top it all off, Electro gets the gap fixed in his teeth from his powers, and Gwen Stacy dies at the end. How terrible is that? This movie will always just be looked at as a failed way to set up a Sinister Six in its own Spider-Verse, and it is a shame.

7. Spider-Man 3

This is another great example of a tremendous amount of scatter plots. And this is the first example of Sony just getting way too involved in Sam Raimi’s masterpiece of the first two movies. If we were going off of nostalgia, this movie would be definitely top 3 or 4, because this was the first Spider-Man I was able to go see in theaters. But sadly, this is not a nostalgia trip list. This movie was riding out the pure near perfectness of Spider-Man 2 and started out very good. Peter was going to propose MJ, he was still everyone’s neighborhood Spider-Man, life was good. And then we get the villain of Sandman, which I thought was cast perfectly and do not have a problem with it. But then you add in Harry trying to get revenge on Peter because he thinks that he killed his father, and they make him the New Goblin. And then you have when Sony gets so involved, that they add Venom in in the last 30 minutes of the movie. So that right there is 3 separate plot lines and it’s just jumbled. There are a couple more things wrong with this movie, and that is just a couple of “why do we not know this earlier?” First it is when Harry’s butler toward the end of the movie tells Harry when he was cleaning his father’s wounds, the piercing came from his own glider. And then, Uncle Ben’s killer is just this completely different person that they weren’t chasing. Again, I get it, that’s how movies work, but that was just so lazy. So all in all, it’s an ok movie, but it is just a mess.

6. The Amazing Spider-Man

Alright, I know it might seem like I hate Andrew Garfield and his acting, but that is very far off from what I thought about this era of Spider-Man. I’ll admit I didn’t really like this idea because of them cutting off Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man 4. But this was an ok movie for sure. I mean, it is almost the same story. Uncle Ben dies, Peter falls for the popular girl, yada, yada, yada. But Andrew Garfield’s acting is very good in this movie, and in the second one like I said. I really like the fight scene in the school between him and Lizard. I really like it when he is saving the kid from the bridge and he gives him the mask. There are a lot of great moments in this movie, but I just enjoyed watching some of the other movies more. If I’m going to be honest, I will say I enjoyed watching all of the movies on this list besides number 8.

5. Spider Man: Homecoming

I will be honest, I love Tom Holland as Spider-Man. He is near perfect as the casting of Spider-Man: young, nerdy, and awkward. In his first adventure, Peter is under Tony Stark’s wing and has a tight leash, while Peter tries to figure out what these weapons are that these people are using, finding out that the man behind this is Vulture. While doing this, Peter gets his suit taken away from Stark because he isn’t acting responsible. A big plot twist that leads to the girl he is taking to homecoming being none other than Vulture himself. This is overall a great movie, and I am happy that it was able to be a part of the MCU.

4. Spider Man: Far From Home

This is a very unpopular opinion, but I actually enjoyed Far From Home more than Homecoming. This could get the edge from me because it was the first movie after the masterpiece of ‘Avengers:Endgame’. In this movie, Peter and his class go across the country to Europe, and Peter just wants a normal summer and no superhero business. This is a lot funnier than Homecoming in my opinion. They also wrote Mysterio perfect in this movie, as he is an illusionist just like he is in the comics. And the plot twist that comes and the pure confusion that you get from this just makes the movie even better.

3. Spider-Man

Being one of the first live-action Marvel superhero movies, Sam Raimi sets the tone by bringing this masterpiece starring Tobey Maguire. It follows how Peter becomes Spider-Man, when he gets bit, and how he has to face off against one of his role models, Norman Osborn as the Green Goblin. All in all, a great story that leads into a successful trilogy for Sam Raimi.

2. Spider-Man: Into the Spider Verse

With this animated masterpiece, it takes a new turn on Spider-Man by using Miles Morales. This is one of my favorite animated movies of all time, and it’s a great soundtrack as well. The leap of faith scene is cinematic beauty, and the two-dimensional animation is a great touch as it is something nobody really sees. Overall, one of the greatest superhero movies and animated movies ever.

1. Spider Man 2

This is by far the greatest Spider-Man movie to date. This follows up the first one, where Spider-Man has to battle Doc Ock, or Dr. Octupus. We also witness the fall of Spider-Man, as he loses his powers and his girlfriend. We see him come down to Earth and be relatable for once. The scene where “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on my Head” plays is such a way to look at life: slow down, and don’t worry.

Well, it has certainly been a crazy start to this MLB season. With the unlikely emergence of teams like the Red Sox and the Reds, and the terrible starts from teams like the Cubs and Yankees, we should be in for a wild 162 game ride. With that being said, this is who I think will win each division in the MLB.

AL East: Yankees

Yes, it has been a rough start for the New York Yankees. But I do not use these early season struggles to dictate that the Yankees still are not the best team in this division. The Red Sox have looked great, no question. I think that Boston will be in the Wild Card game though, because the Yankees will find their stride at some point. The offense will start clicking, and Gerrit Cole and Corey Kluber will start pitching lights out midway through the season. Aaron Judge will keep pounding the ball, and DJ LeMahieu will keep getting on base. Giancarlo Stanton has not panned out like the Yankees thought he would, but he has decent power to keep mashing through. Same with Gleyber Torres, he will find his stride. With all of these, I believe the Yankees will come back strong and win this powerful division, and that is coming from someone who has never been fond of them my whole life.

AL Central: White Sox

Here is another firepower team that is struggling early. Going through a managerial change, the White Sox have been rebuilding this team for 12 years. After going through the terrible James Shields trade that involved them trading away future superstar Fernando Tatis Jr., but also getting some great trades that landed them Lucas Giolito, Eloy Jimenez, and Dylan Cease, the White Sox group is now ready to compete for an AL crown. Even with Eloy being out for nearly the whole year, he will be ready to go if the White Sox will make the playoffs. With a lineup including reigning AL MVP Jose Abreu, Tim Anderson, and Luis Robert, this team still has the pieces to win this otherwise weak division. The Royals are leading the division right now for crying out loud. There is no way that they maintain that lead.

AL West: Angels

This one could be a pretty bold pick. Yes, the Angels may not have the pitching to get them deep in the postseason, but it will be enough to get them to win the AL West. I think with a lineup containing Mike Trout, Anthony Rendon, David Fletcher, and Shohei Ohtani. The Astros could make it close, but all in all I think the Angels take this division by 2 or 3 games.\

NL East: Braves

This was a very tough decision to make. All 5 of the teams in this division can definitely compete for this title, but I just see the Braves’ offense being too elite. When you have a 1, 2, 3 of Ronald Acuna, Ozzie Albies, and Freddie Freeman, that is just dangerous. And then you have Marcell Ozuna cleaning up. The pitching is definitely iffy, but with Max Fried as the ace, even though he is injured, and Charlie Morton, the Braves should win this tough division.

NL Central: Cardinals

This is another hot take with a lot of baseball fans. With the Reds hot start, and you cannot forget about the Brewers, this will be yet another tough call. The pitching has definitely struggled badly, and that is putting it mildly. But when the Cards finally get Kwan Hyun Kim back, and Jack Flaherty starts to hit his stride, the pitching will start to improve. They definitely need more out of Ponce de Leon though. The offense has struggled too. Nolan Arenado has been the expected best hitter in the lineup, and even Yadier Molina is having a great start in terms of hitting. But Paul DeJong definitely needs to be better. I expect the Cardinals to make a couple of moves at the deadline to improve their weak spots and win this division. Because its the Cardinals, when do they not compete?

NL West: Dodgers

This one should not come as a surprise to anyone. Yes, the Padres also have firepower in their offense and pitching, but the Dodgers are just better at everything. The reigning World Series champions kept basically everybody from their winning team except Joc Pederson, who is struggling mightily on the Cubs right now. They also went out and got the best pitcher on the free agent market, Trevor Bauer. The expectation is for the Dodgers to surpass 105 wins this year, and I would not put that past them.

Well, one of the best times of the year is finally here, and that my friends would be Opening Day in baseball! The good part about this season is that there is actually some sense of normalcy. Almost every team is allowing fans into their stadium! And better yet, Rob Manfred hopes to have full capacity at every stadium sometime in the middle of the summer. What a great year.

I will tell you what I myself am especially excited about. I am a lifelong St. Louis Cardinals fan. I have been to so many games over the years, including the last regular season game at the old Busch Stadium. I guess you could say my fandom runs pretty deep. The Cardinals made a huge splash this offseason, acquiring top-5 third baseman Nolan Arenado. The best part about this trade? The Cardinals gave up nothing! They kept all of their top prospects, and get this: the Rockies sent 50 MILLION dollars back to the Cardinals to help pay the rest of Nolan’s contract! What an absolute robbery. So with this trade, the pop of Paul Goldschmidt, and the emergence of future star Dylan Carlson, I think the Cardinals could possibly make a run as long as the pitching doesn’t cave in.

Let’s look around the rest of the league though. Let’s talk about the two Chicago teams. First off, the Cubs. They are very bad. And I love that I am finally able to say that. They traded away their ace Yu Darvish this past offseason, and still could not find a way to extend Anthony Rizzo. Kris Bryant still stinks, so that just leaves Willson Contreras to try and save the Cubs’ offense. So yeah, that could go down the drain soon. But let’s talk about those beautiful South Siders, the Chicago White Sox. They are absolutely loaded this year, having one of the best bullpens in the league, mashers at every spot in the lineup, and a stellar pitching staff. The almost 12 year rebuild is finally complete, and the Sox are ready to make some noise in the American League. I could see them winning the AL pennant.

This is one of the craziest divisions in baseball, the NL East. You have the Braves, who have won the East for three straight years. But then you have the Mets, who just went out and acquired Francisco Lindor and gave him a huge extension on top of that. You then have the Phillies, who have the roster to contend, but never do. The Marlins made a dark horse run to the playoffs last year, and even beat the Cubs in the playoffs. So with these 4 teams, this should be the craziest division in baseball.

With all of this being said, this season will definitely be a lot better than last year’s. We finally get the long 162 game season, and it really feels like we are almost back to normal. So no matter what team you are a fan of (even the Yankees!), here is to a great 2021 season. Play Ball!

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I knew it. I knew at some point, I would get heartbroken by this team. You know why? Because they reside in Cham”pain”, Illinois. I touched loosely on the subject of heartbreaks as an Illini fan back a couple of blogs ago, but this time I am going in depth. I will show you firsthand my experiences being an Illinois sports fan.

So if you have been living under a rock, the Illinois basketball team lost to Loyola-Chicago, the in-state rival, in the NCAA Tournament on Sunday. As the best Illinois team since the 2005 Final Four squad, they do not even make it past the first weekend of the tournament. Ayo Dosunmu, the best player, is leaving for the NBA Draft, and Kofi Cockburn may not be far behind in joining the pro ranks. This is what the norm is being an Illinois basketball fan. Heck, before this year, Illinois hadn’t even made the tournament since 2013. It is just a constant cycle of how they can break our heart each time we are actually good at something.

Basketball is not the only thing that Illinois sports fans have to be tortured by. Right across the street, the Illinois football team plays football games, if that is what you want to call it. Last year, Illinois went 2-6 in the shortened conference-only season last year, with the only wins being against Nebraska and Rutgers. Listen, I know that Illinois football is the last thing people care about here. Everyone, including myself, would want more success from the basketball team rather than the football team. But Illinois has not finished over .500 since 2011, and that is the season they started out 6-0 and finished 7-6! So, I really hope that the football team gets put on the map at some point. I vividly remember when Illinois made the Rose Bowl in 2007, when we went into Ohio Stadium and beat #1 Ohio State. Why not do that again? It is a new era, as Bret Bielema is the new head coach after the dumpster fire that was Lovie Smith. Bielema once went to three straight Rose Bowls with Wisconsin, although he did lose those, I would kill to see Illinois in a Rose Bowl. So hopefully Bielema can put this program on the map.

So in the end, there are some sports that are good at Illinois. We have a very good golf program, our baseball team is solid, and tennis is pretty good too. But the problem is, I do not watch those. My main focus is football and basketball, and the main thing I want is long-term success. The future is bright for Illini basketball, but football is to be determined.

Ever since I was born, I have been growing up with classic rock, and rock in general. My dad played the guitar all the time, and he taught me the best genre of music, which is classic rock. I have a near 600 song playlist on Spotify just dedicated to rock. So, with this said information, these are the best classic rock songs ever.

5. Boys Are Back In Town- Thin Lizzy

There is no better song to play than when you are hanging out with all of your friends, coming home from a long semester at college, and just wanting to reconnect with your high school buddies. This is the theme song for all of this, and rightfully so. Thin Lizzy did not make another hit like this again, making them a near one hit wonder.

4. Jump- Van Halen

This is the best song off of, in my opinion, a top 5 rock album ever. 1984 is only a 9 song album, but it came with 3 top hits for Van Halen: Hot for Teacher, Panama, and of course, Jump. The synthesizer throughout the song makes it. It is just magical. And it just makes you want to run through a brick wall. It even says it the lyrics, “Might as well Jump!” Just another, and the best, hit made by the great Eddie Van Halen. Rest in peace.

3. Hotel California- Eagles

Ah, yes. I could not forget the most iconic American band of all time. Even though they really did not like each other, the Eagles made some truly great music. Hotel California, the single from the album titled with the same name, is the Eagles’ best work. Singing about the bright lights of L.A., this top hit won them a Grammy for Song of the Year. And rightfully so, because all 6 minutes and 30 seconds are just pure magic, mixing rock with reggae.

2. Stairway to Heaven- Led Zeppelin

Alright, get your jokes out. This is one of the only songs I can play on the guitar, so break out your “No Stairway to Heaven” signs, like from Wayne’s World. All jokes aside, Led Zeppelin really snapped on this iconic classic rock hit. The riff at the beginning will get any rock fan going, and want them to get the ‘Led’ out. This song intertwines three sub-genres of rock: progressive rock, folk rock, and hard rock. VH1 ranked this as #3 in their “100 Greatest Rock Songs of All Time” list. But I put this at #2, just because of how influential this song was. “And she’s buying a Stairway to Heaven”.

1. Bohemian Rhapsody- Queen

There was no other choice for #1. How could this not be #1? This is single-handedly the most universal loved song in the world, with “September” by Earth, Wind, and Fire being a close second. Only the real fans, like me, know this song word for word. This song is split into three different keys, one of the best parts being the hard rock part. It is really a shame that back in the 70s, Mercury was so disrespected in the US because of his sexuality, because in this day and age he would no doubt be the most iconic artist. But even if he was back then, this song still influences the youth of our age, and will for generations to come.

Have you ever seen The Sandlot? If not, go rent it or buy it right now. This movie is an absolute classic for everyone of all ages, and must be seen by every baseball fan and American ever. And this is why.

This movie is so dang quotable. You have probably heard the phrase “You’re killing me, Smalls”, right? That comes from this movie. Also, another quote from this movie is “You play ball like a girl!”. Thank gosh this movie was made in 1993, because I do not know if they could get by with saying this. But nevertheless, this movie is filled with so many iconic quotes that you will start telling them to your friends and your family.

There are also so many iconic scenes in this movie. There is not a better scene in cinema when all the kids go out on the 4th of July and play baseball under the lights of the fireworks, while “America the Beautiful” by Ray Charles is being sung behind it. It is just a pure shot of aesthetic and screams the word “America”. Another scene is when they go to the carnival, and chew tobacco before hopping on the ride, and they all start getting sick. An iconic turn of events. And you cannot forget the scene where Squints goes to the deep end to drown on purpose, in order to get Wendy Peffercorn to give him mouth-to-mouth. All three of these scenes are the best of the movie in my opinion, but there are so many other good ones in this classic.

The last reason The Sandlot is the best is the score in this film. You have “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” by The Tokens, “Tequila” by The Champs, “Green Onions” by Booker T. and the M.G.s, and “This Magic Moment” by The Drifters, just to name a few. All of these songs are probably some that you hear all the time, and for good reason.

So with all of this info, I hope you are able to get a better grasp on the greatest movie ever. Field of Dreams is great, and Major League is top notch as well. But The Sandlot is just on its own level of greatness, because its for people of all ages. And even if you do not enjoy baseball, you will still enjoy this coming-of-age classic.

The month of March is finally upon us, and that can only mean great weather, St. Patrick’s Day, and the return of the NCAA Tournament, or March Madness. A little over a week from now, everyone will be filling out brackets again, setting themselves up for disaster.

This March Madness will be a lot different though. There will be very limited fans at the games, and it will all be held in and around the city of Indianapolis. The good thing is that we are actually getting a tournament this year, since we did not get one last year due to the pandemic.

This actually is really sad for a fan like me, however. You see, I am an Illinois Fighting Illini fan. I have been there for the 2005 Final Four team, and the embarrassing years of when John Groce was at the helm when he made us a consistent NIT team. It has been rough being an Illinois fan the past decade, and do not even get me started on Illini football.

So with Illini basketball, the team is very good this year. They are led by the best player in the Big Ten and best guard in the country (Yea, I said it) Ayo Dosunmu. They also have one of the biggest bullies down low in Kofi Cockburn. They are currently #4 in the country and just came off of a stomping of the top team in the Big Ten, Michigan, beating them 76-53. They are a projected 1 seed now. This team could make a legit run for a national title. This team has not made the tournament since I was in 6th grade, and I cannot even experience this season in person. How sad is that?

There are other reasons this tournament will be like no other. There is a chance you will not see Kentucky, North Carolina, and Duke all not make the tournament. The only team projected to make it out of those three right now is UNC, and they are a 10 seed according to Joe Lunardi. And depending on how they do against Michigan, Michigan State might not even make it. This is how crazy this season has been.

So with all of these mind blowing possibilities, like Illinois going from not making a tournament since 2013 to a 1 seed, or Coach K and Coach Calipari not even coaching in March Madness this year, this is a tournament that we will remember for a long time. Buckle up, this is March.

BC&J 112 was a very interesting class all semester. Even though we did not get to do all the hands-on learning we were supposed to do, I would say the semester still was very successful. And I have to thank Professor Subramanian for that. This is all that I learned this semester.

We first started off learning what audio and sound was, and what the difference between the two was. Sound is just natural noise made by vibrations in the air and is picked up by our ears, and audio is the recording of the natural noise. We then talked about what sound is like in the Acoustic, Analog, and Digital World. In the acoustic it is waves of air pressure, in the analog it is electrical current, and in the digital it is sound in numbers. This unit really introduced me to what sound and audio truly are.

Next, we talked about amplitude. Amplitude is the maximum extent of vibrations, and it is measured in Decibels (dB). For example, 0 dB is the threshold of audibility, and -120 dB is the threshold of pain. It is so loud that it hurts. To add on, we talked about frequency, which is the number of vibrations per second. Frequency is measured in hertz, or Hz. So -20 Hz is the lowest audible frequency, and 20,000 Hz is the highest audible frequency. Then we learned the difference between infrasound and ultrasound. Infrasound is sound with a frequency too low for humans to hear, and ultrasounds frequency too high. These really helped me in this course because when we started to use Adobe Audition and Premiere Pro, these terms played a pivotal role in how I created good quality audio.

We then did a few projects. The first project we did was a 1 interesting person project where you choose 1 person of interest and talk about them. I picked my Resident Assistant Curtis Pointer to talk about how to get more involved on campus. And then we did a fake radio ad where you had to create an advertisement like you would hear on the radio. I did a fake WWE ad where John Cena was coming to my hometown. And then we had to do specific editing on Premiere Pro with certain sound snippets and video clips. For example we had to DeEss a video, where the S’s in the interviews weren’t as distracting in the video. We also worked on bringing up the decibels of the person’s voice and the clarity and dynamics of the video audio as well.

In conclusion, I would say that this class was very helpful for me. As a broadcasting student, this was a great tool to put under my belt. Even though we did not have many face-to-face lectures because of the pandemic, it was still a very successful class that I will remember for the rest of my college career and life.

The coronavirus, or COVID-19, has had a bid effect on the whole country, even the world. No one would have ever thought that this would have shut down our whole country. Everyone is affected by this disease, and this is how.

I will start with how this has effected me. This has been a terrible time for me. As you know, sports are my entire life. Seeing every sport get cancelled stinks, especially March Madness. My favorite college basketball team, Illinois, was going to make the tournament for the first time since 2013. So that is what adds more salt to the wound. Another way is that it is not allowing me to see my friends back home and at school. I have to just stay at home and I try to do things that entertain me. This is how COVID-19 is affecting me personally.

Another way this is affecting me is by schoolwork. Online classes are a struggle, and that is because it is a big transition from being in a classroom. It is tougher to keep up with my assignments, but I know that I will start to get the hang of it.

My food situation has been just fine. I still eat three meals a day, and have plenty to snack on. I spend a lot of time on media though. I play my Xbox, watch Netflix, and scroll through all my social media apps more than normal now. I still connect with my friends and family though.

I think that at the local, state, and federal levels, each are doing a great job. It is good that we are on lockdown in Illinois. It is also good that Trump declared a national emergency and made this a very serious issue. The coronavirus is a very serious matter, and people need to follow the guidelines given by the CDC. I know that we will get through this, because to get the rainbow, you must go through the storm.

I will never forget when I was introduced to one of the greatest athletes ever, Kobe Bean Bryant. I was about 5 years old, watching my favorite basketball player, Dwyane Wade, play. I had always known who Kobe was, but never really got into him. But then, fast forward to 2010, when Kobe led the Lakers past the Celtics to win back-to-back titles, and his fifth overall. I was at a Dave and Buster’s in Denver, Colorado on vacation. Just seeing what he accomplished, he had become one of my idols.

He went on after that to battle injuries/miss the playoffs, but still continued to inspire all, including his daughter, Gianna. He had also been convicted of rape in 2003, and nearly divorced his wife, Vanessa, in 2011, but fought for his marriage, and that was all thanks to his Catholic faith.

In 2015, Kobe announced that he planned to retire at the end of the 2015-16, going on a season-long farewell tour, including an emotional stop in his last game in his hometown Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The season went on, and he continued to get an outpouring of support from fans all over the league. On April 13, 2016, Kobe would play his last ever NBA game in front of a sold-out Staples Center crowd against the Utah Jazz. Another historical game happened to be going on that night, as the Golden State Warriors were chasing to break the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls record of 72-10 by getting to 73 wins, finishing 73-9. So overall, this was one of the most historic nights of basketball in my life. Kobe went on to drop 60 points in a comeback win over the Jazz in his final game, one of the best performances ever (since he dropped 81 points in 2006).

After his basketball career, Kobe was still a known icon around Los Angeles and the world. He continued to attend Lakers games, along with Gianna, and coached his daughter’s basketball team at his Mamba Sports Academy. In 2017, the Lakers retired both of his numbers 8 and 24, so no Laker would ever be able to wear them again.

As Kobe’s life continued, he was dedicated to spending more time with his wife and four kids. As he put it, he loved being a “girl dad”. He was thriving at the age of 41.

January 26, 2020, will forever be a day of misery for basketball fans around the world, including me, as Kobe tragically passed away in a helicopter crash, along with his daughter Gianna, and seven other passengers. The outpouring of sorrow and support for his family and him just shows how many hearts he truly touched. So the next time you get up to shoot a piece of paper in the trash and say “Kobe”, it will always show how much he inspired and influenced the game of basketball.

RIP Kobe

1978-2020