Lafayette College Athletics

Jan. 26, 2004

EDITOR'S NOTE: Senior power forward Mike Farrell is in his final season on College Hill and his second full season as the men's basketball team captain and author of weekly web journal entries on www.goleopards.com. Each week, the American Studies major and Florida native will detail his life as a student-athlete.

Oh man. I'm tired. I'm tired. But I gotta do this journal cause it's been much too long since I last wrote. The last weekend was probably the most exciting of my life. The overtime game against Lehigh was one for the ages, and if you did not see the game either in person or on TV, I recommend that you write to your congressman or woman, any other local politician, or call direct to ESPN and tell them to make it a classic. Because that was exactly what the game was. It was definitely the best game that I have ever played in, and I have, personally, never seen the APK so jumping. It was an awesome atmosphere for basketball. And, we had the same kind of air in the gym for the Bucknell game on Sunday. So thanks to the fans, especially the students and Zoo Crew for coming back to campus early and electrifying Kirby.

Oh yeah, and nobody tried to yank down my shorts on national television this year. Always a plus.

Which brings me to thinking about another Top 5 list - I enjoyed doing the last one, so why not expand on a good thing? It's after all the big one year anniversary. So here I ago, again venturing into my so called life.

Mike Farrell's Journal Archive   2003-2004 Season  • April 14, 2004  • April 9, 2004  • February 23, 2004  • January 26, 2004  • January 5, 2004  • December 11, 2003  • November 20, 2003   2002-2003 Season  • February 21, 2003  • February 2, 2003  • January 23, 2003  • January 14, 2003  • December 31, 2002  • December 10, 2002 Mike Farrell

The Top 5 worst hair styles that I have sported over the years:

Number 5: Gotta love the doo I was sporting for the big Lehigh game. It was kind of a 90210 Luke Perry cut, except worse. The top was simply way too long for how short the sides were. It was very new wavy: I felt like I should have been in the band Flock of Seagulls or perhaps a guest hand clapper for Duran Duran.

Number 4: This spot would have to go to the cut I got the next day. The one you may now see prominently displayed on my head. It's not like I wanted to go Southern Californian punk on everyone, it just kind of had to happen due to the outrageousness of the Number 5. What's so bad about this cut? Well, unfortunately I got my dad's nose. The kind that makes people duck when I turn in a small area (like an elevator). The shorter cut just makes the nose more prominent. Kind of like placing Mt. Everest in the flatlands of Florida. But it gets worse...

Number 3: It's funny how all of the hair cuts that I have mentioned have come in college so far. This one is no exception - and all this despite the fact that I have never once gotten a Mohawk. This one is more due to a lack of a haircut.

Mike Farrell's freshman year haircut.

The freshman year look that I had going on was wild. The hair was everywhere, which is what happens when you don't get it cut for a while… say like six months. It was stupid long. But we were traveling out to Cal-Berkeley to play in a couple basketball games, so I figured that I would have to look the part when we showed up.

Number 2: This is going way back - back to middle school (which incidentally is what I looked like I was in with hair cut number 5). That's what is great about being young, you learn from your mistakes. I had the surfer type cut going on - where it is really short for about a quarter of the way up the head if you start from the neck. Then the longer hair on top falls down over the top. It kind of makes you look like a giant mushroom if you have thick, curly hair - which I do. But that wasn't the end of it. I would mousse this baby up, and it would curl even more. I had a couple of battering ram horns plastered on to my forehead. Yeah, it looked great… The good old days,

And now for the Worst Haircut of my Life...

Always a slave to fashion, "Super Mike" sits on his mom's lap for this photo taken in 1984. Thanks to his father Tom for submitting the photo.

Number One: This one, believe it or not, is not my fault. It is my mom's. Trust me. I was only two years old, so obviously I could not decide if I needed a haircut. I had nice blonde, curly hair when I was a young tyke, and apparently my mom really liked the way they looked, so she kept letting it grow. Well, she kept letting it grow until the day a lady walked up to my parents and said, "My, you have such a lovely daughter." Thanks mom, I still love you though.

So there you have it, yet another top five list. I hope it was worth the read, cause the hair cuts were definitely not worth the money.

But before I get out of here I've also got to take care of a few shout outs. People have been hounding me for some time now. So I gotta throw them a few bones. I'm sure you all remember Andrew Pleick from last year's team. He made it out to the Princeton game, and I forgot to get him in the last journal, but I'm making my amends now. Also need to hook up the roommate, Justin Kruger. Justin is a funny kid, and I'm sure that you have seen him at the games. If you haven't look for the guy who is pulling out his hair on every turnover, and is listening intently for the scores of his beloved Fighting Illini.

Hope everyone's semester is off to a great start if you are in school, if not, I hope that life is great. Keep cheering, and we'll keep winning.

Mike Farrell