Life Lessons

It’s an early summer afternoon baseball game. Nothing out of the ordinary at first. In the first inning, the Bulldogs batted and didn’t manage to get a run across home plate. In the bottom half of the inning, the Ignite squad put 9 runs on the board. So…out of the gate, our team is down 9 runs.

Time to pack it up, right?

Well…not this day! The Bulldogs scrapped back, scoring 3 runs in the 2nd inning. Then allowing a run. Then hammering in 6 runs to cut the lead to 1. Then the Ignite scored 2 more runs in the bottom of the 5th. In the top of the 6th inning, the Bulldogs had opportunities but the Ignite made some good plays, stopping the Dawgs run and ending the game with a 12-11 score.

So the Bulldogs lost. Just another game among what seems like hundreds of games, right? Well…that might be true but there was something different about this game for our kids. To say it has been a rough season would be an understatement. There have been growing pains, getting used to playing together, getting used to the coaches. So this team has only managed to win 3 games this summer. This game was different because, despite the big deficit, they fought back. They worked hard. They were patient at the plate and took good swings. They worked hard on defense, making some game-changing plays in the field that swayed the game into their favor. And despite all of this, they still lost. But there was a lesson to be learned in this particular loss.

The lesson is this…you can’t win EVERY game. It’s not expected and a win is certainly not a given, no matter how good you think you are. You will get beaten and, in some cases, it won’t be pretty. It will be an assault on your ego. It will make you unsure and it will bruise your confidence. But the fact of the matter is, you are defined by how you react AFTER something like this happens. If you have a bad game, the best thing you can do is look past it and work harder. The easy thing to do would be to throw your hands up and accept it. On this day, these 12 boys didn’t do that. They worked hard and they battled back. 9 runs down out of the gate and they didn’t quit. As a parent, that’s really the lesson that you hope they learn from playing ANY sport. Don’t give up and good things happen. Stand up straight, put on your glove and finish the game. Sometimes the spectacular comeback win doesn’t happen. Sometimes you don’t hit the grand slam home run that could’ve won the game. Sometimes, you get a 3-run RBI, sometimes you strikeout. But either way, if you fight hard and comeback against great odds, THAT says something about you and last night, we learned a lot about our boys and our team.

Yesterday our Bulldogs lost a great game against a strong opponent. Of all of the losses this season, despite the fact that the scoreboard had us on the losing end, this one was a win. On this night, our boys stood up straight, put on their gloves and went to work. And I couldn’t have been prouder of all of them.

Going 9 With Fer

Nothing like a little Florida sunshine for spring break! This year, like last, we find ourselves in Destin, Florida, soaking up a lot of sun, enjoying the beach and getting a lot of much needed R&R. We are here with a bunch of our friends and yesterday, 12 of us headed out to do some golfing at a nice little par 3 course called The Golf Garden. This was the first time I have taken Christopher out for a round of golf and I am proud to say he did really well! He was getting under the ball and managed to hit it up on the green from the tee a couple times! A couple things he will need to work on before he hits the grown-up course though…his putting (which can ALWAYS be difficult) and his driving skills. I let him drive the cart most of the way but he managed to roll it over a wood path guide on the 7th hole, effectively freaking him out a little bit. But we rolled it off and got back on course without any issues! Here are some pictures of our day with our friends Jax & his dad, Doug. We had a great time and then went out for some wings after. It was an afternoon I will never forget!

On their own!

Jax is lining up his shot…

Wings & pretty girls after (it was like going to a 6th grade dance…LOL)

AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!! He’s DRIVING?!?!?!

A Pointed Perspective From The Madness

March Madness is in full swing and to say that this year’s early rounds have been chaotic would be an understatement. 15-seed Florida Gulf Coast beat Georgetown & SDSU, 9-seed Wichita State bounced Pitt & 1-seed Gonzaga and 13-seed La Salle is making waves by winning it’s First Round game and then beating 2 more opponents to advance to the Sweet 16. As awesome as these storylines are, my mind is on what went down in 2 other games. Both had similar last-second situations but one shining moment didn’t happen in the case of one team and that is the one that I wish my son could have seen.

The first game is the 2-seed Ohio State Buckeyes’ last second, game-winning shot in the 3rd round to beat the 3-point barrage of 10-seed Iowa State. Aaron Craft, OSU’s defensive-minded point guard, had just missed a couple free throws, missed a jumper in the lane and, by most accounts, had not been much help as far as keeping his Bucks in the game offensively (even though he ended up with a quiet 18 points by games end). But then he took a charge under the basket with about 1:45 left in the game, made a driving layup and then, with less than a second on the clock, fearlessly launched a jumper from the upper right side of the 3-point line to win the game in dramatic fashion.

The second is the Butler Bulldogs’ loss to a Marquette team that seems to have 9 lives as it has managed to squeak out 2 tournament wins by 3 total points. In the Madness, this is almost unheard of and yet they managed to survive due to one poor decision by the Bulldogs’ hot-shooting guard, Rotnei Clarke. Clarke had been on fire in the 1st half, hitting 6 of 10 field goal attempts and scoring 18 points from just about everywhere on the right side of the court. Marquette adjusted at halftime and forced him to his left, almost wiping him out in the 2nd Half entirely. At the end of the game, he had the opportunity to tie the game when Marquette threw the ball out of bounds with :05 seconds left in the game. But instead of driving to the basket and trying to either A) take a decent shot or B) attempting to get to the foul line, he chose to C) launch a shot from well past the 3-point line with 2 defenders in his face and hit…nothing but air. In the end, the offensive explosion that he had in the first half was a foregone conclusion as he finished the game with 24 points. But it was the poor decision at the end that eventually cost his team the game. The funny thing about this is that Clarke had hit a ridiculous looking 3-point heave earlier in the season to beat Marquette and so I imagine everyone thought he would do the same thing on Saturday but sadly…no.

Of these 2 moments, guess which one I will probably remember? I’m an Ohio State fan so you’d think #1, right? But no…it’s Clarke’s ill-advised jumper that I will remember. Why, you ask? Because it was a glaring mistake that took away an otherwise decent showing by Butler’s leading scorer and cost their team a shot at the next round of the Madness. So why pick on Clarke? I mean…he does lead the team in scoring and as far as being willing to take the shot in that situation, he was obviously the man to do it (unlike Craft, who SHOULD have probably gotten the ball to the Buckeye’s leading scorer, Deshaun Thomas). SO if the star of the team has the ball with 5 ticks of the clock remaining, why SHOULDN’T he launch from midcourt?

Because it was a TURRIBLE decision (in my best Charles Barkley voice).

Watch the replay of this shot and tell me THIS was the best thing to do. It was heartbreaking to see a kid who is as tough as Clarke, who has hustled the entire game, who almost single handedly kept his team in the game by hitting from everywhere in the first half, implode in the one situation where they needed him most. If I could teach my son a lesson, it would be what came from this situation. When you’re down by 2 and the other team gives you a gift…a 3-point bomb is NOT the best choice. As a senior and a leader of the team, it’s not a case of WHO should have taken the shot, it is more about WHERE the shot should have been taken. Clarke is gifted enough he could have created an opportunity for himself. Instead, he got greedy and it cost his team the game.

In the Buckeyes game, Aaron Craft made the correct choice when the opportunity presented itself. In Clarke’s situation, he didn’t. And the difference was he cost his team a possible overtime tournament win. In March, moments like these happen once in a lifetime. I imagine this moment will sting Rotnei Clarke for some time. If anything, we can all learn something from this situation. When opportunity presents itself, take it and take the best shot possible. But launching a 35-footer when you have time on the clock is probably NOT the best you can do. Just sayin’…

And now…on with the Show! #MarchMadness2013

Ready For The Madness 2013

And so it begins. Today I am in beautiful, sunny (not) Syracuse, NY, waiting to work the last NCAA Big East women’s hoops game of the season for CBS Sports Network and I’m going over my schedule and, like most years around this time, my schedule is JAMMED with day after day of work, work, work. Despite the fact that I like to keep busy, this kind of schedule can become a grind, especially when you add in some baseball and golf events. Here’s is what is on tap for the next 2 months. Should be interesting…

Indiana @ Michigan in Ann Arbor, MI

Mountain West Tournament in Las Vegas

NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Rounds 2 & 3 in Lexington, KY

NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Regional in Washington, DC

VACATION to Destin, FL

NCAA Men’s Division II Championship in Atlanta, GA

The Masters in Augusta, GA

Philadelphia Phillies & Miami Marlins @ Cincinnati Reds

The Zurich Classic in New Orleans, LA

All told, I’m looking at over 41 events (multiple basketball games in a single day, several hours of golf in a day), 40+ days of hotel rooms, serious amounts of coffee consumed and probably a headache or 3. But it beats the alternative of not working and having to worry about paying the bills so I consider myself to be blessed with opportunity. I just hope the 4 days of vacation I get in the middle of it will be the brief respite that I need to recharge and get motivated for the month of April!

Behind The Scenes At The Senior Bowl

Living a week in Mobile, AL ain’t so bad. It’s a quiet little city with plenty of Starbucks and good places to eat. This week I’m here working the 2013 Senior Bowl, which is a showcase for college seniors to impress pro scouts and coaches in an intimate setting. Below are some photos taken behind the scenes as we prepare for the big game on Saturday afternoon…

The NFL Network set

The Steady Cam used by our cameraman James!

My work station (yes…I know…it’s a mess.)

Dublin, Ireland

Help Mom! I’m in Gaol! Or Jail. Whichever…

If I’m gonna work a college football game, why not make it one that’s happening in another country? Football in Ireland is soccer…but for one day, the Irish welcome home their American namesake college (Notre Dame) to play Navy in OUR version of football in the Emerald Isle Classic! I was offered the gig back in March and I’ve been looking forward to this week for months. Now that it’s here, I’m taking advantage of it! I arrived on Tuesday morning (my day off to get acclimated to the time difference), went to the hotel, took a quick shower and was off! I hopped on the DART system, went up to Pearse Street, wandered around Trinity College for a bit and hung out in a few of the parks in central Dublin. Then I bought a ticket on a Hop On, Hop Off bus and visited Dublin Castle, Temple Bar, St. Patrick’s Cathedral and Kilmainham Gaol. I then slept a bit on the bus, missing the Guinness Storehouse (which might have been a good thing) but hit a few stores on O’Connell Street before meeting friends for dinner and drinks (MORE Guinness PLEASE!).

Here are a few photos of my week…

Dublin Castle

St. Patrick’s Cathedral





Kilmainham Gaol



Having a pint in Temple Bar



This stuff is VERY popular!

So is this band!

NOT as popular…

My office for the week

My Olympic Experience

My 2 weeks in London have ended and now I sit in my kitchen ready to write about the 2012 Olympics. Funny how I was invited to work this event almost 2 years ago and now it’s over. As far as events go, this one will always be considered one of my favorites. I am a very lucky man to get to do what I do for a living and working this international event makes it even more glaringly obvious that I am extremely fortunate. I am fortunate to be able to do what I enjoy for a living, I am fortunate to work with the people I get to work with and I am fortunate to be able to travel to some amazing places and get paid to do it. Anyway, there are quite a few stories to tell about my London experience so I’m gonna try to narrow it down the best I can…

After staying in London for an extended amount of time, there are a few things I have learned. Firstly, air conditioning is NOT guaranteed. Our hotel didn’t have it, the ExCeL Center apparently didn’t have it and I’m not sure if the British even know what air conditioning is. All I know is that I was hot & sticky a lot of the time and considering we had to wear the same uniforms to work for a week, it got kinda smelly by the end of it!

Me in my uniform holding the Olympic Torch!

Nevertheless, we went about our work tirelessly and with great conviction (despite the smells). Working behind the scenes at the ExCeL Center had its perks as I was able to see a few events while I was there. Most of the games that took place there were going on at staggered times so I was able to see some Olympic Table Tennis (I watched some of the bronze match between Korea & Singapore), Boxing and Fencing. I also got to see several U.S. Olympians win medals! I was lucky to be on a break when Jordan Burroughs won his gold medal in the 74kg Freestyle and I watched as Clarissa Chung brought home a bronze medal for the women’s 48kg Freestyle!

Burrough’s gets the Gold!

The first gold medal bout I worked was the Greko-Roman 120kg match between Cuban Mijain Lopez Nunez and Estonian Heiki Nabi. Nunez won the gold in that one. Our crew also got to know some of the officials by heart as they worked the mat for several matches. One referee, Anastasia Migkipi from Greece, was particularly hard core as she continually smacked at wrestlers who would hold or go against the rules. Our television crew LOVED to watch her work the ring and our spotters (all coaches from various Big Ten schools) loved to joke that she could have wrestled any one of the athletes for a medal.

One tough woman!

I have to say that I learned a lot about different cultures and geography in my short stay. There were some countries participating in the games that I honestly had never heard of (quick…where is Azerbaijan?), many athlete’s names I couldn’t spell (I’m a professional…why can’t I spell “Saeid Mohammadpourkarkaragh” in less than 2 minutes???) and lots of new wrestling verbage that I had to learn (a repechage match what?). It truly was a learning experience every day and meeting so many people from so many different cultures was one of the highlights of this trip.

Fans came from all over the world!

It was interesting to note that certain countries put an emphasis on wrestling. While the U.S. was definitely up to snuff, there were wrestlers from Georgia, Russia and the aforementioned Azerbaijan that were constantly in the running for the gold. You would think that with wrestling being an event at the Olympics since 708 BC, more countries would be interested in it but there seemed to be quite a few that didn’t field any wrestlers in any of the wrestling categories.

Chung goes for the bronze!

As for my fellow worker bees, it was a pleasure to be a part of such a great group. 2 weeks is a lot of time to spend together but I never felt like we got tired of one another. Not having known most of the crew I was on, I got to get to know an entirely new group of great people! Our motto on Mat C was “Bring It!” And I am happy to say I think we did just that!

OH NO! Greg rolled the WRONG machine again?!?!

Janice got me the gig AND got my picture!

Big Dave IS big and a Viking (Britain’s version of the Hell’s Angels)!

The Spotters (including former Olympic silver medal winner, Russ Hellickson, Michigan wrestling head coach Joe McFarland and World Silver medalist, Jim Humphrey)

The fearless leaders of Mat A, Kat and Doug!

Ken & Gary hard at work

Our compound at ExCeL Center

Me and my graphics peeps

I might have slightly overpacked…

It was sad yesterday when we made our run to Heathrow Airport and had to say our goodbyes. Events like this don’t happen very often (well….once every 4 years or so) and so it was hard once it was all over. But I know I speak for the everyone on the crew when I say a big “Thank You” to Doug Brooker, who was our coordinating director and the man who brought all of us on board as the U.S. representatives for Wrestling at the 2012 Olympic Games. It was an event I will never forget and I am hopeful that there will be more Olympic opportunities somewhere down the road!

And that’s a “Good Night” from London!

Welcome To London (Olympics 2012)

I've been to London before, but this time will be even more special for me as I get the opportunity to work the 2012 Olympic games. I am one of 3 graphic ops stationed at the ExCeL Center on the east side of London working the wrestling events for the OBS. Obviously you can’t come to London without seeing some sights, so here are some highlights from this week’s trip! Pip pip, cheerio!

Olympic Village!

An Olympian is interviewed (but I dunno who she is…)

A view of Big Ben from The Eye

I ain’t no Superman!!!

Win, Win, Win! Or Not…

My kids are, first and foremost, the greatest thing I have done with my life. I have to imagine every parent feels the same way and obviously, as parents, we all want our kids to succeed. I’ve read articles about helicopter parents and how our generation is coddling our children and I have to be honest…I’m guilty at times. At times I get involved a lot more than my parents ever did with me when I was 10 or so. Not that my parents didn’t love me unconditionally because they did and they did everything they could do for me at that age however it was a different time back then. Now we know WAY too much. We know to buckle our seat belts. We know to wear helmets. We know to start a savings account pre-birth. We KNOW what happens when we don’t do EVERYTHING the books and the internet and all the experts tell us. And that’s fine. Having more information has got to be better than not having any information at all…right?

So now the idea of being a helicopter parent comes into play when we have situations like we have now. Currently Christopher is back to football. Baseball season came and went and so it’s time to strap on the helmet and go hit somebody. The thing is…well…these kids are BIG now. I mean, in some cases, REALLY big. A LOT bigger than Christopher is and so, being a parent, that is a concern. We tried asking the league to allow Christopher to play down an age group. He only missed the age cutoff by a few days and we thought if he played with the younger boys he might get a chance to play more. That was shot down. So now he’s playing on the Juniors team. A Junior Youth team is also in play which is for kids more his size and age, so he will, more than likely, play on that team. And that’s fine. But in my head, I was kind of hoping he’d play down so he could get a lot of experience instead of the amount of playing time he’s had the last couple years.

But here’s the thing, and this seems to apply with ALL the sports that Christopher has played in the last 5 years…the only one seemingly concerned about this is his mother and I. Christopher seems fine with whatever comes his way. If he plays, he has fun. If he sits, he gets to hang with his buddies and for him, that’s fun. He goes to practices, he works out with his friends, he has fun. At this point, as much as I think he’s being sat too much or that he’s being pigeonholed into a certain position, Christopher himself doesn’t seem to take issue with it. Doesn’t matter how much time he rides the pine or how often he doesn’t get the opportunities that some other kids get, he still loves being with his buddies and playing sports! So…as a parent…I am trying very hard to keep my yap shut and let him do what he wants to do. From that perspective, it makes sense!

Here’s the problem with youth sports today…they begin at such an early age. So many parents are pushing their kids to play at such a high level with AAU teams and with so many leagues and all the options available, it’s a little out of control. I remember when I was 10, I don’t think I played ANY sports. If I remember correctly, I didn’t pick up a basketball until I was in 6th grade (but I’m sure my Mom will remember better and I’m sure she’ll comment on here eventually). So Christopher is WAY ahead of me when it comes to athletic prowess. So for me to be “pushing” him into sports is a non-issue. I don’t “push” my kids to do anything they don’t want to do. And I certainly don’t see the point in taking him away from his friends to play at a “higher” level when it comes to this time period in his life.

I see so many parents who seem to be telling their kids that winning IS everything. In order to be something in life, you need to be the best. Well…I disagree. He’s 10. He’s never gonna be 10 ever again. In MY opinion, I want my son to have fun playing sports. The odds that he’s gonna go big time and be a professional athlete are so small that it is a ridiculous pursuit and one that is completely a parents’ pride at work. For me, I want Christopher and Ava to just enjoy playing sports of any kind. And if they decide they want to play 1 sport? Fine. If they decide they don’t want to play any sports? Fine. If they aren’t the best players on the team but enjoy being with their friends and want to put in the practice time anyway? Fine. I’m all good with any of the above. I think that, as a parent, I should be supportive and hope that the kids take away from sports something other than just the need to win. I would hope, as they go on through their grade school and high school years, that sports brings to them a sense of camaraderie, community and an ability to work towards a goal, even if they don’t fully succeed in the end. Sports is NOT the end all of their lives. I would hate for Christopher or Ava to be the star athlete on their varsity team, win a state championship, go to college and then end up back in my basement, unable to find a job and living on that one moment in their life where they were the “next big thing.” Yeah…screw that.

The thing that pushes me to write about this topic is that there is so many pressures and so many options these days that it’s just exhausting. I don’t want my kids to have the pressure. I don’t want my kids to worry about the options. I want my kids to ENJOY being kids. There are enough pressures in this world and, in time, they will have their own. For me to push them into high levels of competition because of a dream I once had would be the worst possible thing I could do. So I tell my kids…go have fun. And if it’s not fun, don’t worry about it. You can always take up golf.

Right Dad?

The Great Summer Storm of 2012

It’s summer so I realize that hot weather is something that is to be expected but this week has been nuts. On Thursday night (June 28), Christopher and the Bulldogs played in 100 degree heat. Then on Friday I traveled to Washington DC to work at the AT&T National where Tiger and the boys had to play in temps that FELT like 109 degrees. THEN…to add to the misery…a summer storm with hurricane-like winds blew threw the DC area and knocked out power at our hotel, tore up the golf course and caused all kinds of havoc. And in order for the storm to get to DC, it had to make a pitstop in Zanesville where it did a number on Mom & Dad’s house, knocking a tree into the back porch and making a mess of things. Needless to say, this past week has not been what I would call “normal” summer weather. 3 million people without power, hot as an oven and storms so strong they’re knocking over trees like Legos.

Here are a few photos from my parents’ house. The tree just barely missed ripping into the meat of the house. And a couple pics from Congressional Country Club that I DIDN’T take. Only certain people were allowed on the course yesterday and, quite frankly, it’s just too damn hot for me to go out there today to take pictures so…you gets what you gets…

The Bulldogs In Gatlinburg

The Bulldogs went on the road last weekend for a 3 day tournament in Gatlinburg, TN. Although we didn’t do as well as we had hoped (we came in 4th overall in the tournament), the boys all played hard and gave it a good run! While we were there, we also kept them busy with swimming, ziplining, horse riding and hiking! Oh…and the dads played golf and the moms went shopping.

Overall, everyone had a fun weekend and we all agreed that we’re gonna have to revisit Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. Who knew there was so much to do there!

 Ready to FLY!!!

 The pool slide was AWESOME!!! Just don’t go head first…

This group went on a bear hunt/hike! Crazy kids…

Ava enjoyed riding horses…TWICE!

Christopher pitched in a couple games…

Seriously…does this helmet make my head look big?

2 brave zipliners!

The Crazy Train Is Derailed

Well…you remember the challenge that was initiated by my brother. He built his “Court of Dreams” and then challenged me to a game of 1-on-1. There were multiple texts and much hype but what it all came down to was this….

I got game.

Oh I know I’ve lost a step…or two. But the one thing I’ve got that Frank just refuses to understand is a jumpshot. From everywhere. It’s the strongest aspect of my now limited game so I used it on this night and Frank just couldn’t find an answer. Oh sure…he has a sweet sweeping hook shot going to his right and a nice little fadeaway bank shot drifting to his left but there is NOTHING he can do to stop me when I decide to launch from the right side, the left side, fading left or right, with my right OR my left hand. And even on his home court, which is set up much like a cage match with a fence surrounding the court and a giant tool shed behind the basket (which really limits my not-so-quick first step to the basket), Frank couldn’t stop “The Shot” when I decided it was time to put the game away. So I pulled up my old school socks and we played, immediately following a nice ribs dinner with french fries & salad & watermelon & macaroni & whatever else he came out with. It should be noted that Frank decided NOT to eat before our game in a genius play that didn’t quite work in his favor. But the dinner WAS quite tasty and after some corn hole with Dad, Chris & Amber and a scary attack of nasty yellow jackets that left Ava with a sting over her left eye, we got underway.

Game 1 saw a flurry of activity early, which left us both winded a little. But with the score stuck at 2-2 for a few moments, we finally settled down and got into a groove. I managed a small 3 point lead which went back & forth for a while but when the smoke settled, I managed to eek out a 21-18 victory. At this point, it was too early for the victory fireworks to be set off so we decided to play another one. Hey…ya gotta give the guy something to hope for…right?

Game 2 saw Frank attempting to get HIS jumpshot in play but failing miserably. So I hit a few jumpers from the right side, then a few from the top of the key. But I avoided that left corner of his court. For whatever reason, I couldn’t get a good flow from that corner so…I moved it around a bit. A couple quick drives and I had Frank completely befuddled. Was I gonna shoot a jumper or drive? What would I do? Well…it didn’t matter. In the end, I sank an over my head shot that left the crowd cheering for more and I once again walked away the victor, 21-19.

With my head-to-head lead at 2-0, we decided to try one more game, this time only playing to 11, win by 2. Honestly, I don’t even remember this game. All I know is that it ended with me hitting a left-handed scoop shot to finish off the night, 3-0. So…is Frank’s “dream” over? Will he finally accept that I have his number despite that one fateful day so many years ago when he beat me on the fadeaway jumper? I guess we shall see. We have all summer and with a visit in July looming, I’m sure there will be more backyard basketball to be played. However I CAN say this…10 years difference doesn’t matter when you can shoot from all over the court…and weigh about 30 pounds more. So Frank will have to practice a little bit more AND eat a few more hamburgers before he gets my number. I dunno about his jumper but I can guarantee that the extra pounds will happen eventually. He’s only 33. I give him a few more years and he’ll understand what I’m talking about. Lol!

Frank got smoked TWICE on this evening..

Mom was ready for the hoops action!

“Put me in coach!”

Frank preps for the big game

Let’s just say…we’re BOTH winners! (’cause it’s the nice thing to do…)

New York Photos (Not Taken By Me)

“Starry Night” featured at MoMA

Having been to The Big Apple several times and written about it several times, I’m kinda waiting for my NEXT visit (in a few weeks with my high school buddies that traveled to Seattle with me last year!) to bust out another “NYC is awesome!” blog. But on this trip, I’ve run across some cool pictures NOT taken by me of this great city that I thought I would share. A majority of them came from NYC Department of Records that has recently posted a gazillion photos of old time NY. These are amazing photos and, unfortunately, everyone loves them so much that it crashed their server and now they are trying to get another one to handle the traffic.

Aaaanyhoo…here are some of the pictures that are simply amazing! There is so much history here and these pictures tell a story. In some cases, they’re not happy stories but they are stories that need to be told nevertheless…

The Masters 2012…Tear Out Day

So another great Masters this year with Bubba Watson beating Louis Oooooothisoozen for the green jacket. As I sat watching from our tv truck as Watson hit this crazy hook out of the rough to land about 8 feet from the pin and a win, I had only one thing on my mind…on Monday we had to strike the tv compound.

Ugh.

Here’s the thing…on MOST tv events such as basketball games or baseball games or football games, there is 1 or maybe 2 trucks. In the case of The Masters…there are literally hundreds of trucks (ok…THAT might be stretching but it sure SEEMS like it) in our compound. And on Monday we get to tear out all the cables, all the cameras and get the equipment back in the trucks so they can move on to other events (such as The Heritage…where I am now). Since I’ve already written about Augusta & all of its magic, here’s the dirty side of what we do after a large event such as this. Exciting cant even begin to describe it!

No wonder I have back issues!!!

Here are some OTHER blogs I’ve written about Augusta. It really IS a beautiful course…

Augusta 2011

Augusta 2010

My Lee Trevino Story

A Tiger Sighting

NOW We’re Dancin’!!!

ONIONS!!!

What a magical tournament it has been for Ohio and the Cincinnati region! In the Sweet 16, every regional local team that made the tournament is in and the Ohio Bobcats (my alma mater) are the lowest seed to get in since 2006. It’s also the first time the Bobcats have made it into the regional semifinal since 1964! With strong wins versus Michigan (gag) and a tough South Florida team, Ohio definitely deserves to be where they are! So the matchups in the regionals look like this…

In MY regional in Boston, OHIO STATE takes on the CINCINNATI BEARCATS in what should be a very physical game. It’s also a matchup that has happened only 3 times since 1961. Considering their proximity, you would think these 2 teams would face off a little more often. Either way, in 2006 OSU won 72-50 and then before that it was for the National Championship in 1961 & 1962 (both Cincinnati wins). In the 2nd game, Syracuse faces off against Wisconsin. If Ohio State & Wisconsin win, it will be the third time these 2 teams have seen each other with both teams winning on the other’s home courts the first go around. Should be an interesting game heading into the Final 4!

In St. Louis, THE OHIO BOBCATS take on the North Carolina Tar Heels who lost point guard Kendall Marshall with a wrist fracture. This bodes well for the Bobcats because our point guard, DJ Cooper, has been on fire in this tournament and that could possibly be a difference maker versus the talented Heels team. Either way, look for the Bobcats to adapt to whatever style of play the Baby Blues decide to throw at them and give them a good run. Then in the 2nd game, 11th seeded NC State takes on the Kansas Jayhawks in what will probably be a good game but I don’t really care because I’ll be focused on the Bobcats game.

Down in the South Region, the KENTUCKY WILDCATS are HOT right now. With Iowa State on an emotional high and tied 42-42 on Saturday, the Wildcats went on a tear and ended up blowing out the Cyclones. It might have been the fastest I’ve ever seen a team turn on a dime and just click and the Cats have got the best starting 5 in the country. They will be taking on the only team to beat them in the regular season, Indiana. Will the psychological stress get to the Wildcats? Can the Hoosiers return to their glory days and upend the most talented team in the country? We shall see. Then in the other matchup, the 10th seeded XAVIER MUSKETEERS look to advance to the Elite 8 vs a tough Baylor squad. The Muskies had a tough road with wins vs 2 scrappy teams. Notre Dame pushed them but their speed prevailed in the 1st Round and then Lehigh, fresh off their trouncing of Duke, gave them a good game until X took over at the end.

Down in Phoenix, Michigan State takes on Rick Pitino’s high-flyin’ LOUISVILLE CARDINALS, another pleasant surprise in this year’s tournament. I actually thought the Cards would be a quick upset out, but here they are! And in the other game, Marquette takes on Florida, who absolutely obliterated Norfolk State in their 3rd round matchup. That one should be a pretty good game actually. Marquette proved they deserve to be here with a good win over a talented Murray State team and could be the surprise team of the tournament after this game.

So the matchups are in and I have to say, I can’t recall ever being so excited about this tournament! I love The Madness but this past week has taken it to new heights with so many local teams getting in and with the Bobcats playing so well! So…GO OU!!! And here’s hoping we see an Ohio, Ohio State, Xavier, Louisville Final Four? That would be AWESOME!!!!

Buuuut…it might be a stretch…LOL