Top Ten Favorite Kids Movies (continued)

5. The Neverending Story- Even though this movie came out a few years before my time, I still remember loving it when I was a kid. A troubled boy finds a book that implants him into a world of fantasy and wonder. This one is full of all the things that make a movie great: drama, intrigue, suspense, laughter, adventure and learning. Plus, great characters (or creatures) like the racing snail and Gmork. And I can’t forget to mention the one character that still sticks in my mind, Falkor, the friendly dragon that I still think looks more like a flying dog.

4. E.T. the Extraterrestrial- An obvious classic, I have to admit that I was terrified of E.T. when I was younger. Even though I used to only watch the movie by hiding under a blanket whenever E.T. was on screen, it has since grown on me and it never gets old. From the cinematic masterpiece of the bike ride in front of the moon to the unforgettable line ”E.T. phone home”, Reeces pieces definitely became my favorite candy because of good old E.T.

3. The Mighty Ducks, all three- C’mon, who can forget the flying v?! These movies take the cake for the best characters. Gordon Bombay, Hans, Charlie Conway, Goldberg, Connie, Germaine and my favorite, Averman, and that’s only the start! Fulton Reed, Adam Banks, Julie “the cat” Gaffney, Dean Portman, Dwayne Robertson, the “bash brothers”, and so many, many more. So many great plays and great lines, like it’s knucklepuck time! Perfection.

2. The Sandlot- Many have uttered, “You’re killing me smalls,” yet don’t know this movie is to thank for that saying. It also taught us put downs after put downs, including the ultimate ”You play ball like a girl!”. The whole gang is memorable, from Smalls to Ham to Squints to Yeah-Yeah, and I still have a crush on Benny. The classic kids’ baseball movie naturally sits high on my list. It taught friendship, perseverance and never giving up. And The Babe taught us all a lesson that we can still abide by, “Remember kid, there’s heroes and there’s legends. Heroes get remembered but legends never die. Follow your heart, kid, and you’ll never go wrong.”

1. The Goonies- ”Hey you guuuyssss!!” This one is an easy favorite. Take a bunch of misfit kids trying to save their homes, a treasure map from 1632, the legend of One Eyed Willy and his treasure and murderous villains on their tail and we’re just getting started. Add in innocent romance, grand adventure and the truffle shuffle and you’re really in business. Not to mention, distinct characters like Mikey, Brand (aka a mid-80’s Josh Brolin!), Chunk, Mouth, Data, Andy, the Fratellis and the monster everybody loves, Sloth. And did I mention Steven Spielberg directed??! “The Goonies” is #1 in my book when it comes to kids movies. This is one that never gets old.

Top Ten Favorite Kids Movies

Last night, TBS treated the nation to “The Wizard of Oz” and “The Goonies” back-to-back….such a treat! Really made me reminisce of some of my favorite movies growing up. So, without further ado, here’s my top ten:

10. Life Size- (shout-out to my sisters) No list is complete without a Disney Channel movie, and 2000’s “Life Size” makes the list. How could you not love Lindsay Lohan before she was an alcoholic, drug-loving lesbian? And in this one, she is a motherless girl who accidently brings her doll to life when trying to resurrect her dead mother. None other than Tyra Banks plays the roll of the life-sized doll. Plus, this one wins the award for best theme song.

9. Black Beauty- It seems every little girl has an obsession with horses at one point, and I was no exception. Hence, I was obsessed with Anna Sewell’s classic alive on the big screen. From the heart-pumping suspense of Beauty getting his owners home safe in the storm to the heart-wrenching moment when Beauty finds his beloved dead. A great drama for the young and old alike.

8. Teeange Mutant Ninja Turtles, I and II- I started saying, “’Bunga Dude!” when I was three (trust me, we have it on home video). This quartet was huge back in the day. Even though I was scared of Shredder and both his monsters in the second film, “The Secret of the Ooze”, I still couldn’t get enough of these pizza-loving teenagers. Add in a little Vanilla Ice and all I can say is, “Go ninja, go ninja, go!

7. Little Giants- As a tomboy, I idolized Becky “the Icebox” O’Shea. I loved the way she hung with the boys and kicked butt. Not to mention the innocent eye candy of Devon Sawa. Add in a underdog-wins-it-all storyline, lots of laughs and a cast including Rick Moranis and Ed O’Neill complete with cameos with NFL stars John Madden, Bruce Smith, Emmitt Smith, Steve Emtman and Tim Brown and you’re set.

6. Rookie of the Year- This movie made every little leaguer’s dream come true. When Henry breaks his arm and it heals oddly, it gives him the ability to be good enough to get him a spot on the Chicago Cubs’ roster. Of course, Henry goes on to pitch his club into the playoffs while having to overcome adversity to do so. This one is also filled with laughs, mostly from the unforgettable pitching coach Phil Brickma. Let’s play some ball!.

Check in tomorrow for my top 5 as the countdown continues…. ☺

Next Kent State Pro-Bowler: Julian Edelman

…Well, that’s if he keeps at the same pace he started his professional career.

Kent State’s three-year starting quarterback is proving he’s pro material so far in his first year as a New England Patriot. The California native kept his spot on the roster during the preseason with a 75-yard punt return for a touchdown in the Pat’s opener versus the Eagles. On top of that, he also had five receptions for 37 yards. Not too bad for the former Mid-American Conference player in his first professional game – that was shown on national television.

But, preseason is just that, the preseason. It doesn’t really have any sway on the regular season, when play really matters. Did this stop Edelman? No way. Just say “thank you, Wes Welker.”

With the Patriots big-time, big-name receiver sidelined with an injury in week 2, the spotlight was on Edelman.

But before we get there, let’s take a look at Edelman’s collegiate career. He was none too shy to take over a game and make big plays. In his senior year, Edelman led the team with 26 touchdowns (13 passing, 13 receiving) and was the leading passer and rusher on the team. He garnered two MAC offensive player of the week honors in his 2008 campaign. That same year he also broke the Kent State record with 3,190 total yards in the season.

New England liked these numbers… but not for a backup for Tom Brady. Edelman was drafted in the 7^th round in 2009 by the Pats to be used as a wide receiver and punt returner. He proved his worth during the preseason returning punts and had his chance in week 2 of the regular season to show what he could do as a receiver.

They don’t call him a mini Wes Welker for nothing. Filling in for Welker, Edelman became a Brady-favorite, catching eight passes for a team-leading 98 yards. He also had two kickoff returns, averaging 19.5 yards. Coach Belicheck couldn’t be anything but happy with these numbers from his fill-in rookie.

Edelman showed a lot of promise in his pro debut. But how does he compare to the most recent Kent State pro-bowlers? Let’s take a look.

An easy, automatic comparison is the Cleveland Brown’s Josh Cribbs. Cribbs was a four-year starter at quarterback for the Golden Flashes and ended his career with his name on top in the KSU record books for career attempts, completions, passing yards, total yards and touchdowns. Not to mention, twice he had 1,000 passing AND rushing yards in a season.

Comparing Kent State careers, Cribbs gets the nod above Edelman. However, when Cribbs saw the field for the Browns in his first game (also drafted as a receiver/returner), he had just one reception for five yards and a fumble.

Kent Stater Antonio Gates never saw the gridiron as a Flash; he ruled the hardwood. In his first game playing tight end in the pros, he didn’t touch pigskin. It wasn’t until the 4^th game of his rookie season that he had two receptions for 30 yards. He ended that season with 24 catches for 389 yards, averaging 16.2 yards a grab.

Although he is a defensive player, James Harrison still can’t boast the numbers Edelman had in his first game. Harrison played in just one preseason game in his first season with the Steelers. In his first regular season game with Pittsburgh, he had three tackles. Last year, he was the NFL’s defensive player of the year.

Clearly, Cribbs, Gates and Harrison don’t compare to Edelman when it comes to professional debut performances. But, the former three all have a few more seasons and a Pro Bowl appearance under their belt. Is Edelman the next former Kent State player to earn a trip to Hawaii?

If he keeps going like this, I sure think so.

Just getting started...

Thought it was about time to start a blog. It's a good thing to have as a journalist and a little something to pad on to my resume. :)

More to come soon once I get some ideas and get some time to research and write!

In the meantime, I'll leave you with some lyrics....Matt Nathanson, check him out!:

"All we are, we are

All we are, we are

And every day is the start of something beautiful..."