For the last year, I’ve devoted what might be considered an excessive amount of my time to the Daily Bruin. In the process, I’ve learned a few things. Some of what I learned made it into the paper. Most of it didn’t. A lot of it had very little to do with anything important.
But you know what? I’ve always paid better attention to the lessons that don’t seem to matter.
I’ve learned that Darren Collison dislikes the song “One Shining Moment,” Ben Howland hates doing anything without a water bottle and Lorenzo Romar adores enchiladas.
And I’ve learned enough to guess that right now, somewhere, Howland is probably watching game film.
I’ve learned that sometimes the hangover from covering the Las Vegas Bowl can settle in two days before the game is even played.
I’ve learned that at least one resident of Louisiana has read my stuff, I’m not the only person who finds naughty zoo-creature Halloween costumes funny and that it’s possible to engage in “Kobe hating” in a column containing the words, “Kobe is the best basketball player on the planet.”
In other words, I’ve learned that the Internet is a powerful thing.
I’ve learned that Mitt Romney.
I’ve learned that I enjoy writing, sports and writing about sports. But also that there’s way too much involved in being a sportswriter that has nothing to do with those three.
I’ve learned that if you have to be stuck in Worley, Idaho, the Homestead Drive-In is the place to be. On a related topic, I’ve learned that highway conditions in eastern Washington during winter are often sub-optimal, and that PT Cruisers don’t handle well when navigating through snow banks in a whiteout.
I’ve learned that, on occasion, it might be worth paying an extra $20 for a car with four-wheel drive.
I’ve learned that gimmicky lists often convey information much more efficiently than paragraphs with transitions.
I’ve learned that there are an awful lot of Negative Nellies in the world. And not nearly enough Positive Pollys.
I’ve learned that not all office romances blow up in your face. Knock on wood.
I’ve learned that it’s not necessarily legal to climb the big mountain behind Sun Devil Stadium and that, consequently, I might not necessarily be welcomed back on Arizona State University’s campus.
I’ve learned that Jared from Subway drinks Bud Light, that the only thing memorable about the Alamo is how disappointingly small it is, that San Antonio police laugh at ““ and do not help ““ people who stumble into the river, and that The Roots put on a great concert, except for the part when they start rocketing water bottles at an unsuspecting student-journalist. But maybe that was a one-time thing.
Most of all, I’ve realized that you need to say all that you can whenever you get the opportunity. Take your chances, be quick ““ but don’t hurry ““ and speak your mind. Because, sooner or later, you run out of words.
Lampros spent this past year as an assistant Sports editor and has covered men’s basketball and water polo. In the future he hopes to bamboozle the public into paying for him to write.