As a Ball State student since 2005, I have seen the highs and lows of Ball State football. I have also seen the highs and lows of Ball State fans.

I have dealt with some of the most passionate fans I have ever met, and I do my best to interact with those people at the game. We love the Cardinals through thick and thin.

But I have also watched some of the most indifferent people who call themselves Ball State fans. I’m talking about the people who care more about drinking or socializing than the game.

And yes, football is obviously a leisure activity. It’s supposed to be fun, however you decide to do that. But I’ve always been disappointed by the people who stay in the tailgating lot or leave early either to go drinking or because they’ve given up on the Cardinals for that week.

So today’s column was probably six years of pent-up aggression directed at every slobbering-drunk guy or tripping-over-herself girl who are considered as much of a Ball State fan as I and those I associate with are.

I couldn’t think of a better way to tackle this topic than to try and go the other way and be satirical about it. Make a joke of the mockery they’ve tried to make of Cardinal football.

Was it perfect? No. I’m still a learning writer; I recognize that daily. It was my attempt to make a point in my way. There were certainly ways I could have done it better, and I will try to improve my methods the next time.

Of course, I don’t think I was necessarily wrong either. I’m sure there were people who started drinking before the tailgating period. Local bars bank on that for revenues. I’m sure people drank who should not be. I didn’t make it to tailgating myself due to my schedule.

During the game, were the fans essentially ignoring the band? Yes. Were there many organized cheers? Kind of. Did fans start leaving early? Yes – although, I’d say that I happy it was more like one-fourth of the student section than two-thirds or more as I’ve seen in the past.

And do I think one person changed their actions because of my writing? No.

But for those who misinterpreted what I wrote, I at least wanted to try to explain what I wrote and why I did. My intention was not to encourage their actions but to ridicule them.

Just wanted to set the record straight.

All right, it’s here. Time for the first game of Ball State’s football season.

Since anyone’s support of the Cardinals begins when, and only when, you first step foot on campus, I know that you’re probably a little uncertain as to what goes into being a Ball State football fan.

Sophomores and up, you’ve already experienced the joys of a Ball State football game, so this will be more of a refresher. But freshmen, this one’s a must read. In fact, cut this out of the paper and keep it in your wallet/pocket/backpack/purse/gym bag. Tuck it behind your student ID and keep it in your lanyard. You’ll want to refer to this throughout the day.

Click here for the rest of my thoughts on Ball State tailgating

Boozier prevailed at his old stomping grounds of Blackford, where he was the coach from 2000 to 2007, by surviving a scoreless second half to win 19-14.

“It’s strange being on the other sideline, but it’s a comfortable feeling,” Boozier said. “You had two coaches (Friday) who, over the past seven or eight years, have been at other schools, and we both love the game of football and we’re finally home.”

Click here for the recap of the Jay County-Blackford game from Friday

The Iraq War, which began in March 2003, has been a controversial issue from day one. The major events of the war, such as the capture of Saddam Hussein, the “Mission Accomplished” banner and the realization that there were not weapons of mass destruction in the country, divided America.

A Gallup poll released Thursday stated that 60 percent of respondents did not think the situation in Iraq was worth going to war over.

Click here for the Sept. 1 editorial from the Daily News

During the 2008 presidential election, college students, including those from Ball State, were a key source for the momentum Barack Obama gained in his victory against Sen. John McCain.

Now, the tea party is coming together in planned protests, such as Glenn Beck’s “Restoring Honor” rally Saturday at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington.

Regardless of your opinion of Beck or the tea party, this is a organized group with a message against those currently in office.

In the lead up to the November midterm election, students need to stay informed and involved in politics.

Click here for the rest of the DN’s Monday editorial

This is based on a small sample size against inferior competition, granted, but the Cardinals had 15.1 kills per set over the weekend. That’s 2.6 more than they averaged in 2009. They did this while cutting back on errors as well, with 5.2 per set compared to 5.7 in 2009.

That’s a three-point swing. Ball State lost 16 sets by three points or fewer last season, including two fifth sets. Maintaining that figure alone could turn the program around in 2010, giving the Cardinals close wins instead of close losses.

Click here for the rest of my thoughts on the volleyball team’s first weekend of play

After first-year coach Steve Shondell moved one mile north from Burris Laboratory School to Worthen Arena, fans could be forgiven for getting a little overexcited. Some have been heaping high expectations on this team, going as far as to discuss the Cardinals making the NCAA Tournament this year.

Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

Despite the great numbers — 1,183-95 record and 21 state championships — Shondell’s achievements were at the high school level. Moving to college is a new beast, a level at which he is 0-0 until the end of Friday night’s match against The Citadel.

Click here for the rest of my thoughts on the women’s volleyball team

For Ball State students, Monday ranged from the first to the very last first day of their college careers. No matter what year you’re in, it was a day filled with trying to figure out where your classes were, meeting new people and scheming a way to pay as little for textbooks as possible.

Unfortunately for some students, they’ve found themselves in trouble before the Fall Semester even began.

We may not know the exact number, but it’s probably safe to assume that a number of the 36 people arrested and 136 people issued tickets over the weekend were Ball State students who decided to live it up a little too much.

Click here to read the rest of the Daily News’ Aug. 24 editorial

I never thought I would be able to say I worked for the “Worldwide Leader in Sports.” For someone who has a passion for sports and a career goal to be a professional editor, I couldn’t think of a better place to work. When I became a journalist, the idea of working there was one of those dream jobs that seemed permanently unlikely. I certainly had to pinch myself a few times to make sure it was real.

Read the rest of my first Daily News column — “Beyond Varsity”

At which point, I came to the understanding of how pedestrian by news gathering skills really are.

I rewrote the press release to be as clear, concise and lawsuit-proof as possible (always important when you’re dealing with arrest stories). Nothing special and barely deserving of any credit if that’s all the work that is done. I tried calling a student affairs contact at Ball State, but she was out for the day. It was late in the day, so I knew that a lot of people may not be available. But I still disappointed that I wasn’t quite sure what to do next.

I made contact with one of my BSU mentors, and she gave me some guidance on what to do next — more second-day stuff than anything, but certainly good advice.

Just before I was about to surrender and post my low quality piece of journalism, the DN managing editor, who is a total rock star as a journalist, texted me to basically let me know that she had everything under control. Thankfully, her work, which I’m sure will run circles around mine, will tell the story better and more thoroughly than I would have.

I guess I’m just disappointed with how inadequate I felt in trying to handle this news story.

I think when I evaluating myself, I had pegged my skills as editor first, writer second and reporter third. And maybe that’s not the best attitude to have. Or maybe I just need to realize what work I need to do to improve the last point to become a better journalist.

But even editing the piece, I ran into some stuff that I wasn’t exactly sure how to deal with.

I suppose that maybe I need moments like this once in a while to keep myself grounded and be aware of how much more I have to learn. Since the internship ended, I know that I was probably talking a big game a little bit, so a quick smack down back to Earth (one that being turned down for a job at ESPN, or whatever happened, didn’t even seem to do effectively) is probably good for me.

I should be aware of how much I have to learn and what I can do to improve my skills and become a well-rounded journalist. Editing is and will likely continue to be my first love, but I can’t pigeon hole myself like that.

I guess, at the end of the day, my failures may be good for me in the long run.

But damn they’re annoying and disappointing.