30 for 30 and E:60

Last night's airing of ESPN 30 for 30 and E:60 were two of the most influential and inspiring shows/short films that I have seen in my recent memory.
...Lets start with E:60's coverage of Former Fresno State stand out and Current San Diego Charger first round pick Ryan Matthews. Seeing what the guy and his mother went through as they battled through the game we call "life" is something that I cannot even begin to fathom. His mother basically being raped, leading to the birth of Ryan, then living in a car following his birth (which would eventually be sold for $100 for basic means of living). What completely blew me away was how Ryan's mother fed him. She would stand in line at local soup kitchens, save some leftover food for Ryan and regurgitate her food to feed it to her son..This episode was all about sacrifice and never giving up...(skipping some details)..Matthews grew up and was of course a high school stand out at the running back position. He wore the number 21 in honor of Former Charger great, and future Hall of Fame running back Le'Dainian Tomlinson, who Matthews idolized while growing up. He faced some controversy as a student in high school but compared his situation to his mother's perseverence while raising him and vowed to change his ways as a student and a man. His senior season numbers were staggering as he accumulated over 3,330 yards rushing with 44 touchdowns. Matthews was a highly sought after running back coming out of high school but due to academic troubles he ended up signing with Fresno St., which would turn out to be the best decision of his life. Matthews is currently playing for the San Diego Chargers, ironically the playing place of his idol "LT". He has been injury prone in his first year but he is a promising rookie...Matthews bought his mother a brand new land rover when he received his first paycheck...thanking her for the pain and hardships she endured while raising him.

ESPN's 30 for 30 coverage of Philadelphia Mississippi's Marcus Dupree was one of the most incredible spectacles I have ever seen as a sports fan..The guy was hands down the best running back to ever play the game of football. For God sake he was 6'3, 230 and ran a 9.5 100yd dash. If he were to be playing in the NFL today he would be a Brandon Jacobs with the speed of a Chris Johnson and the vision/moves/power of a Bo Jackson. Hearing the stories from recruiters and local fans were simply fascinating. A former recruiter for the University of Texas tells a tale that he walked into the weight room where Marcus was and witnessed him bench press 400 pounds over 10 times. Marcus Dupree is said to have the most God given talent of any athlete who has ever played a sport. He would go on to play at the University of Oklahoma after one of the most controversial recruiting situations in the history of college football. He was always treated like a god when he was in high school. He was coddled as a player and never once had a voice raised in his direction on the football field. This all changed when he went to OU. Legendary head coach Barry Switzer would challenge, degrade and openly call out his star running back to try and make him a more serious and better football player. Dupree, having not been used to such treatment did not take kindly to how his head coach treated him. They had many public head-butting instances which would in turn cause Dupree to leave the university during his sophomore season. Southern Mississippi deemed Dupree ineligible to play football at their school when he tried to transfer, so he decided to try his luck in the USLF with a team based out of New Orleans. Dupree was 19 years old at the time. He would go on to be somewhat successful during his rookie year but would then tear his ACL in his second year with the team, basically ending his career. It is a shame that such a talent went to waste. I had never even heard of the guy until I saw the documentary. Marcus Dupree is the best to ever play the game..HANDS DOWN.

Jeremiah Masoli

Jeremiah Masoli... How bad do you think he wants to be wearing one of the Duck's 34 uniform combo's while handing the ball to Limichael James each Saturday on the number one team in the country?...I enjoy having him here at Ole Miss don't get me wrong, but my God did he screw himself over. Playing on a below .500 SEC team while his former team is atop the BCS and most likely on their way to a National Championship (if everything plays out in their favor) has got to be a huge slap in the face. He has shown some bright spots running the 2-minute drill against an inconsistent Arkansas as well as being pretty solid against Kentucky. Having such a young offensive line has definitely hindered the former PAC-10 star, but Coach Nutt has got to find a better way to utilize Masoli's talents for the one year that he will be wearing the Rebel uniform...The Rebs' have to win two of their next three contests to be bowl eligible, but I just don't see it happening this year. Due to Tennessee coming up this week, a daunting task in Baton Rouge the following week, and ending with the famous Egg Bowl against Miss. State you obviously can see why I doubt Masoli and the Rebel's chances to become bowl eligible. All I know is that Ole Miss has one thing in their favor, and that's a quarterback known for stealing the spotlight (no pun intended). Who knows what the remaining three games will bring for the Rebels of Ole Miss. Should the Rebels lose this week will the infamous "grovers" begin packing up their tents in anticipation of their team's season coming to an end? Or will everyone involved with the Rebels rally for what would be a HUGE surprise?