Student Blog Debut: Best Athlete Hair & A-Rod's Steroids Flap

Editor's Note: Jasper High School sophomore Alex Shultz shares his thoughts on the sports world and his life as a high school student-athlete every week on VYPE.com/DFW. There are two types of practical jokes. The first type is pretty straightforward- like tying someone's shoelaces together when they aren't looking. The second type is usually more complicated, such as putting a "kick me" sign on a shirt, or perhaps convincing half of the sophomore class of a particular high school to vote for an innocent victim in the school superlatives for "best hair." If the second example seems specific, it's because I am currently on the wrong end of that prank right now. The irony of winning the award is that my hair has no outstanding features to brag of. Since I do however, now technically have the "best hair" on the Jasper Jags basketball team, this puts me in elite company. I can now compare myself to the great hairstyles of current professional athletes, including my very own list of the most awesomely odd looking hair today. Walter Herrmann. Just look at the guy. His hair is a cross between both Fabio and pretty much every Greek God that ever lived on Mount Olympus. His playing time might be at a minimum, but he is the most impressive looking player on Detroit's bench. Troy Polamalu. The all-pro's hair might be his Achilles heel, as seen following an interception in 2006. Others could argue that he did draw a 15-yard penalty on the Chiefs for the play though, so who really needs a haircut? Either way, if you were to poll ten random NFL fans about what comes to mind first when they think of the safety, I'd bet that at least eight of them would say his crazy hair, and then maybe one or two would mention his hard hits or interceptions. The Chicago Bulls. Maybe Dennis Rodman greatest contribution to the Bulls wasn't his rebounding or defense, but actually his 400 different hairstyles. He apparently passed the torch to Joakim Noah, Thabo Sefolosha, and Drew Gooden, who each sport a unique (to say the least) hairdo. Joakim must have at least six feet of hair tied back behind his head if it were to be uncoiled, while Thabo has by far the coolest looking cornrows in the NBA right now. And Drew? Well, his hair/ goatee changes so much it's hard to exactly put a finger on what it is. Note: Right after I compiled my list of coolest hairstyles, I turned on ESPN only to see them recapping their favorites of all time. I guess it's a popular subject these days. Speaking of popular subjects... Is A-Rod A-Fraud? I have to talk about the biggest sports story of early 2009 (besides the Steelers winning the Super Bowl), and that is A-Rod testing positive for steroids in 2003. Let me preface this by saying that as a high school athlete, I see posters of the negative effects of performance-enhancing drugs on a daily basis in the locker room, weight room, practically everywhere. Personally, I don't see the need to inject yourself with something that may give you temporary advantages with so, so many permanent drawbacks. It seems idiotic, to be honest. In regards to Alex Rodriguez, however, I simply don't care anymore. I know that doesn't reflect the views of every fan of sports out there, but the truth is everyone knows a good chunk of baseball players made a huge mistake. The people who keep trying to cover that mistake up (i.e. Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds) have lost a great deal of respect amongst die-hard and casual baseball fans, and likely won't make the Hall of Fame. Players like Andy Pettitte, who came right out, admitted his mistake, and moved on, have recovered in the public eye. A-Rod needs to do the same. Tell us he made a bad choice, teach kids why they shouldn't do it, and move on. Give us all the facts once, and don't hide anything. How long did he use? Why did he use? And does he regret it? A-Rod will have to walk this tight rope with extreme caution, but I still see a chance for him to make it to Cooperstown if does all the right things from here on out.