The Barbaric Yawp

The Dude Who Played with Fire

2011-12-30T08:23:00.000-05:00

You may have noticed that I don't write much about my full-time job on here. There are several reasons for this, discretion being among them, but the absolute biggest is because, frankly, I dig it a lot and have nothing bad to say about it. Since I don't need to vent about it, it's rare that anyone hears (or reads) about it. The company I work for is extremely employee-friendly, and one of the perks is the big Christmas bash they have each year where all employees who attend are fed and amused for a couple of hours and then have a chance to win a plethora of big-ticket "gifts" the owners have picked out. A list of prizes is distributed a few weeks before the party, and each employee signs up for which one they'd like to try for; at the party, names are drawn to determine the winner of each prize.

Given my ambivalence about e-readers, I knew I wouldn't lay out the money for one without trying it extensively first, but winning one...well, that would be another story. After all, even if I didn't like it, it would still make a good gift for someone else. So, that being the case, the prize I elected to try for this year was a Kindle Fire. And I won. Pretty sweet, eh?

That was two weeks ago, and I've been putting it through its paces since then. The verdict? I like it, but I'm still not totally sure what role it's going to play in my reading habits, long term.

First off, I like that it's not just an e-reader. I can access Amazon Music through it, as well as Netflix streaming video, and there are a number of Android apps that can be downloaded and installed (some, like Facebook and IMDb, come preloaded). I also really dig the color display. I haven't yet used it to read any magazines or graphic novels, but I'm glad the option is available when I inevitably come to want it (that was one of the things I had against a regular (non-Fire) Kindle).

The convenience factor is big. Brandi and I went to visit her parents for a few days last weekend, and it was great to load a couple of books onto the Kindle and take that along instead of the bulk and weight of physical books. Of course, the fact that it's WiFi only meant that I couldn't access the streaming music or video during the ride. That said, even if it had a 3G or 4G option, I wouldn't pay to use it. WiFi is ubiquitous enough at this point that it's unnecessary.

Battery life is pretty solid. I last charged it a little over a week ago, and the battery is still holding a 29% charge. And that's with a fair amount of reading and streaming.

Using it to read is seamless. It's easy enough to hold and flip pages with just one hand, if you're so inclined. The screen can take on a little glare depending on the sun/light, but I haven't seen it so extreme that it couldn't be alleviated by turning it a degree or two one way or another. The fact that it's backlit is nice since I have a tendency to stay up and read later than my wife. There are plenty of display options to make it easy to read, if you like a larger or smaller font, or light text on a dark background or vice versa. It's handy that you can just tap a word or phrase to look up a definition or do a search, and while I haven't used the highlight/note feature, it's pretty cool that it's there, just in case I ever need or want it.

The main problem, so far as I can see, is getting books for the thing. On one hand, there are the hundreds (perhaps thousands) of books I have already. Unlike an iPod and a music collection, I can't just rip what I already own in order to use it digitally, which is unfortunate. There are some books (such as my extensive collection of Star Wars novels) whose physical manifestations I'd happily get rid of if I could load up a digital copy. Other books, I like having physical copies, but, as I mentioned, it would be great if I had them digitally as well.

And, oh right, there are some books I don't already have. Well, my local library does offer Kindle books on loan, which I've taken advantage of, but the Kindle lending library is extremely limited. As for purchasing, the thing about Kindle books is that they cost nearly as much as actual, physical books, which makes no sense to me since there's no material cost involved. If it comes down to a choice between a $9 book and a $8 Kindle copy, I'm generally going to get the book, because, let's face it, with a physical copy at least I can sell it (and recoup more than the hypothetical $1 difference, which, in many actual cases, from what I've seen, doesn't even exist) if I decide I don't want it. Or I can loan it out, or just leave it on my bookshelf to impress passers-by.

One Kindle purchasing option I do like, though, is Kindle Singles, in which short stories, articles, and essays are available for a fairly low price. I'll have to exercise some control to keep from going broke buying those.

So now that I have one and have actually gotten a chance to use it and see what the fuss is about, I find that I'm still a little ambivalent about the e-reader. It's definitely not going to revolutionize my reading the way iTunes and the iPod did the way I listen to music. There's no denying that it's a fun and useful little toy, though.

An Icon Moves On

2011-11-18T08:10:00.000-05:00

Troy's Nolan Retires
Troy Football Coach Resigns After 28th Season
Troy Coach Was Winner Off the Field, Too
Reflections on a Coach

As I am wont to do on Fridays in the fall, I find myself writing about Troy football once again. This time it's not about a game, though; in fact, it's two weeks after the Trojans' season has ended. And this time it's a little bittersweet.

I started attending Troy football games in earnest as a freshman in high school, in 1991. At that point, Coach Steve Nolan was in just his eighth year leading the football program. He was also my guidance counselor, although, outside of scheduling my classes, I don't remember ever interacting with him. At any rate, earlier this week, after 28 years at the helm of the Trojan football machine, Coach Nolan announced his retirement.

On one hand, I kind of saw this coming. I had been hearing rumors blowing in the breeze for a couple of years about the possibility of him retiring. When this season ended, bringing to a close the careers of a senior class that had led the Trojans to two consecutive 8-3 records and playoff appearances, it seemed that the timing might be right. Still, when I found out it had come to pass, it was a little bit of a shock.

Over the course of the past twenty years, I've become quite the Trojan football fan. During that whole time, Coach Nolan has been the face of the program, the only coach I've known. The other teams I follow--the Cincinnati Reds, and the BGSU Falcons football and men's basketball teams--have all changed leadership at some point. So, yes, the possibility of his retirement had occurred to me...but some part of me didn't really expect it to happen.

Coach Nolan was something of a polarizing figure among Troy football fans and in the community. I've talked Trojan football far and wide and heard a wide range of opinions. People would talk about his refusal to do anything but run the ball (even when the offense grew more balanced, as it did the past few years), his conservative clock management, his substitution patterns (or lack thereof), or any number of failings, as they saw them, and only grudgingly recognize the success he's had over the years. I'm not going to pretend like I didn't take issue with some of those things myself at various points over the years. I did. But at some point I realized that there was a method to his madness, so to speak, and all my frustrations melted away.

Troy is in Division I, Ohio's "big school" division, but is one of the smallest schools in that division. It's hard for a school Troy's size to have consistent success, I think, especially as high school football has become more competitive. Yet Coach Nolan has managed--his 202-95 overall record (and 17-12 record against Piqua) speaks for itself. A good deal of that success lies in the talent of the players he has coached, but Troy often faced off against teams with more talent and came out ahead. The other day I heard someone on a sports talk radio show saying of Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski that he doesn't always have the most talent but he always gets everything out of each player he has. That, too, was Coach Nolan.

So, yes, I'm sad to see him go, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't also excited to see what someone else can do with Troy's football program. Coach Nolan has left a great situation for the next coach to step into. Personally, I think it'll be defensive coordinator Scot Brewer who steps into Coach Nolan's considerable shoes--I've had him pegged as the successor since watching him transform Troy's defense into a formidable unit over the past several years--but we shall see if time bears that out. It sounds like they're looking to have a new coach in place by the end of the month, so we won't have to wait long. Whoever they choose, their first game will be at home against Chaminade-Julienne on August 24 of next year (280 days), and I'll be there to usher in a new era of Trojan football.

Upper Arlington 21 Troy 20 OT

2011-11-05T23:39:00.000-04:00

It's funny. I spend the majority of the year waiting impatienty as the calendar pages slowly turn toward yet another football season. When the season actually rolls around, those ten (or so) weeks pass in the blink of an eye. I feel like the season just started; I can't believe it's already over.

It hasn't always been this way. In the mid- to late '90s, I put so much time, thought, and energy toward following the Trojans that by the end of the season I was emotionally exhausted and, although disappointing, it was almost a relief when it was over. Somewhere along the line I learned to just enjoy the ride for whatever it turns out to be. As this game was ticking toward its thrilling conclusion, I was dying for a chance to do it all over again next week.

And if it had to end, what a way to go out. This was a great game, one of the best high school football games I've ever seen (and I've seen a lot). Troy and Upper Arlington were evenly matched, and both were giving it everything they had. Both teams had highs and lows on offense and defense, and you never knew what was going to happen next. My throat was raw by the time the game was over, and I'm sure I wasn't alone--this was the Trojan crowd I was waiting for all season, raucous and hungry.

The Trojans had their chances to take a lead and perhaps win the game in overtime, but then again, so did the Golden Bears. I really can't fault the Trojans for very much in this one. Sure, there were some dropped passes, turnovers, penalties, etc., but you're going to have some of that. I tweeted immediately after the game that I didn't like the playcall on the two-point try that decided the game in overtime, but on further reflection, it was okay. It wasn't what I would have called (which probably would have been a straight sweep around the end with Marcus Foster), but on a one-shot deal like that, you just have to take your shot and see what happens.

I do think that going for two points in that situation was the right thing to do, and I had a feeling that would be the gameplan if the Trojans got to that point. If you go for the tie and miss, I think that's a whole different level of disappointment than going for the win and coming up short; and, more to the point, with the way Troy's offense was playing, I felt like they had a great shot to get into the endzone and win the game. It didn't work out that way, obviously, but I still think it was the right call.

Had the conversion been successful, I would have lost my mind. As it was, I was standing in front of my seat when the ball was snapped; by the time Isaiah got tackled, I was up against the rail in the aisle, about 10-15 feet away. No idea how I got there.

So now the season is over, and the careers of Troy's talented and accomplished seniors are over. It'll be interesting to see what happens next year, particularly with the offense. Will the passing game go back to being an afterthought without Cody May and Ian Dunaway? Can the experienced offensive line compensate for the youth that will take over the skill positions? The 2012 season starts on August 24 (that's 293 days from now, if you're counting), so those questions (and more) will have to hold off until then. I, for one, am ready now.

Troy 53 Sidney 6

2011-10-28T10:43:00.000-04:00

Sidney has a great stadium. Aside from Troy, it's the best in the GWOC North. It's a great place to watch a game, and I really enjoy going to watch the Trojans play there.

That said, the field inside the stadium leaves something to be desired. As you can see, there was water standing in several places, despite the fact that it didn't rain today at all. Even in places where there wasn't actual water, it looked like a mud pit with a very thin layer of grass sprinkled over the top. The stadium has only been open for seven years, and I'm not sure why they didn't just put in artificial turf to start with (aside from cost issues). If they want to keep their natural surface, they need to fix their drainage issues.

The team that plays in the stadium also leaves a lot to be desired. The last time Troy played here was two years ago, the last game of the 2009 season. Sidney won that game 15-14 in overtime. For the Trojans, that was significant because the loss kept them out of the playoffs that season. For Sidney, it was significant because it allowed them to finish that season at 5-5. It was also the last time they won a game. With tonight's loss, they've gone 0-10 in consecutive seasons.

There's not a whole lot to say about this game. The Trojans could have named any score they wanted and then gone out and put it up. They were up 41-0 at halftime and the varsity was done for the night. The backups were still ripping off long plays against Sidney's first string defense, and only penalties and sloppy tackling (and kneeling on extra point plays) kept the score from being even worse than it was.

So now we wait for Troy's playoff picture to be resolved. They had already clinched a spot in the playoffs regardless of the outcome of this game; a win leaves them with hope of hosting a game in the first round. Of course, defeating a winless team doesn't do much for their Harbin rankings, and none of their previous opponents--CJ, Springboro, Beavercreek, Vandalia, or Miamisburg--won tonight to give them any help (Piqua did, of course, but they played Fairborn, another team Troy defeated, so it's mostly a wash). So I'll hold out hope for a home game, but I won't be surprised if they (and therefore I) end up traveling to Columbus next weekend instead.

UPDATE: If Joe Eitel's numbers are accurate, Troy will be a #5 seed and will indeed travel next week to take on the Upper Arlington Golden Bears. These two teams last played in 2000 in a second-round playoff game at Dayton's Welcome Stadium. Upper Arlington won that game 42-14 and went on to win the state championship.

Troy 38 Miamisburg 0

2011-10-21T22:30:00.000-04:00

Sometimes when I think of this Troy football team, I wonder a little bit how they've managed to be so successful. Anytime the Trojans have been strong, they've generally had a star at the halfback or fullback position (and sometimes both). From Ryan Brewer to Corey Brown to Matt Allen (and many more), the runningback is usually the key that starts Troy's engines. This year, they don't have that. Which isn't to take anything away from Marcus Foster, Isaiah Williams, Zach Jones, Miles Hibbler, or NIck James--the Trojans have a full stable of capable backs, but none of them are getting the lion's share of carries or putting up the eye-popping numbers Trojan fans are used to.

It dawned on me during this game--and really, I have no idea how it took so long--that the Trojans do have a star; he just plays a different position, one that oftentimes is an afterthought for a Troy program that has historically dominated on the ground. That star, ladies and gentlemen, is none other than quarterback Cody May. Tonight, on a long touchdown pass to receiver Ian Dunaway (something of a star in his own right), May went over the 1,000-yard passing mark, the first quarterback to do it in consecutive seasons since the legend Tommy Myers in 1961.

It's a shame more people weren't there to see it, though. On a night that was a little chilly (although really not too bad for late October in Ohio), against an opponent that wasn't supposed to (and didn't) put up much of a fight, and coming off last week's loss to Trotwood, the crowd was on the small side. And a little lethargic--there didn't seem to be much energy up there.

The Vikings of Miamisburg seemed a little lethargic as well, although maybe that was just because they were being utterly dominated in all phases of the game. They managed just 59 yards of offense on the night. Hopefully they'll fare better next week against Xenia; Troy needs all the Harbin points they can muster.

As for the Trojans, they'll finish out the regular season on the road next Friday against the hapless Sidney Yellowjackets (9-0). There's little doubt that Troy will be able to get their starters some rest in that one in anticipation of their first-round playoff matchup. Then it'll just be a waiting game to see who the Trojans will play in November, and if they'll have to travel to Columbus or if they'll get to play on their own turf.

Trotwood-Madison 33 Troy 13

2011-10-14T22:37:00.000-04:00

I'm going to try to get through this recap without writing anything snarky or bitter about Trotwood's coach and overall program. It'll be a struggle, but I'll do my best.

I thought going into this game that the Trojans had a chance to win, and they did. They would have had to play mistake-free, though, and that just didn't happen tonight. Three interceptions by QB Cody May (who had only three interceptions on the season coming into the game) were the real problem, all of them coming when the Trojans were moving the ball and had chances to put points on the board, but by no means does the blame for the loss lie solely with May. Troy just had a hard time getting anything going. Trotwood's speed and athleticism made it nearly impossible for the Trojans to attack the edges. They did have some success going up the middle, but they weren't going to be able to do that all night long; the offense just doesn't work that way.

The bright side of this game is that it'll be a long time before Troy sees another team like Trotwood, and it won't be during the regular season. The Rams are absolutely loaded. It's hard to imagine a more talented team in Division II, and they'd rarely be overmatched in Division I, either. Obviously, the Trojans are a playoff-caliber Division I team, and they simply couldn't keep up with the players Trotwood had on the field.

And that's really where this loss hurts the Trojans: what it means for their playoff future. They were #1 in the region going into this game, and, barring a total collapse in the remaining two games, there's no way they can miss the playoffs. However, a win tonight against Trotwood would have ensured them a top-4 spot in the region and a first-round home game. Tonight's loss makes that first-round game much less certain. Looking at the numbers, the Trojans still have a shot at hosting a first-rounder, but it's definitely up in the air. It would be great for the Trojans to get a game in the friendly confines of Troy Memorial Stadium and avoid the long road trip to play against a Columbus-area team on their turf.

But all of that is still a couple of weeks away. First the Trojans have to take care of their remaining business in the regular season. They'll look to put Trotwood behind them and get back on track when they return home next Friday to take on the Miamisburg Vikings (2-6).

Troy 27 Piqua 7

2011-10-07T23:12:00.000-04:00

Two years ago, Troy and Piqua both fielded young teams led mainly by sophomores. Piqua finished that year at 3-7; Troy went through some highs and lows on their way to a 5-5 record, just missing the playoffs. People on both sides pointed to the looming contest in 2011 as one that would be for the ages, when both teams’ green sophomores would be scarred and battle-tested seniors.

The difference in my eyes, at the time, was that Troy’s sophomores were pretty good players, whereas Piqua’s, as a group, were nothing to write home about. Granted, I saw nearly every down Troy played that season but just the one game for Piqua, so my judgment of their players was based on limited exposure. Still, the game results have borne out my initial thoughts: Troy 26 Piqua 0 (2009), Troy 27 Piqua 14 (2010); and Troy 27 Piqua 7 (2011).

That said.

This game always makes me nervous. Partially because Piqua is always so tough defensively even when they’re no great shakes in other facets of the game, partially because it’s a rivalry and they’re going to come in motivated and play with emotion, and partially because I feel like Coach Nolan always plays this game a little close to the vest (not entirely without reason). I started feeling it today around 2:00 and had a hard time concentrating for the rest of the day, despite having quite a bit to do.

The game did feature a few tense moments, but they were mostly on the other side of the field. After Piqua received the opening kickoff, their quarterback threw an interception on their third play from scrimmage. Troy drove down and scored, and that was pretty much that. The Indians were able to rack up some rushing yards on the Trojans, but the defense did a great job of bending without breaking. Piqua made some mistakes that contributed to that, of course, including a couple of bad snaps their quarterback couldn’t field—I was amazed when they continued to line him up in shotgun formation.

Any recap of this game would be incomplete without the mention of the 61-yard bomb Trojan QB Cody May threw to halfback Isaiah Williams in the first quarter. While it didn’t result (directly) in a touchdown—Williams stepped out of bounds at the 4-yard line—it was a thing of beauty nonetheless, a perfect spiral that dropped directly into his hands as he streaked down the sideline. And Williams did score on the next play, a sweep around the left side.

Really, the story of the night was probably the injuries. On a long punt return by Troy’s Ian Dunaway, a Piqua defender got absolutely crushed on a block and spent several minutes on the turf before finally jogging off the field. Shortly thereafter, another Piqua defender went down in the endzone, eventually being strapped to a board and carted off. While he was being tended to, paramedics were also checking on an elderly fan in Troy’s stands who had to be wheeled out. I heard there were several other injuries to Piqua players as well, so it was a bit of a rough night in that regard. Hopefully everyone is all right.

After my issues with the size of the crowd last week for Vandalia Butler, there was no concern for this game. I was a little surprised the Piqua stands weren’t fuller than they were, but there was a fair crowd standing along the fence lining the field, as well as outside the stadium. I know the Troy side was pretty jam-packed. The announced (estimated) crowd was 10,487 (in a 10,000-seat stadium), so that’s pretty awesome.

This was Troy's fifth consecutive victory over Piqua, giving them a 62-59-6 lead in the all-time series between the two teams. They'll mix it up again next year on October 26, the last game of the season. Both teams will look drastically different next season, so there's no telling what that game will bring.

With the win, Troy moves to 6-1, setting up a game next week that will almost certainly determine the winner of the GWOC North Division as they travel to take on Trotwood-Madison (7-0).

Troy 49 Vandalia Butler 15

2011-09-30T22:36:00.000-04:00

I want to start with a few words of praise for Ian Dunaway.

Dunaway is more than just a wide receiver par excellence, the main target in Troy's resurgent passing attack. He's also a special teams maven, serving as the team's punter, punt returner, and holder for extra points and field goals. All of those facets of his game came into play tonight against Vandalia; in particular, I was impressed by two very heady plays he made on special teams. The first was an extra point attempt after Troy's second touchdown. The snap was bad, but Dunaway didn't panic, just fielded it, rolled to his right, and flipped it into the endzone for a two-point conversion. Later, when a snap sailed over his head as he stood ready to punt, he ran back to the ball, picked it up, checked to see where the defenders were, and still managed to kick the ball downfield. Other players may have panicked on either or both of those plays, and the consequences could have had serious implications on the game. The fact that Dunaway kept his head and carried the plays out really impressed me.

I was a little nervous about this game going in, having heard and read all week about the size of Vandalia's offensive line and the havoc their halfback had already wreaked so far this season. I felt like Troy was probably better overall, but knowing how they had played the past few weeks, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I knew a slow start, like they had against Fairborn and Springboro, or an inability to put away a team on the ropes, as at Beavercreek, could be disastrous.

I needn't have worried, obviously. The Trojans put together their best performance of the season and had this one well in hand pretty much from beginning to end. Vandalia's halfback did get his yards, but he had to fight much harder for them than he was used to. As for Vandalia's vaunted O-line, they were a non-factor. Troy's smaller players did what they needed to do against them; and when the outcome of the game was no longer in question, Vandalia seemed to give up. That's when it turned into a thrashing in the fourth quarter.

And since it's been a habit this year to rant a little bit in these recaps, here's what I've got this week: A game between a 5-0 team and a 4-1 team deserves a better crowd than this game had. Vandalia, which is only about twelve miles from Troy, barely brought anyone, and the partisan Trojan crowd wasn't terribly impressive either. Sure, it was a little chilly, but it was a clear night until the last two minutes of the game.

I don't know what's happened to Troy crowds in general. It used to be downright hard to get a seat at a home game. Granted, that was when Ryan Brewer was running up and down the field and the Trojans might score 70 points per game, but even before then, when I was in high school, you had to get there early. And again, in those days, the band sat in the stands and not in the endzone, so that contributed. The only thing I can really attribute it to is that we lost some fans in the lean years following Brewer's graduation, and those fans haven't come back.

On a similar note, I don't understand why Troy doesn't make a bigger deal out of Homecoming. It seems like a perfect opportunity to try to get a big crowd by inviting all the alumni back. I know they probably can't give ticket discounts or anything, but they could offer some kind of incentive, or even just promote it in some way. "Hey, come back to Troy, watch a game, see your old friends." I'm friends with Troy Schools on Facebook, and it would be the simplest thing in the world to put up something like that.

Anyway. The crowd shouldn't be an issue next week as the Trojans host their arch rivals, the Piqua Indians, in this year's edition of Ohio's most-played rivalry. Troy leads the all-time series 61-59-6 and looks to extend their current four-game win streak. The Indians are 3-3 this year after suffering a tough loss to Trotwood tonight, so they'll come in looking for a win over the Trojans to make their season. Hopefully the Trojans will come out fired up as well and play just as well as they did against the Aviators tonight.

Troy 35 Beavercreek 28

2011-09-23T22:13:00.000-04:00

Dear Beavercreek athletic administration: your new turf looks fantastic. Unfortunately, your visitors' bleachers are among the worst I've visited. They're so low, it's nearly impossible to see the game over the players' heads as they stand on the sideline. Even from the very top row, the angle is just terrible. Just something to keep in mind should you happen to find a couple of extra bucks for further stadium improvement.

I actually had company for this game, which is something of a rarity. I have no problem going to the games by myself, and actually kind of like it most of the time, but it was nice to have someone there to talk football with.

The game wasn't really as close as the final score would indicate; at least, it didn't feel that way to me. Troy scored on a long fumble return early in the fourth quarter to go up 28-7. While the Beavers mounted a furious charge from that point onward, it never felt like the outcome was in doubt. The Trojans obviously had issues stopping Beavercreek's offense at that point, but they did a nice job of holding them in check until then, while the offense was more or less having its way with Beavercreek's defense. When you consider the Trojans lost a fumble on their own goal line early in the game and had another long touchdown pass negated by a penalty, not to mention an interception in the red zone, the score differential could and probably should have been much more than it was.

I really liked what I could see of Troy's offense against Beavercreek. The passing game was clicking, especially the tandem of QB Cody May and WR Ian Dunaway, and the halfbacks were doing more damage than they've done all season, especially attacking the edges. The Trojans put up 392 yards of offense: 252 on the ground and 140 in the air. HB Marcus Foster had some great runs and finished with 125 yards and a TD--Troy's first 100-yard rushing effort of the season, if I'm not mistaken.

Next week is Homecoming for the Trojans, and what a matchup. They open GWOC North play with the undefeated Aviators of Vandalia-Butler invading Troy Memorial Stadium. With a big offensive line and a ground-based attack, it'll be like playing Beavercreek all over again. Hopefully they can produce a similar outcome.

Troy 41 Springboro 21

2011-09-16T22:36:00.000-04:00

I started going to Troy football games as a freshman in high school, which, hard as it is for me to believe, was twenty (!) years ago. I haven't seen every game they've played in the meantime, but I've seen most of them.

The point of relaying that info: in all the games I've seen, I've never seen the Trojans play worse than they did in the first half tonight. I don't know what their problem was; they looked like a bunch of kids who had never even seen a football game before, to say nothing of being ready to play in one. They were getting gashed on defense, both on the ground and through the air, and the offense couldn't do anything, even against a Springboro defense that had given up tons of yards and points through their first three games.

As the first half was winding down, Troy was down 14-0, and it could have been a lot worse if not for a turnover on Springboro's first drive and then a goal line stand a short time later. The Trojans did manage to drive down the field and score before halftime to make the score 14-7, and it began to feel like they were getting themselves together, however belatedly.

I've been having a great time imagining the scene in the Trojan locker room at halftime. It couldn't have been pretty. Whatever was said, when they took the field in the second half, it was like a switch had been flipped. Marcus Foster took the opening kickoff back 90 yards for a touchdown, and Troy proceeded to put the screws to the Panthers on both sides of the ball throughout the quarter. Really, at that point it was like they were putting on a football clinic. They took a 14-7 deficit and turned it into a 34-14 lead in a mere twelve minutes.

The Trojans needed a second-half surge last week to put Fairborn away, but this was the biggest turnaround I've ever seen from one half to the next. The Trojans looked like a completely different team. I can't explain it. The only thing I can possibly attribute it to is some personnel changes they were dealing with; maybe it just took them some time to adjust. I don't honestly believe that, but it's all I've got.

Other observations:

* I was very happy to see/hear the referee testing his field mic before the game. It sounded great. He abandoned it in the second half anyway.

* Springboro's band made the trip. Just sayin'.

* I'm no scout or anything, but Springboro QB Josh Little looked really good. He might be a little short for a prototypical pocket-passing major college quarterback, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him land somewhere. Also, Springboro is a pretty decent team for being 0-4.

* It's great to watch a Trojan victory, then make it back to my car in time to hear the last few seconds of a Piqua loss on the radio.

With this scare behind them, the Trojans move on to the next challenge. Next Friday they travel to take on the Beavercreek Beavers (3-1) in another GWOC crossover showdown. I'll be arriving early, as, if memory serves, Beavercreek's visitors' side is very small.

September 11 Memories

2011-09-11T21:22:00.000-04:00

I debated whether or not I was going to post anything like this, whether I should add my voice to the cacophony of those sharing their thoughts and memories of what that day was like for them. I almost decided against it; after all, I didn't have anyone in peril that day, and likely nothing profound to add to the conversation. In the end, though, I realized that it was our tapestry of shared experience that helped to bring us all together on that day and the days that followed, and that my experience is no more or less worthy of inclusion than that of anyone else.

I slept through the whole thing. I'm not sure if that's better or worse. I didn't have the sinking feeling as I watched and tried to figure out exactly what was happening, but on the other hand, I had to try to take it in all at once.

I was 24. The company I had been working for had gone out of business about two months before, so I moved back to Bowling Green with my friends Mike and Adam and was in the process of looking for a new job. That day, I was sleeping in. I remember hearing the phone ring several times, but I didn't really think anything of it. By the time I woke up, the South Tower was already down, and the North Tower would not be long in joining it.

Then, as now, my first action upon waking was usually to get online, which is what I did that day. I was immediately presented with images and accounts of what was going on in New York, D.C., and Pennsylvania. Not to put too fine a point on it, I had my breath knocked out by all of it. I kept looking at pictures from New York and trying to grasp it. My aunt and uncle had taken me to NYC as a kid, I'm thinking it was 1988, and I was fascinated by the Twin Towers, absolutely loved them. Trying to wrap my head around the fact that they were gone, just gone....I couldn't quite do it.

Seen from the bay as we took a ferry around Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty

Seen from the Empire State Building

I watched the coverage all day and well into the evening, trying to keep abreast of new developments, particularly as they tried to figure out how many had been killed, or, more importantly, how many had found a way to survive. I tried to imagine being in those buildings under those circumstances, and I marveled at each new story of heroism and survival. It was like I couldn't get enough. I don't mean that in a morbid way; I just wanted to know everything that anyone else knew about what was going on.

I had plans that weekend to travel (drive) to South Carolina for a college football game between Bowling Green and the University of South Carolina. Those plans held until Thursday, when the decision was made to cancel all NCAA football games for the weekend. Instead, I held to my routine and went to a Troy High School game (in Greenville) on Friday night. My friend Amy usually went to the games with me back then, but she opted out that night, not quite ready to be in a crowd. I went by myself, and was heartened by the size of the crowd, which was smaller than it might otherwise have been, but not by as much as I might have expected. Someone handed out flag stickers that night, and being out in a crowd and hearing the National Anthem played by the band was the first time I had really felt good all week.

I felt the same way watching the tributes on TV when baseball resumed the following Monday, and then again when college football and the NFL came back the next weekend. As I watched those events, occasionally through tears, there came a point when I began to wonder if things would ever settle down into a routine and begin to feel normal again.

Eventually, of course, they did. People went back to their day-to-day lives, the world moved on, and now here we are, ten years later. It seems incredible that it possibly could have been that long. Obviously the U.S. and the world are still feeling the ripples from the events of that day, and that will be going on for a long, long time. And while it's impossible for anyone to completely prevent attacks like this from a determined enemy, we can only hope that it will be a long, long time before we see another day like that one.

Troy 35 Fairborn 11

2011-09-09T22:14:00.000-04:00

There are some things I like about away games more than I do home games. One of them, in some respects, is the crowd. Don't get me wrong; I love a rowdy and partisan home crowd at Troy Memorial Stadium. But going to home games is easy, and for a lot of people, it's more about the social setting than it is about the game. Sitting in the stands at a home game, you'll overhear any number of conversations, very few of which are about the game or the team. But it's not like that at away games, for the most part. Travel weeds out a lot of the casual fans, allowing the bleachers to fill with parents and family, long-timers, and die-hards. On the way to my seat tonight in Fairborn, I heard people talking about last week's game, the number of kids on the team, the size of the linemen, and Coach Nolan's evolving offensive philosophies.

One thing I don't especially like to hear, though, no matter where the game is being played, is talk of the game being a blowout before it has even started. Even when it seems likely, as it did for Troy over Fairborn, hearing people give voice to it always makes me nervous.

It seemed as though my fears were justified well into this game. The Skyhawks were pesky, and the Trojans seemed to be having a hard time getting anything together, especially along their makeshift offensive line that was wracked with injuries. When Fairborn scored their first touchdown midway through the third quarter and made the two-point conversion, the Trojans were ahead just 14-11, and the crowd was getting restless.

Luckily, it was at that point that something finally seemed to click for the Trojans. The defense tightened up, not allowing another Skyhawk first down for the remainder of the game, and the offense got moving both through the air and on the ground, scoring three more times to pull away and put the game out of reach.

Still, I have to admit to being pretty impressed with Fairborn's quarterback, Kendrick Williams. He puts the ball in the air quite a bit (31 attempts in this game), and yet the interception he threw in the fourth quarter was just his first of the season. While he does make a number of short, planned throws, he also has some freedom to run around, get creative, and take shots downfield. And while I wouldn't exactly call him a runner, he was very elusive, slipping away from defenders and making things happen.

On the Trojan side, I was also impressed with quarterback Cody May. I thought the passing game looked mostly out of sorts last week against Middletown, and while it was that way at times this week against Fairborn, he really did a nice job of spreading the ball around and making some big plays. He also had a couple of big runs when no receivers were open. I was also impressed with halfback Miles Hibbler running the ball. The other backs had some ups and downs, but Hibbler coming into the backfield really seemed to spark the Trojans.

And since last week I noted some things that could make the home game experience a little better (in my opinion), tonight I'll note something about away games: where the hell was the Trojan band? Look, I know the band has competitions and all that, but not on Friday nights. And I'm not pretending to know the story, so I don't know if this is a band decision, an administrative decision, or what. They just need to be at the games with the team.

Anyway, it was good to see the Trojans get back on the winning track after the tough loss last week. Next week they'll return to Troy Memorial Stadium to take on the Springboro Panthers (0-3), a team the Trojans shut 21-0 on their turf last year. They were supposed to be pretty good this year, so no doubt they'll be coming into the game a little salty and looking to avoid an 0-4 start.

Middletown 29 Troy 21

2011-09-02T22:10:00.001-04:00

It was clear going into this game that it would be a stern test for Troy, as Middletown looks to be one of the best teams in the state. The Middies also won 38-7 last year over a pretty good Troy team that finished 8-3 and made the playoffs. With both teams bringing back significant portions of their teams from last year, this had the makings of a potential classic.

It looked good for the Trojans early on. They stopped Middletown's first drive, then marched down the field themselves to take a 7-0 lead. Then they recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff and had a chance to go up by a couple of scores. Unfortunately, that wasn't to be. Troy's offense ended up getting stuffed on a fourth-and-one play; Middletown ran for 69 yards on the next play, taking the ball deep into Trojan territory and setting up their own first score.

That score (7-6 in Troy's favor) would hold until halftime. In the second half, the Middies barely ran any offensive plays other than the quarterback keeper and the fullback dive. With the heat and the number of Trojan linemen playing both ways, though, those plays were quite effective. Troy kept them from busting any long runs, but they marched down the field and wore down the defense, keeping the Trojan offense off the field at the same time.

On one hand, it was an impressive performance for the Trojans to hang tough with the talented Middies and make the outcome go down to the last play of the game. On the other hand, the game was marred by costly penalties and turnovers by both sides, as well as some general craziness. At one point toward the end of the first half, a Middletown drive was extended by a pass interference call on fourth and long, even though Middletown's quarterback had sailed the pass far beyond the endzone, clearly uncatchable. Their scoring chance ended, though, when Troy blocked a field goal; when Trojan defender Fred Whitson picked up the ball and ran it back for a TD, however, the Trojans were flagged for having too many men on the field, negating the score and ending the half. On the night, Troy was flagged for nine penalties, many of which came at really unfortunate times.

On a sidenote...this being Troy's home opener, it was awesome being back at Troy Memorial Stadium, even given the night's heat. Still, it would be nice if there was a director of gameday operations (or something) to improve the experience of being there. Here are a few things I noticed that could use some attention:

* On my way into the stadium, I passed one guy selling tickets for the 50/50 raffle. At the time, I was focused on getting my entry ticket and my game program, so I passed him by with the intention of buying tickets inside the stadium instead. I didn't find anyone selling tickets inside, though, neither underneath the stadium or in the bleachers. I'm not saying there wasn't anyone selling them in there, but if they were there, they sure were hard to find.

* As I came into the stadium, there were a couple of girls sitting at a table underneath a sign that said "Alumni Association." On the table were stacks of booklets that seemed as if they were for sale. There was nothing to indicate what the booklets were, though, or how much they cost.

* When the stadium was renovated a few years ago, a dedicated space was set aside for a Trojan Spirit Store where you could buy hats, shirts, and all kinds of stuff with the Trojan logo emblazoned on it. The merchandise selection has been declining for a while, though, and tonight the store wasn't even open.

* Many years ago, the game program used to list Troy football's school records. That information has long since disappeared, and it has always driven me crazy. I always loved looking over that stuff. If I can go on a tangent to this tangent, even if there isn't room for it in the program, it wouldn't be too hard to list the info on a Trojan football or athletics website, along with all the numbers Troy has retired throughout their history.

* The referee has a microphone that ostensibly allows him to announce penalties and other info from the field. The sound quality wasn't very good, though. The volume was too low to hear over the crowd noise, and sometimes there was some pretty heavy interference. I don't know if there's anything to be done about that sort of thing; I'm glad they have it, but it seemed mostly useless tonight.

Anyway, it was a tough loss for the Trojans, but the good news is that Middletown was definitely the toughest team they'll see this season. They get a chance to get back on their feet next Friday when they travel to take on the Fairborn Skyhawks (1-1).

Troy 30 Chaminade-Julienne 0

2011-08-26T21:47:00.001-04:00

First off, the stadium at West Carrollton Junior High isn't really fit to host a high school football game, at least not for the visiting team and their fans. The stands are built from old, warped wood with a vaguely dangerous feel, and the upper half is difficult to reach due to being separated, for some reason, by a rail that's broken only at the ends and in the middle. Also, I'm pretty sure the Trojans were using a U-Haul truck as their locker room. I realize CJ doesn't have a stadium of their own, but it seems like there must have been better alternatives. Alas, perhaps not.

On the other hand, high school football is back, and that's all that really mattered on this night. The Trojans kicked off to start the season, but still managed to get on the board early. Two early CJ fumbles deep in their own territory led to a 10-0 Troy lead before the first quarter was halfway over. Defense really set the tone in the first half, as the Trojans didn't score again until recovering a blocked punt in the endzone close to the end of the half.

After the half, Troy's young offensive line started to find its way and open some holes for the running game. The first two drives of the third quarter went 69 and 72 yards, respectively, both ending in TDs. That took care of the scoring, as Troy started working in some reserve players in the fourth quarter.

Really, the story of the night was Troy's defense, which was incredibly impressive. Aside from the two early fumble recoveries, they also had two interceptions in the game, and were getting their hands on passes all night. I thought they did a great job holding up CJ's sizable ballcarriers and then swarming, trying to strip the ball or, at the very least, bring them down for a minimal gain. They also got a lot of pressure on CJ's quarterback and put some nice hits on him. It was just an all-around great performance, especially for the first game of the season.

One of the best things I saw on the night was the quarterback wristbands being worn by Troy's offensive skill players. In seasons past, the quarterback ran to the sideline after each play to get the next one, which resulted in its fair share of delay penalties. Now the coaches can signal the plays in, which keeps the pace quicker. For a run-oriented team like Troy, that can make a real difference. I also liked the play of Zach Thompson, Troy's freshman kicker. The kid seems to have a good leg on him, which can be a serious weapon in the high school game.

Despite the shutout, I don't think CJ is a bad team at all, particularly on defense. They've got some size and speed, so they should be okay as the season goes on.

Next week, the Trojans return home to open Troy Memorial Stadium for the season, taking on the formidable Middletown Middies. Middletown handled Troy last year 38-7, in a game marred by four lost fumbles by the Trojans. It'll be interesting to see how the two teams match up this year.

Book Review: Freedom

2011-08-24T17:30:00.000-04:00

I've been working on a couple of editing projects over the last couple of weeks, so it had been a while since I had sat down and read, for pleasure, anything I hadn't read before. But, with my last project coming to a close, it was time to find something good to read; it was therefore fortuitous that I came across Freedom by Jonathan Franzen during a trip to the library last week. It really reminded me of the simple joy of reading something new and fresh.

I think "joy" is an interesting word to use in conjunction with Freedom, though, as, in general, I would describe the novel as bitter, cynical, and angry. Or at least the characters contained within it are, and that sets the overall tone, although it does end on a slightly different note. The book itself is kind of depressing, almost heartbreaking, and yet it was a great read.

Admittedly, I have a weakness for character-driven stories, which this definitely was. If someone asked me to describe the plot, I couldn't really do it, at least not in a way that would make it sound interesting. Where the appeal lies is in the believability (notice I didn't say "likability"; there's precious little of that to be found) of the characters and situations. I suppose that, for the general reading public, the secret lives of ordinary people going through their day-to-day lives doesn't sound terribly exciting, but I personally think it's a fascinating topic to explore.

And really, I think that's mostly how I would sum this book up: it's not going to be everyone's cup of tea. It appealed a great deal to me, but I know my wife wouldn't like it. It's very well written, and on a prose level, it's very easy to read; on an emotional comfort level, it's not easy to read at all. The characters are believable, but almost none of them are likable, at least not consistently. It explores the dark side of friendship, love, marriage, sex, parent-child relationships, and, yes, even freedom. It's absorbing and thought-provoking and delicious, and I loved it, but it requires an investment that a lot of readers probably won't want to make.

Just a few other random thoughts:

* Too many characters with names starting with J. Joey, Jessica, Jenna, Jonathan, Joyce, Jocelyn. If there's a hidden meaning to this, I haven't sussed it out yet.

* With all of the anger expressed in the book on a variety of topics, sometimes it seemed like the author's personal views were seeping in. I don't know if that's the case, just that it seemed that way, and it was a little off-putting.

* The way it ended had a totally different feel from the rest of the book. I wanted to dislike it...and yet, somehow, it fits.

* Not one zombie or benevolent vampire? C'mon, man.

Reds Rant Revisited

2011-08-09T18:29:00.002-04:00

It's been a week since I posted a response to the absurd rumor of a possible Joey Votto (+) trade for Jose Bautista between the Reds and Blue Jays. In that week, the "trade Joey Votto" drumbeat hasn't died down; if anything, it's intensified. And I still have things to say about it. Lucky you.

Okay, the rationale that some are proposing for such a trade goes like this: the Reds have Yonder Alonso ready to take over first base if Votto is traded. Votto is signed only through 2013, whereas Bautista is signed (essentially) through 2016 for what's considered a reasonable amount for a player of his recent caliber. When Votto's contract is up after 2013, the Reds are unlikely to be able to afford what he'll command on the open market. Trading him now allows them to get an elite player in return, whom they'll control longer, and it'll solve the gaping hole they have in left field without significantly harming them at first base.

Admittedly, it makes a certain amount of sense when you look at it in black and white. But it just doesn't hold up when you look at it closely. And here's why:

* First off, Joey Votto is not just the best player the Reds have; he's the best player they've had in years. Ken Griffey Jr. was, unfortunately, a shell of his former self for most of his years in Cincy. You'd have to go back to Barry Larkin or Eric Davis to find anyone who comes close. If you're serious about winning, you don't trade Joey Votto. You build around him and try to make the most of the years in which you have him.

* Jose Bautista has had an amazing season and a half, starting at the beginning of the 2010 season and running through this year's All-Star break. But he was in the league for six years before that and was a nobody. So who is this guy? You have to wonder where he came from, and where he's headed. He's not someone I'd feel comfortable paying the high price of Joey Votto for, I'll tell you that much. If you make that trade and get the pre-2010 Jose Bautista, you've made a terrible, terrible mistake. On top of that, he's going to be 31 before next season starts; not terribly old, but old enough that it's more likely his skills will decline instead of increase. Votto, who will be 28 next month, is just rounding into his prime.

* Sure, Yonder Alonso is ready to play first base for the Reds in the event that Votto is traded. But he looked absolutely dreadful in left field this past weekend in Chicago, and word is that he's below average defensively at first base as well. So was Votto when he came up, of course, and he's put in a ton of time and effort to get much better. Will Alonso do the same, and is he even capable of getting that much better? Question marks. Sure, it looks like he'd be a great bat to have in the lineup, but this isn't the American League, and he needs to be able to field a position.

* I might also mention that Alonso, if I've read his contract details correctly, can become a free agent after next season. So if you trade Votto because he's likely to leave after 2013 and go with Alonso as the first baseman, you have to deal with his contract even year sooner. And no, it's not going to take the same money to sign him that it would Votto, but still, there are no guarantees that the Reds could/would re-sign him.

Update: John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer informs me that Alonso is not, in fact, a free agent after 2012. However, the information I found online (here and here) says that he is. So that last paragraph may or may not be accurate; I'm not sure.

Personally, I don't think the "ZOMG, HE'S ONLY SIGNED THROUGH 2013!!!1!!" argument is all that compelling anyway. That's two full seasons AFTER this year. You want to tell me that in two years the Reds won't have some other kid knocking on the door to play first base in the event that Votto leaves?

Look, I understand the argument that if he's going to leave anyway you might as well get something in return. So if the Reds are having a crappy season in 2013 and trade him before the end of the year, so be it. But you don't trade one of the league's best players if you're serious about winning. Sure, try to get Bautista--or someone--but do it to complement Votto, not to replace him. That's how you're going to make the team better.

And really, if I can go off on a little tangent,, this whole situation demonstrates why baseball needs a salary cap/floor situation. All else being equal, there should be no reason why any Major League club should be unable to afford to keep a player if they are inclined to do so. Sure, sure, capitalism, the open market, I get it. But what baseball needs to realize is that the product it's selling isn't the individual teams; it's the competition between those teams. Franchises like Cincinnati, Kansas City, Oakland, and Pittsburgh are playing by different rules than New York (take your pick), Boston, and Philadelphia. Obviously, the smaller market teams can win on occasion, but rarely with consistency, and never with continuity. And there's no margin for error--one bad contract can cripple the team for years. It's not healthy for teams in those markets, and I don't think it's healthy for the game in general. But maybe that's just me.

Edited for clarification: What I mean is this...let's say that the market decides Joey Votto is worth $25 million per year when his contract is up. Team A says "Oh, $25 million...we could do it, but it would limit us being able to put a team around him"; Team B says "$25 million? Chump change. Sign here, Mr. Votto." Assuming neither team is saddled with ridiculous contracts elsewhere, that doesn't make for good, honest competition.

But getting back to the Reds...I feel like I should reiterate that there's no indication that the Reds have actually discussed trading Votto for Bautista or for anyone. And it's not a foregone conclusion that the Reds won't be able to sign him to an extension. It's sheer conjecture all the way around. I do think there are going to be some trades made this offseason, though. It'll be interesting to see who ends up coming and going.

And if they do happen to trade Votto...well, I'll be disappointed, sure, but part of me will also be excited to see how the new guys (whoever they may be) benefit the team. That's just how you have to roll with baseball. My wife Brandi watches most of the games with me, and a couple of years ago she was upset that they had traded a player she really liked, and she told me she was done with the Reds. My response? "Baby, you married the Reds."

Your 2011 Cincinnati Reds

2011-08-02T18:09:00.000-04:00

I love the Reds. I watch 'em on TV just about every day, and try to listen to them on the radio on the rare occasions when I can't watch. I could write about them every day if I had a mind to, but I don't: over the course of such a long season, it just doesn't make sense to put too much stock into any single game.

Likewise, I try not to get worked up over any trades or player transactions they make, even when they involve players I like, because it's something I have no control over, and once it's done, it's done. There are plenty of Reds fans who even now want to rehash the Hamilton-for-Volquez trade, which happened in 2007. That's not me. However, with all the crazy rumors flying around this past weekend's trade deadline, I read one report of a possible trade that set me off--even though it didn't happen. Reigning National League Most Valuable Player Joey Votto--plus a prospect--to Toronto for Jose Bautista...are you kidding me?

Okay, first things first: there's absolutely zero evidence that the Reds and Blue Jays were actually discussing this trade; it's just hearsay and speculation. I think what really blew my mind is how many Reds fans seem to think that this would be a good trade for the Reds to make. What?

Look, I'm not opposed to blockbuster trades, again, even if I like the players leaving my team, but this is just dumb. Jose Bautista has been an amazing hitter for two seasons. Prior to that, he was completely pedestrian. Can he sustain what he's doing now? Who knows? Joey Votto, on the other hand, is an elite player (maybe I'm biased, but I'd say he's in the top 5 in all of baseball) who has been good to great since he came up. I realize there are contract differences which skew values, but still, you don't trade a guy like that for just one player, especially one who's questionable going forward like Bautista is.

Proponents of a potential Votto trade point to the fact that he's "only" signed through 2013 and hasn't indicated that he'd like to stay with the Reds beyond that point. So? Can you imagine the uproar if the Cardinals had traded Albert Pujols midway through the 2009 season because they may "only" have him for two and a half more seasons? And if they had only gotten one guy in return, and had to throw in a minor-leaguer to make it happen? That, friends and neighbors, would have blown up the Internet, and this Votto trade, had it happened, would have been just as ridiculous.

I also think it's amusing that so many Reds fans would be so quick to trade Votto when so many of them advocate for hanging onto Jay Bruce and Drew Stubbs at all costs. Sure, they're good players with plenty of potential to get better, but they're not in the same universe as Votto in terms of production or consistency. It boggles my mind that they'd want to get rid of the guy who's actually realizing his potential but not the guys who may or may not ever do the same. And I don't say that to dog Bruce or Stubbs. I like them both, but they're frustrating to watch sometimes. If it was either of their names in this proposed trade instead of Votto, I'd be way less irritated. I mean, sure, I'd love to have Bautista in the lineup, but not at the cost of Votto.

If Votto hasn't signed a contract extension by this point in the 2013 season, you can talk trade then; otherwise, if you're Reds GM Walt Jocketty, you hang up on anyone who mentions him. But that's just me. If it's true that trading him was an option (and again, this is just speculation), it could be an interesting offseason.

Anyway....

I wasn't terribly disappointed by the Reds' lack of activity by the recently passed trade deadline. I really would have liked for them to get Ubaldo Jimenez, but Cleveland ended up paying a deep price for him. I can only imagine who Colorado wanted from the Reds. There were a couple of other players who may have made nice additions (Michael Bourn, Hunter Pence), but they probably wouldn't have been game-changers. I was a little surprised they didn't trade Ramon Hernandez so they could bring up Devin Mesoraco, but it's hard to argue against keeping Razor Ramon for a possible stretch run.

It's been a weird year for the Reds. Finally coming into the season with some real expectations after winning the National League Central last year, they've been disappointing and frustrating. Last year, it seemed like a different player was coming through for them each night. This year, it seems like a different player or aspect of the game is letting them down each night. They have a huge task ahead of them if they're going to repeat as Central Division champions. It seems unlikely, but I'm not ready to abandon all hope just yet.

With all this in mind, here's what I'd like to see the Reds do between now and the beginning of next season:

* Pick up Brandon Phillips's option, or sign him to a longer-term deal. This is as close to a no-brainer as there is.

* Make Mesoraco the starting catcher. I really like Ramon, and I have no problem hanging onto him through the rest of this season if that's how it plays out. But Mesoraco is ready, and there's no reason why he should be in the minor leagues again next season.

* Put Aroldis Chapman in the starting rotation. He's been pitching lights-out lately, albeit in short relief outings. If he can translate that into success as a starter, he'd be a monster, a huge asset alongside Johnny Cueto and Mike Leake.

* Figure out what to do with the rest of the rotation. Between Bronson Arroyo, Homer Bailey, Edinson Volquez, and Travis Wood, there are plenty of candidates and plenty of question marks. I'm hoping Bronson will return to form; with his contract, he's going to be on the roster and likely in the rotation. Personally, I'd see what I could get in trade for Volquez and/or Bailey. I also wouldn't mind if they re-signed Dontrelle Willis, but I doubt that happens. And if they can make a deal for another top-of-the-line starter, they should. You can never have enough pitching.

* Find a closer. I don't know if they'll try to re-sign Francisco Cordero, but it seems unlikely to me that they'll be able to. A lot of baseball people think the "closer" role is overrated, but I remember what a shambles the Reds bullpen was in during the years when they didn't really have one. I don't think Nick Masset or Logan Ondrusek should go into this role, so they'll either need to see what else is on the free agent market or give the job to Brad Boxberger, who's I understand has been closing for the triple-A club. Chapman's a possibility, but I think that would be a waste of his talent. He needs to be a starter.

* Left field. Will it be Chris Heisey or Dave Sappelt? I like Heisey a lot, but I'm starting to think he's best as a reserve outfielder, a pinch-hitter, defensive replacement, and spot starter. If it's Sappelt, he'll slide into the leadoff spot and move Drew Stubbs down in the order. I don't think Stubbs is a terrible option at leadoff, so I'd really rather the Reds find a slugger to play left field and bat cleanup. I just don't know who that would be. Carlos Beltran would fit, in a perfect world, but he's almost definitely going to be out of the Reds' price range.

* Get something for Yonder Alonso. I don't think he can be sent to the minor leagues again next year, and even if he can, he has nothing left to prove down there. His bat would be great in the Reds lineup, but he's a man without a position. He's not going to play first base for the Reds while Joey Votto is here, and he's not a major-league left fielder. I'm sure there are teams out there that need a first baseman or designated hitter, so use Alonso to get someone who solves the closer or left field/cleanup hitter issues.

* Replace Brook Jacoby (hitting coach) and Mark Berry (third base coach). Tons of people would like the Reds to replace manager Dusty Baker; I have much smaller aspirations. I don't think Dusty is anywhere near as bad as others seem to believe. He's okay by me. And really, I don't know nearly enough about the intricacies of coaching to know if Jacoby and Berry really need to go. I just know that the Reds offense is inconsistent despite plenty of talent, which might fall on Jacoby, and I've seen Berry make plenty of questionable decisions about sending or holding runners at third base. I also know that if the Reds finish with a losing record after winning the division last year, some changes in the coaching staff are likely. I don't see Dusty going anywhere, and I feel like pitching coach Brian Price is safe too.

That all seems like a lot, but I really don't think it is. I feel like the Reds are really close, not just to being good for the Central Division, but to being able to content for World Series championships. They have a lot of fantastic pieces in place; they just need to finish the puzzle. When I look into my crystal ball, I see them sticking with the status quo for the rest of this season in an effort to win the Central again. But I think it's going to be an incredibly interesting offseason.

TV and Teenagers

2011-07-18T08:07:00.000-04:00

Even with a DVR, I'm terrible about watching television shows. Generally what happens is that I'll set the DVR to record a series I'm interested in, then forget about it until there's a huge backlog of episodes to watch. Then I'll either give up and delete them all or gorge myself to get through them and then repeat the process. For example, the third season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars ended in March, and there are still episodes on my DVR, waiting for me to be ready to watch them.

I was interested in the Friday Night Lights series when it started in 2006. I enjoyed both the book by Buzz Bissinger and the movie based on it, and as readers of this blog already know, I'm all for just about anything dealing with high school football. However, it was one of those series that ended up getting backlogged on the DVR. It never made it to decision time, though; I did manage to watch the pilot episode, but at a certain point that DVR went on the fritz and had to be replaced, and all the recorded episodes went with it.

As a sidenote, I have to mention that NBC did this series no favors right from the start. With a show about high school football, you'd figure that a sizable portion of the potential audience would be people who like high school football. I mean, that stands to reason, yes? Well, if so, then why did they schedule it to air on Friday nights in the fall? I guess it might seem a little silly to air a show called Friday Night Lights on any night other than Friday, but on Friday nights in the fall, people who like high school football are at high school football games. So it's no wonder that ratings weren't so hot, even though the show did well with critics and reviewers.

Anyway, last Friday I read something about the Friday Night Lights series finale, which was airing that night, which reminded me that I had wanted to watch the series at one time. A glance at the calendar informed me that it was also six weeks to the start of the football season. So I checked Netflix to see if Friday Night Lights was available for streaming, and indeed it was. Over the course of the weekend, I watched the first three episodes (yes, I had seen the pilot before, but it was almost six years ago, so I opted for the refresher).

The verdict after three episodes: great show. Of course, the frequent pans of the stadium and a town obviously gearing up for game night would probably be enough to keep me watching, but thankfully, it goes way beyond that. I really like the character of Coach Taylor, who shows just the right touch of disgust and bemusement with all the attention surrounding his program. I like how the show mixes both the positive and negative aspects of football fandom. I like the way it portrays the home and school lives of the characters in such a way that the actual games are almost secondary. And I like that the football footage isn't completely over the top, as fictionalized football has a tendency to be: a lot of the hits look to be harder than you generally see in high school football, but there aren't any players doing flips or being knocked ten yards downfield, or anything like that.

But there's more to it too, at least for me. Back in my halcyon days as an undergraduate student taking creative writing classes, I somehow came across the advice (I can't remember now if it was something I read or something someone told me) that you shouldn't make a habit of featuring characters in high school or college because readers didn't want to read about those types of characters. While I can see where that comes from--there comes a point in time when most adults stop being able to identify with students--I don't really understand it. Personally, I love stories about high school kids, as long as they're well done (which, admittedly, is at least somewhat rare). What's not to like? Characters at that age, for the most part, are inherently dynamic; there's conflict and drama built into their lives; and they feel everything so intensely.

Granted, I identify with teenagers more than most people my age probably do, but that's why I love shows like Friday Night Lights and Glee (another show relegated to DVR limbo and eventually forgotten), not to mention books/movies like Harry Potter. It's a way to relive the thoughts and emotions of those days, without actually having to relive the days themselves.

Actually, as Brandi and I were waiting to see the final Harry Potter film yesterday afternoon, I was telling her about the first time I got in to see an R-rated movie (The People Under the Stairs...ugh) in a theater, which happened when I was 14. I sat there for a second after finishing the story, then said, "Wow. That was twenty years ago." Hard to believe, at least for me.

Music Notes

2011-06-27T08:17:00.001-04:00

In light of Saturday's post on Michael Jackson, I've had a few other music-related thoughts floating around in my brain. Since I'm up early for no apparent reason this morning, I thought I'd toss 'em out there.

Desert Island Albums
In alphabetical but otherwise no particular order:

The Beatles - Abbey Road
Angie Aparo - The American
Guns 'n' Roses - Appetite for Destruction
P.M. Dawn - The Bliss Album...?
Michael Jackson - Thriller

Favorite Songs
These are in order--for today. Ask me tomorrow and the order may have changed, or some of the songs may be different. You know how it goes.

Van Morrison - "Tupelo Honey"
Edwin McCain - "Sign on the Door"
The Beatles - "Hey Jude"
Guns 'n' Roses - "Patience"
John Lennon - "Imagine"
Dar Williams - "After All"
P.M. Dawn - "The Ways of the Wind"
Edwin McCain - "3 A.M."
The Beatles - "Eleanor Rigby"
Patty Griffin - "Tony"

The Collection
I'm pretty sure Thriller was the first album I had on cassette, but I can't swear to it. When I was in eighth grade, my brother Jim gave me a Sony Discman, and I switched to CDs. My first CD was Slaughter's Stick It to Ya, which, sadly, isn't quite in the same league as Thriller. Right now, there are 5,849 songs in my iTunes library (just 78 of which I've rated with five stars).At 36.39 GB, my 40GB iPod is close to being maxed out. However, it's entirely possible that Google Music will let me phase out my iPod (except, most likely, for long car trips).

Concerts
I've actually lost count of the number of times I've seen Edwin McCain perform live--it's somewhere around 13-15. I've seen him in Cincinnati, Cleveland, Indianapolis, Detroit, and even Ypsilanti. The biggest concert I've been to, I'm sad to say, was when I took my wife Brandi to see Britney Spears in Columbus two years ago. Aside from that, it was either No Doubt in '97 or Def Leppard in '99 (I think). My first concert was Firehouse ("Don't Treat Me Bad," "Love of a Lifetime") and Alias ("More Than Words Can Say") when I was in junior high. And not too long after that, I can remember being extremely upset about not being allowed to go see Motley Crue and Warrant. What can I say? I had exquisite musical taste.

I would love to see Paul McCartney when he comes to Cincinnati in August, but it seems pretty unlikely that I'll be able to make that happen.

Remembering MJ

2011-06-25T16:55:00.001-04:00

I still remember where I was, two years ago today, when I learned that Michael Jackson had died. Brandi and I had just gotten the keys to our first house a few days earlier but hadn't moved in yet; I was painting the walls of the room that would become my office. Brandi was at work that evening, and she called me--for a wonder, I actually heard and answered my phone--and gave me the news.

I'm generally a quiet guy, but I can remember only a couple of occasions when I've been struck speechless. This was one of those times.

Before I get too far into this, let's get this part out of the way: yes, Michael Jackson was a flawed, possibly disturbed individual. I acknowledge that my feelings for him as an individual are a little conflicted; but my love for his music is untouched and unapologetic. Whatever else he may have been, he was a musical genius.

I've mentioned before that I grew up in a mostly music-free household. My mom's not into music at all, and I've never known my dad to listen to it anywhere outside of the car. I'm a huge music lover myself--I can't imagine my life without it--but I had to come to it almost completely on my own. Fortunately for me, a little album called Thriller came out in 1982.

What drew me to it initially was the title track, "Thriller," when it was released as a single--and, just as importantly, a music video. That was in 1984, so I close to seven when I heard it for the first time. Even at that young age, I loved anything spooky, so the song and the video were right up my alley. My parents bought me a sound-capable Viewmaster that played the song as you viewed slides showing scenes from the video (in 3D!). I loved that thing. Eventually I got the album on cassette, and I played it so much that I had worn it out within a week. And, then as now, when I find a new interest, I want to consume it in as many ways as possible. I had Michael Jackson posters and books, collected other tapes, watched reruns of the old Jackson 5ive cartoon. When my parents took me to EPCOT Center a few years later, I made sure we got to see Captain EO. Yes, I even had a sparkly silver glove (which, come to think of it, is possibly still floating around my parents' house somewhere).

Even now, all these years later, with my 34th birthday just over a week away, I still count the Thriller album as one of my absolute favorites. I love every single song on there--not just for nostalgia, but because they're great songs. But when I hear them, I can still remember being a little kid, lying in bed and listening with my headphones on and just grooving on those songs.

So, for music, Michael Jackson was very much my gateway drug. That's where it all began. Over the years, as my taste in music grew, I was still a fan of just about everything Michael put out. My music collection evolved from cassettes to CDs and eventually to MP3s, iTunes, and an iPod, but MJ was always well represented. When I heard he was dead, I was just stunned, and incredibly sad that his voice was stilled. This is a wound that hasn't really healed with time. I still listen to his music with a bittersweet feeling, knowing that what we have is, for the most part, all we're likely to get. Yes, I have Michael, the posthumous album, and it's not terrible; and I know there's probably more of those on the way. While I look forward to hearing anything that comes out, it just isn't the same. And that makes me sad.

Some Thoughts on the Death of Osama bin Laden

2011-05-03T00:18:00.001-04:00

I was in bed when I found out. Brandi was asleep, and I was watching TV and periodically checking Twitter on my phone. When I read that President Obama would be making a statement, I really didn't think too much about it. Then, as reports started coming through that indicated what the statement was about, I switched over to CNN.

I watched the coverage as various aspects of the story came through. When the president finally came on to make his speech, I woke Brandi up so we could see it together.

The whole situation seemed so surreal. September 11 was so long ago, and with the resulting conflicts that have unfolded in Iraq and Afghanistan, I had almost forgotten that the main point of U.S. operations in the Middle East was to bring him to justice. For news of his death to come at this point, apropos of seemingly nothing else, was a little hard to process at first.

So I watched. I was especially interested to see the impromptu gathering of celebrants at the White House gates and, as the night went on, in New York City and college campuses around the nation. I was struck by how much these celebrations looked like so much like video from foreign places of celebrations or protests, often military/political in nature: people waving flags, chanting, singing, etc.

Seeing so much jubilation over the violent demise of another human being...I found it unsettling, distasteful, and completely understandable. Kids in college now were only 8-12 years old on September 11. They've grown up with the threat of bin Laden's deeds hanging constantly over their heads; to them, the news of his death must have been like finding out the monster in the closet had been killed. Also, this isn't a conventional conflict like wars in the past, when winning a battle or taking a town or territory could indicate progress. In a way, this is really the first symbol of victory the U.S. and its allies have had since this conflict began ten years ago, and really probably the only symbol of progress or victory the general public could even recognize.

So. He's dead. Notice I didn't say he was "brought to justice" or anything quite so trite as that, because I really don't believe there is such a thing as justice for a person like bin Laden. He was the cause of so much pain, death, and grief over the course of his "career," and he paid for it with a violent end. That doesn't seem like justice, but it does seem like the only ending that was even close to fair. Taking him alive would have been a circus. While I cannot join others in rejoicing in his death, I feel relief that the search has come to an end with this particular resolution.

By no means is this a magic bullet or instant cure. The so-called war on terror isn't over, troops aren't coming home immediately, and gas prices aren't even coming down. Sadly, there are no solutions that would bring about those results, at least not in a rapid manner. But this is a step in the right direction. The world is marginally better now than it was on Sunday, and that will have to be enough for now.

On Selecting the Droid

2011-04-29T00:46:00.003-04:00

A week ago, Verizon informed me that I was eligible for a new cell phone at a discounted price. I was happy, for the most part, with my Blackberry, but it was clear that the Blackberry is becoming the red-headed stepchild of smartphones, with all the cool apps being developed for either the Droid or the iPhone. Being the tech-lover I am, I wanted to get in on that action.

There was a time, not so long ago, when I just kind of assumed I'd upgrade to an iPhone if it ever became available for Verizon. When that finally happened, I started looking into it, and I was dismayed by what I found out. One of the chief attractions of the iPhone, for me, was the opportunity to combine my iPod and my phone. However, as my 40GB iPod is already nearing its capacity, the largest (32GB) iPhone was already too small to hold all my music, to say nothing of downloading apps, taking photos, or whatever. If they offered a (much) higher-capacity iPhone (say, 80GB), I likely would have considered it more. Although a model like that would probably be cost-prohibitive.

Another factor that weighed against the iPhone is that I really like having a physical keyboard instead of just the touchscreen version. I very much prefer texting and email to actually talking on the phone, and my (admittedly limited) experiences playing with the iPhone showed me that the touchscreen keyboard was way too much of a pain to be a viable option for me.

So I eschewed the iPhone, opting instead for the Droid 2. I got it on Monday of this week, and I absolutely love it. I'm using it to compose this post, as a matter of fact. It won't replace my iPod, but with Amazon's Cloud Player and the Pandora Radio app, it'll do just fine in the music department. And the web browser is light-years better than what I had on my Blackberry.

It's turning out to be pretty handy in other ways too. I downloaded a Couch to 5K app that will help me build up my running endurance and (hopefully) avoid the injury issues I experienced last year. I've already done my first successful run with it. I can also access Google Docs when I want to do some writing on the go. At some point I'll probably even give the Kindle app a try. I'm a little resistant to the idea of e-books, but they probably have their place. I don't yet have a subscription to MLB.tv, but I love the fact that I can watch games on my phone if I do sign up; and eventually I assume Netflix will offer a streaming video app as well.

The only thing I'm not crazy about is the battery life, which, to be blunt, is laughably brief. I understand that it's a pretty powerful machine for something so small, but having to recharge it during the day as well as overnight is pretty ridiculous for a device that's ostensibly designed to be used on the go. It isn't a huge deal for me since I work at home anyway, but I'll definitely have to remember to give it a fresh charge anytime I need to go somewhere and actually might use it while I'm out.

Of course, I understand that battery life is a common strike against all smartphones, not this one in particular, so that's something I'd be dealing with anyway. That being the case, I highly recommend the Droid 2 for anyone looking for a new phone. It's a pretty sweet little gadget.

Back on the Beam

2011-04-02T17:38:00.000-04:00

You may have noticed that the Yawp has been maintaining radio silence for a while, with just a couple of posts since the beginning of the year. The truth is, I've been dealing with a personal issue for the past few months. I debated over writing a post to vent about it, but I've decided against it, mostly because it involves something stupid on my part and it's a little embarrassing. I finally put it all behind me this week, and after getting a massage today to help me come down from the stress that accumulated from it, it's time to leave it all in the past.

So! That being said, here are a few things that are actually worth commenting on:

* Baseball season. Glad it's back. Opening Day looked a little rough for a while but turned into an exhilarating win for the Reds. It looks, very early on, like they're going to be just as exciting this year as they were last year. I picked up an authentic Joey Votto jersey for myself last weekend, and I'll be rocking it throughout the season. I can't wait until the weather warms up so we can get down to a game.

* I'm really glad to see Butler and VCU in the Final Four; I just wish it had worked out so they didn't have to play each other at this point. I mean, on one hand it's great that one of them will definitely be in the championship game, but it would be great if they were split up and had a chance of meeting in the championship game. Either way, it's going to be great basketball. I'm pulling for Butler tonight (visit Hinkle Fieldhouse for a game if you ever have a chance; it's a basketball mecca), but whichever team wins, I'll be cheering for them to win the championship over either Kentucky or UConn on Monday night.

* Speaking of "the Beam," I was ecstatic to learn that another Stephen King Dark Tower project is becoming a reality, with The Wind Through the Keyhole coming in 2012. I've been reading the graphic novels from Marvel for my Tower fix lately, and while I enjoy them (particularly the artwork), they just don't have the depth of the novels. So it's good to know that there's at least one more in the offing.

Of course, I'm also looking forward to 11/22/63, which will be the next novel published by King. I have only a little taste for an occasional alternate history novel, but I am interested in the '60s and the Kennedy era, and King has already showed a deft touch for the '60s with Hearts in Atlantis.

* And speaking of graphic novels, let me take a moment to recommend Joe Hill's outstanding Locke & Key series. Even if graphic novels (or "comics," if you prefer) aren't your thing (they generally aren't mine, with some exceptions), these are worth reading. The storyline is fascinating, the characters are interesting, and the illustrations are great--in some places, they're breathtaking. Check 'em out.

* Right now I'm reading Catch-22, which I somehow missed in my high school and college lit classes. It's taking me kind of a long time to get through, for some reason, but I'm enjoying it. Coming up after I finish that I'm looking forward to a couple of Douglas Coupland novels I haven't read before (Generation A and Player One), and then a Truman Capote classic (Breakfast at Tiffany's, recommended to me by a couple of friends). I've not read Capote before; I'm looking forward to it.

* At some point in the near future I'll probably also pick up a brief overview of the American Revolution. I've recently started doing some freelance proofreading for a publication called Patriots of the American Revolution; I'm really enjoying the work, but all those history classes were a long time ago, and it's time for a refresher, just to give myself a stronger foundation. As for the magazine, it's extremely well done. If you're interested in American history and the Revolution in particular (it focuses on the American side, of course, but doesn't neglect the British side), give it a look.

The Taylor Swift Experiment

2011-01-19T17:41:00.017-05:00

Don't be put off by the title. This story has a happy ending.

Because of my job, I'm usually pretty aware of what's going on in pop culture and the entertainment industry. So I knew about Taylor Swift before she got completely huge; but it was a while before I actually heard any of her music. I'm not much of a country music fan, but I'm always interested in at least sampling the phenomenon du jour. So many people rail against that sort of thing on general principles, which I guess I understand, but I like to actually inform my opinions. And hey, occasionally you come across something that's genuinely worth the hype.

At any rate, after hearing so much about her, I was looking forward to hearing for myself what the fuss was all about. My first chance to do so came with a televised live performance, which was stunning in its dreadfulness. I mean, it was just awe-inspiringly terrible. And I don't mean I just didn't like the music; I mean she was incapable of performing it. I think the phrase "couldn't carry a tune in a bucket" would be applicable here. She couldn't hit the right note to save her life. I saw little choice but to chalk it up to a bad performance and give her another chance. When that second chance rolled around, though, it was the same story: brutally bad.

I was totally flabbergasted. It was inconceivable that this person had a record deal and was allowed to perform in front of crowds, let alone how popular she was becoming. Any rational person would have just come to the conclusion "she's terrible and people have bad taste" and gone on with their lives, but I was still interested in trying to figure out what the hell was going on. It kind of lingered in the back of my mind for a while, until eventually I came up with a solution: I went to my local public library and checked out her albums (at this point there were two).

The conclusion: she's much, much better in the studio than she is live. Still nothing to get terribly excited about, in terms of her singing voice, but on disc she's at least competent. Freed from the burden of such havoc being wreaked upon your eardrums, you can actually focus on what she's singing, rather than how. She's not Bob Dylan, but her songs, lyrically, are kind of charming. Thinking back to my teenage years, I can identify with them, even being the wrong gender. And that, finally, let me understand how she became a sensation, even with bland, middle-of-the-road country-pop and no ability to perform live.

Which is all fine and good...but the real revelation in all of this was the ability to check music CDs out of the library. Of course, I was well aware that you could do this; I just had never really thought about why you might want to. I'm not sure why it had never occurred to me as a great way to check out music you're interested in, for whatever reason, but don't know much about.

I love music, but I grew up in a largely music-free household, so my exposure and knowledge was limited mostly to whatever was big on the radio at a given time. That started with the pop and hair metal of the '80s and transitioned to grunge and alternative in the '90s. I'd pick up bits and pieces of other stuff here and there, but it was pretty slim. Now I'm exploring classic rock pretty thoroughly, checking out artists like Led Zeppelin, Van Morrison, and Santana, as well as lesser-known contemporary artists like Ray LaMontagne and Grace Potter and the Nocturnals (and if you aren't listening to those two, you should be). Next up I'll probably dive into some David Bowie...and maybe some Elvis. Who knows?

And then there are the Beatles. The lingering devotion to them always kind of baffled me, so I checked out a few of their discs (Rubber Soul, Abbey Road, and the White Album) pretty early on, and now I'm on board wholeheartedly. My wife Brandi gave me the box set (all their CDs, digitally remastered) for Christmas, and I've been geeking out on those ever since. And, seeking to understand their cultural significance as well as their music, I've also checked out a couple of books (yep, the library still does those too) about them. The Beatles: The Biography by Bob Spitz is what I'm reading now, which basically just tells the chronological story of how they got together and eventually broke up. I also checked out Can't Buy Me Love by Jonathan Gould, which deals more specifically with the music and the impact it had.

It's amazing where a little curiosity can lead, even when it seems totally innocuous and even a little goofy at the time.

2011: The Resolutions

2011-01-02T22:36:00.010-05:00

I see that I spent very little time here on the blog in 2010. Frankly, I'm just glad it's over. On that note, let's take a look at some of the things I hope to get up to now that the calendar has flipped over to the hopefully friendlier 2011.

* Writing. Priority #1. Yes, I make this resolution every year, so I don't want to dwell on it too much, but I do want to spend (a lot) more time writing. I think I've found a new way of looking at it that should help me reach this goal, but we'll see. Fiction, blog posts, journal entries, emails, whatever. Words on paper or screen.

* Health. I've spent the past couple of months doing very little in the way of exercise in order to recover from shin splints and what was most likely a stress fracture in my left ankle. I'm incredibly pleased to report that I'm now pain-free and ready to get back in action. So I want to start doing some exercises to strengthen my lower legs so I can get back to walking and running this spring and avoid anymore repetitive stress injuries. And I want to keep in mind, when I do get back out there, that I need to take it slow. I think I originally got hurt by pushing myself to do more than I was ready for.

* Communication. I am, unfortunately, pretty bad about keeping in touch with friends, even those I consider pretty close. In the past few weeks, I've had the chance to catch up with a couple of very old friends, which made me realize how much I miss people. Facebook helps with this, but it's not a magic bullet by any means. I genuinely hate calling people on the phone, but email has always been a fantastic tool. I need to use it more, and hey! That can also help me with Priority #1 (above).

* Finances. Brandi and I are a little financially...undisciplined, I guess you could say, at times. We're not in danger of losing our house or anything like that, but it would be nice to get a little more organized and give ourselves a little more cushion. We're going to need a new car or two soon, and we'd like to get some new furniture and stuff like that. We've come up with some ideas together that should help with the discipline and organization. Another of our joint resolutions is to clear out some stuff we no longer need or want; selling whatever we're able to will help. I'll also be starting to do some freelance work soon, which should provide a small new income stream, which will be nice.

I really like the New Year holiday, but I honestly feel a sense of optimism this year that exceeds even what I usually have. I feel like 2011 is going to be a good one. If I can follow through on these resolutions, I see no reason why it should be anything else.

Pickerington Central 24 Troy 8

2010-11-06T21:35:00.002-04:00

There are times, in life as well as in sports, when you run into a buzzsaw. The true measure of success in such situations is not in victory or defeat, but rather in how one comports oneself in the face of sheer adversity.

It was clear, if not from game previews throughout the week than certainly from the pregame warmups, that Troy was outmatched in this game. Pickerington had a distinct advantage over the visiting Trojans, both in terms of numbers and in terms of size. While that doesn't always translate on the field of play, in this case it was clear early on in the game that it did. The Tigers covered the field with gifted athletes on both sides of the ball. But while some teams would have quailed in such a situation, the Trojans refused to yield. Yes, Pickerington won the game, but they had to fight for everything they got.

Pickerington's defense proved too strong for Troy's run game to attack up the middle, and too fast for them to attack on the edges. So they turned to the passing game - not their strong point, generally speaking, but something they've used more this year than in years past. They were able to find some success with it, albeit not consistently enough to put points on the board. On defense is where the Trojans truly excelled. While Pickerington may have boasted better athletes, the Troy D swarmed to the ball and repeatedly stuffed Tiger ballcarriers for little or no gain. It really was something special to behold. And the special teams did their part as well, with Troy's lone score coming off a return after a blocked punt. That was too late in the game to truly make a difference, but early enough to make the last few minutes interesting.

So while the Trojans went down to defeat, ending the season at 8-3, I was really proud of them. This game was a perfect example of why I love sports, especially high school sports. The outcome of the game is often only part of the story.

Of course, I noted earlier that the Trojans made Pickerington fight for everything they got in this game. Unforutunately, it seemed like some of the Tiger players may have taken that a little too literally, as one of them was ejected after a personal foul in the fourth quarter. That ejection actually should have been the second (unless the perpetrator was the same each time; I was a little too irate at the time to take note of numbers) since, earlier in the game, a Tiger defender threw a roundhouse at a Trojan receiver's head after a catch. I think they were probably frustrated after winning most of their games by 40+ this season and finally coming up against an opponent that kept after them from beginning to end.

One other item of note: Trojan quarterback Cody May threw for 122 yards in this game, becoming just the third quarterback to eclipse 1,000 passing yards in a season since Coach Nolan took over the program in 1984. May, a junior, will be back next season, and he'll be bringing a ton of talent back with him. So - I'm calling it a year in advance - don't be surprised to see Troy back in the thick of the Region 3 playoff chase again next year.

Troy 57 Sidney 7

2010-10-29T21:48:00.001-04:00

What a difference a year makes.

Last year the Trojans came into Week 10 with a 5-4 record needing a win over Sidney and some help in order to make it into the Division I playoffs in Ohio. They got the help they needed, but ended up losing to the Yellowjackets 15-14 in overtime. This year the Trojans came into week 10 with a 7-2 record needing a win over Sidney and some help in order to make it into the Division I playoffs in Ohio. They got the help they needed, and plowed over the hapless Yellowjackets like they weren't even there.

In most ways, this game was a lot like last week - the Trojans won so handily that there really isn't a whole lot to say about the game itself. After finishing 5-5 last year, Sidney has fallen on hard times. They finish up at 0-10 this year, and struggled all year with injuries. Their lone score of the game came in the fourth quarter, against Troy's second-string defense, which helped them out with a couple of penalties, after a turnover by Troy's second-string offense. Their quarterback only completed four passes, but threw five interceptions. In short, it was a long night for them; Troy had the game well in hand before halftime.

So now the Trojans wait for final word on their playoff fate, which should be announced sometime on Sunday. It looks to me like they'll travel to take on Pickerington Central, the top seed in the region, which will be a long ride and a stiff test. Still, it's a great feeling to be back in the playoffs; I can only imagine how the players and coaches feel.

A Day in the Box

2010-10-27T23:45:00.001-04:00

I did something yesterday that I had never done before: I served on a jury.

I was selected as a potential juror a few years ago, when I still lived in Bowling Green, but the case didn't go to trial and I didn't have to report. This time, I got the notification toward the end of August that I would be a potential juror here in Miami County for the entire month of October. I was selected in the beginning of the month, but once again I didn't have to report. I figured that was probably the end of it, until I received another notice telling me to report yesterday. I had a feeling I was finally going to have to do it, and sure enough, when I called the hotline number on the day before, the message indicated that I did indeed need to be there.

It worked out pretty well, actually. When I was summoned earlier in the month, it was during a really busy time in my work schedule. Missing work at that point would have been a real pain. Not that my schedule means anything to the court, obviously, but this time was much more convenient. That being the case, I was actually mostly looking forward to serving.

When they called us into the courtroom, there were 28 prospective jurors. I was in the main jury box from the get-go: Juror #3. As the judge and the attorneys asked questions and began excusing those who weren't selected, I kept half-expecting to hear my number called, even though I saw no reason why it would be. And when the panel was whittled down to twelve jurors and an alternate, I was still Juror #3. There were just three potential jurors of the original 28 who did not get called into the main box to be considered for the final jury.

Jury selection lasted about an hour and a half. It got pretty tedious toward the end as those who replaced jurors who had been excused had to answer the same questions already put to the rest of us, and that process repeated several times. We were given a short break when it was over, then came back into the courtroom for opening statements and the first couple of witnesses. After three of them, I think, the judge decided we were at a good stopping point, and we were given an hour and a half for lunch.

The Miami County Safety Building, where court is held, is in downtown Troy, so I walked a couple of blocks to have lunch at the Caroline on the square, our favorite restaurant in town. After I got there, a line of severe storms rolled through town, brining high winds, heavy downpour, and even a tornado warning. Needless to say, I was a little concerned about my walk back to the safety building - I had no desire to go back into the courtroom drenched from the storm. Luckily, I had enough time to wait it out until the worst had passed, and then I was able to borrow an umbrella that had been left at the restaurant over a year ago to shield me from the remaining drizzle as I headed back.

After lunch we continued hearing testimony from witnesses. There were seven in all, including both defendants. We had one break almost immediately after lunch when the attorneys and the judge had to hash out who knows what, and we had another between the witnesses and the closing statements. We had been told in the morning that the trial was expexted to last two days, but we got to the closing statements early enough in the afternoon that it was pretty clear we were going to wrap it up in one.

After the closing statements the judge gave us our instructions and we retired to the jury room for our deliberations. This was mostly a formality, as it quickly became clear that everyone had a similar line of thought about the verdict. We talked it all over anyway, though, bringing up any concerns we did have and working through them. I'd say it was about twenty minutes to half an hour before we rang for the clerk to let her know we had reached our unanimous decision.

I'm not going to get into the details of the case, but being an observer of a trial was an interesting and eye-opening experience. Each of the defendants and at least one of the witnesses were no strangers to the courtroom, and it was almost shocking to see the casual, offhand manner in which they behaved. They obviously weren't fazed by the experience. I was also surprised how easily, even on the stand, they admitted to drug use and other offenses they weren't being tried for in this instance, as well as some other things they said and the way they said them. It's the sort of thing where you're trying to keep your expression as neutral as possible, but sometimes it's easier said than done. Several other jurors said the same thing during our deliberations.

Another interesting aspect of the whole thing was that the witnesses we heard from in the morning all told essentially the same story regarding the chain of events in question; in the afternoon, we heard a couple of entirely different stories. It was really tough to try to discern who was lying and who was telling the truth about which parts. That was the crux of the matter during our deliberations, especially given the fact that none of the witnesses seemed especially reliable or credible.

In all, even though it mostly consisted of just sitting and listening, it was a pretty exhausting day. I was wiped out by the time I got home. That said, it was really interesting, and pretty rewarding to actually be a part of the process. I know I have no control over it, but it's something I would gladly do again.

Troy 50 Miamisburg 14

2010-10-22T21:48:00.002-04:00

After watching last week's game from behind the endzone and being mostly unable to really tell what was going on, it was nice to get back to a regular perspective. Also, after a loss last week, it was nice to see the Trojans get back to their winning ways.

This was my first trip to Miamisburg's Harmon Field - the last time Troy played the Vikings was in the first round of the 2000 playoffs, a game at Troy Memorial Stadium (that was also a big win for the Trojans, by the way). At first glance, it seemed like a stadium I wouldn't like - there was no parking lot, so parking was just on nearby side streets; it's an older, relatively small stadium, particularly on the visitors' side; amenities were limited. In actuality, though, I loved it. It might have jumped to the top of my list of favorite stadiums to visit. I was actually pretty bummed that I decided against taking my camera. The crowd was fairly small (the winner of the 50/50 drawing took home just $35) and I got there early, so parking wasn't an issue. I parked right across from the stadium, actually - when I took my seat in the top row of the visitors' stands, I found that I could actually see my car. And the setting was just awesome. It's in a neighborhood, which I love, and there were plenty of trees around. I could smell the falling leaves and a nearby fire, and combined with a little chill in the air, it was a perfect fall evening, one I would bottle if I could and label it "High School Football." Absolutely perfect.

Of course, it helped that the Trojans took care of business and put Miamisburg away early. Really, there's not a whole lot to say about the game - Troy dominated in all phases. Which they should have, considering they came into the game at 6-2 whereas Miamisburg was 1-7. If they had wanted to post another shutout, they likely could have done so.

As hard as it is to believe, the regular season wraps up next Friday. The winless Sidney Yellowjackets come to Troy for senior night with a playoff berth possibly on the line for the Trojans. Sidney won't provide much help in terms of computer points, so we'll have to hope for some help.

Trotwood-Madison 18 Troy 0

2010-10-16T15:42:00.001-04:00

I don't have a whole lot to say about this game, and it has nothing to do with the fact that the Trojans lost. The Troy High School class of 1995 is holding a number of 15-year reunion festivities this weekend, and the first of them was a gathering at tonight's game. The section at Troy Memorial Stadium that is set aside for reunions is behind the east endzone. While on one hand there were some moments when it was really cool to see the game from that angle, the fact of the matter is that for a good portion of the game I simply couldn't tell what was going on. I had only the vaguest notion of field position, for example.

So really, it was a terrible place to sit and actually pay attention to a game. For reunion purposes, though...a bunch of old friends hanging out at a football game with no idea what's going on? Yep, that sounds like high school, all right.

From what I could see of the game, though, I was surprised by Trotwood's defense. The Trojans couldn't get much going; and when they did get a nice play, it was negated by a penalty or ended with a fumble. Troy's defense did a pretty nice job, geting a bunch of takeaways when they were backed up against the endzone, but with no help from the offense, they were playing under pressure all night long.

So the Trojans fall to 6-2 and probably lose all hope of winning the GWOC North. Their playoff hopes also take a hit, as Trotwood represented their last opportunity to rack up significant Harbin points. To keep those hopes alive, they'll have to get back on track next week at Miamisburg (1-7) and hope the Columbus-area teams beat up on each other a little bit.

Troy 27 Piqua 14

2010-10-08T22:03:00.003-04:00

Ah yes, the annual Troy-Piqua matchup. This is the one game each year that, no matter how things are going, each team - and its fans - circles on the calendar. I normally like to take the day off work before this game, as concentration is a little on the thin side. That wasn't an option this year, unfortunately.

Nevertheless, I still managed to get to the stadium in Piqua by 6:00. The crowd was a late-arriving one, so I had no trouble buying a ticket, getting into the stadium right away, and settling myself down in a spot in the visitors' side bleachers right on the 50-yard line. Good deal. Of course, being in such a prime location, it was inevitable that I would soon be surrounded by other fans, which is like Mr. Gump's box of chocolates - "you never know what you're gonna get." In this case, I ended up with a bunch of people who thought the officials were clearly favoring the opposing team, and weren't shy about voicing their opinions. They seemed nice enough otherwise, though, and it seemed as though a number of them may have had kids or other young relatives playing for the Trojans, so I suppose their feelings were understandable, irritating though they may have been at times.

Of course, as the game started and then wore on, I found that my lack of concentration wasn't limited solely to the workday. During the game, my mind was occasionally on the Cincinnati Reds and their playoff game. It wasn't enough to keep me from paying attention or anything like that; I just wasn't quite as into it as I normally am. Then again, that may have had something to do with the fact that it was clear, early on, that the Trojans didn't have much to fear from the Indians this time around. They didn't win quite as soundly as I thought they would (I opined when asked on Thursday night that Troy would win by three TDs), as Piqua was aided on their first score by some of the unnatural luck that is so often their hallmark - on a kickoff return, they fumbled the ball near the sideline, and it was then picked up by another player who was able to run untouched into the endzone. Otherwise, the Indian offense was mostly impotent, and without looking at stats I can say with a fair amount of confidence that their QB completed nearly as many passes to the Trojan defense as he did to his own guys. That allowed the Troy offense to play pretty close to the vest and still overcome the number of penalties they committed.

The win was Troy's fourth in a row over their archrivals, meaning that this year's senior class has never experienced a loss to Piqua. That's pretty impressive. The series record now stands at 61-59-6 in favor of the Trojans, where it will stay until the two teams get together again on October 7 of next year at Troy Memorial Stadium.

Also, I think it's worth noting, this was the 20th consecutive Troy-Piqua matchup I've attended, the first being the classic 1992 matchup when both teams were undefeated and state-ranked in Division I and Troy beat Piqua 22-7 in front of a well-over-capacity crowd of 14,000 or so at Troy Memorial Stadium. I was a sophomore at Troy at the time, and that crowd was absolutely nuts. In the 20 games I've seen, the Trojans are now 11-9. For what it's worth, I actually saw someone wearing a t-shirt from that 1992 game at the stadium tonight. Unbelievable. I think I had one of those at the time, but it wore out a long, long time ago (I think my oldest Troy-Piqua shirt is from 1997, and it's not fit to be worn in public).

Anyway, the win also pushes the Trojans' record to 6-1 on the season, 2-0 in the GWOC North division. The division championship will almost certainly be decided next week, when the Trotwood-Madison Rams (5-2, 1-0) visit Troy for Homecoming. That game will kick off the 15-year reunion festivities for Troy High School's class of 1995, of which I am a member. Should be a great time.

Troy 34 Vandalia Butler 7

2010-10-01T21:56:00.002-04:00

Before I talk about the game itself, an aside on high school football stadiums.

Troy Memorial Stadium was built in 1949. While it's undergone significant renovations since then, the core structure remains. With Vandalia getting a new stadium this year, Troy is now the one school in the GWOC North (until Greenville rejoins in 2012) without a stadium that was built in the past few years. The funny thing about that is that it's still the best out of all of them, in my (possibly biased) opinion. It's the largest, with a capacity of 10,000 (the home and visitor sides being of equal size); each side has concessions and restroom facilities located conveniently right under the bleachers; and there's ample parking (free) and the postgame traffic flow is pretty reasonable. Sure, there's the stigma of still being saddled with a natural grass playing surface (gasp!), but while that may matter to the powers-that-be who determine sites for playoff games, I personally prefer the grass. Sloppy games in the mud are fun every now and then, am I right?

The reason I bring this up is because, as I mentioned, Vandalia's stadium is new this year, and this was my first chance to see it. There are positives and negatives. First off, they tore out the old field and bleachers and rebuilt in the same location, which I've always liked. It abuts a neighborhood, with several houses having backyards that look directly onto the field from the north endzone. I've noticed over the years that several of those houses host large gatherings complete with small fires on game nights, which I think is totally awesome. The new FieldTurf looks fantastic, and the new bleachers (on the visitors' side, at least; I can't speak for the home side) are a vast improvement, for no other reason than that they're actually raised high enough that you can see the action on the field over the players on the sideline. Being able to see the game is definitely a nice touch, even for people from out of town (are you listening, Beavercreek?). I started the night just a few rows up, which was fine, then moved up near the top after halftime. While my view of the scoreboard was obstructed from there by one of the poles for the stadium lighting, the view of the game was phenomenal.

So my initial impressions of the new place were positive, but as the night wore on I realized it still leaves a lot to be desired. For one thing, there have never been locker rooms at the stadium proper, and they didn't bother to rectify that, meaning that the players have to trek all the way over to the high school to reach the locker rooms. Obviously that doesn't affect the spectators, but I imagine (and could offer evidence from at least one former Trojan) that the players aren't too thrilled with the arrangement. Also, there are no loudspeakers on the visitors' side, meaning that sometimes you can hear what's coming over the PA system and sometimes you can't. Finally, there are no concessions or permanent restroom facilities on the visitors' side, meaning you have to cross to the home side and hope for the best. On this night, I stood in the concessions line for almost the whole of halftime and came away empty-handed because I didn't want to miss any of the second half. The concessions situation may be adequate when there's a smaller crowd, but tonight was Vandalia's homecoming and Troy essentially filled their side of the stadium, and one concession stand just wasn't enough. I think it'd be a simple enough matter to set up a temporary one on the visitors' side for large crowds, but if they do have that contingency plan it obviously wasn't in place for tonight.

What really matters, of course, is the action on the field, and Vandalia found themselves lacking in that area as well. They did manage to score, though, something that half of Troy's opponents this season haven't been able to say, and they did so on their opening drive, putting Troy behind for the first time since the Middletown game. After that, though, the Trojan defense returned to form and put the clamps on the Aviators, keeping them from scoring for the rest of the game and taking the ball away on a number of occasions. One of those was a beautiful one-handed interception by Marcus Foster as he went out of bounds at the ten-yard line just before halftime, and the other was made by Ian Nadolny in the endzone. Foster also had a pair of TDs on offense, along with 75 rushing yards and 116 receiving yards.

One last thing: one member of Troy's student section had a sign that read "We Are the Purple People Eaters" (purple is Vandalia's primary team color). He would carry it back and forth in front of the visitors' bleachers each time Troy scored, which got a pretty good reaction from the crowd. On my way out of the stadium after the game, I was behind him as he held this sign up to the Vandalia players as they left the field to begin the long trek back to the high school and the locker room. Most ignored him, but one had to be physically restrained by a teammate from going after him. Probably not the smartest move by either side, but nothing came of it. Kids will be kids.

The Passage of Time and Other Bitter Amusements

2010-09-29T19:04:00.000-04:00

* Fifteen years ago at this time, I was just a couple weeks into my first quarter of college at Wright State University. In the span of time between then and now, I've graduated from college (not WSU, though), been through five different jobs, moved countless times, including back to my hometown, ended two relationships, gotten married, adopted a cat, and bought a house. That's a pretty significant chunk of life right there.

That fall, fifteen years ago, I watched the Cincinnati Reds fall to the Atlanta Braves in the National League Championship Series. Last night I watched the Reds defeat the Houston Astros to clinch their first berth in the playoffs since then. It hasn't been easy to be a Reds fan these past fifteen years, but the exuberance of last night's victory makes it all worth it. Even the injury that comes along with it: in my postgame celebration I managed to slam my hand into the ceiling, and I've got a pretty painful set of bloody knuckles going on right now.

* As for the how the Reds will fare in the playoffs, well, it's anyone's guess. I'm not getting into the prediction business, not on this one. It's no secret that they haven't had a lot of success against the really good teams, the teams they'll be facing in the playoffs. That said, just the way this team is, I'm not counting them out of anything. Either way, I won't be terribly surprised. Of course I want them to go all the way to and win the World Series, but I'm not going to let myself be disappointed if that doesn't happen, even if they get swept out of the first round. This season has been so much fun already, and they've exceeded my expectations by winning the Central Division. Any success they have from here on out is just gravy.

I will say, though, that Joey Votto is pretty clearly the league MVP, and Dusty Baker should win the Manager of the Year award as well. I'd give Gold Gloves to Brandon Phillips, Scott Rolen, and Jay Bruce, although, in reality, I think only Phillips will win one.

* In addition to watching the playoffs, I've got a pretty busy month of October coming up. This Saturday is BGSU's homecoming, which Brandi and I are planning to attend. We'll be there for the football game and likely a night on the town in some of our old stomping grounds. Next week I'm scheduled for jury duty; I'll find out on Monday if I actually have to do it or not. I have mixed feelings about it - I hope I get to do it, but I also hope it doesn't take too long. That Friday is the Troy-Piqua football game, which is always a big deal around here. The first couple days of the following week I'll be traveling to Toledo for my monthly trip to the office (assuming I'm not still on jury duty, which would really screw things up). That weekend will be taken up with events surrounding my 15-year high school reunion. Then there's Halloween. I always enjoy handing out candy to trick-or-treaters, and I think Brandi and I are going to take up the mantle of hosting the annual Halloween party, a duty left to us by our friend Carly, the past hostess, when she absconded to Baltimore for grad school.

* For a fair portion of this summer, I was well on my way toward getting into the habit of walking and/or running a few times per week. Then I developed an injury in my lower left ankle area that I originally thought may be a stress fracture but that Brandi now thinks is some kind of tendon issue. Either way, the recommended treatment for either malady is rest. So I've been doing that for a couple of weeks now, and, along with some massages and the recent help of an ankle brace, the leg seems to be coming along nicely. It still twinges from time to time, but it's neither as constant nor as painful as it was before. That being the case, I'm seriously itching to get back on the horse, activity-wise. Part of it is because I was coming to enjoy the exercise, and I know that I need it, and part of it is just because this is the time of year that I want to be outside, like, all the time. But at the same time, I don't want to push it too soon and risk hurting it again. So I think I'm going to give it the rest of this week and see how it feels after that. I'll likely be on my feet quite a bit this weekend during our trip to Bowling Green, so if it feels pretty strong on Monday, I think I'll probably consider myself ready to at least start taking some long walks again.

Troy 29 Beavercreek 0

2010-09-24T21:39:00.002-04:00

If you ask anyone who follows Dayton-area football about the Troy Trojans, be prepared to hear about offense. Troy has been running the Wing-T since Coach Nolan came to town in the mid-1980s, churning out rushing yards and wins in big chunks. I've been paying attention since the early '90s, and I could talk to you all day about Ryan Brewer, Matt Dallman, Corey Brown, and all the great offensive games I've seen in that time. The Trojans are still running the Wing-T (although not as exclusively as they once did), but this might be the first Trojan team to bring defense to the forefront of the conversation. After game five, the Trojan D has now pitched three shutouts. The one touchdown scored by Fairborn in Week 3 was essentially a gift from the officials, and really, they didn't fare too badly against state-ranked Middletown until late in the game when they were worn down from being on the field for so long.

In a lot of ways, this game looked a lot like the Springboro game last week. The Trojans scored relatively early and then got a little bogged down on offense, but the defense kept the Beavers off the board and made it feel like they had it under control. Beavercreek was able to get some yards with their option attack, but Troy made stops when they needed to by bringing some lumber and forcing a couple of turnovers.

The Trojans needed that kind of effort from their defense, because Beavercreek's defense was nothing to sneeze at either. They did a nice job of keeping Troy's vaunted Wing-T (and its variants) in check. Isaiah Williams scored one TD on a long run in the first quarter and another on a longer run just before the half, but otherwise the Beavers held the Trojans in check. They didn't look like a team that's now 0-5; they've just had a rough schedule, with more misery to come.

One bad thing about hosting Beavercreek this year, of course, is the fact that the Trojans will have to give them a return game next year. I've been to their stadium just once before. They've put in field turf since then, but as far as I know they haven't changed their visitors' bleachers, which was one of the worst places to watch a game I've ever visited.

I thought there was going to be an American Pie moment shortly before the beginning of this game. The Beavers charged onto the field into the path of Troy's marching band as they came on prior to the national anthem. To their credit, the marching band refused to yield, and the Beaver players were forced to retreat into the endzone to continue their huddle. And while we're on the topic of the band, let me just say that other than the national anthem and the halftime show, I'm not sure why Troy's band comes to the games anymore (and it seems they don't travel to the away games with the team). They don't play after scores anymore, there's no more third quarter band...they really don't interact with the game at all. I don't know the reason for all that, but it disappoints me. I think the band can be a big part of the atmosphere at a high school game, and for whatever reason it seems like they can't be bothered. That's a pretty stark contrast from the way it's always been before.

At any rate...the 4-1 Trojans open play in the GWOC North division next week as they travel to Vandalia to take on the Butler Aviators (2-3). Butler built a new stadium for this year, which I'm excited to see. I understand they didn't put in any restrooms or concessions on the visitors' side of the field, but hopefully you can at least see the game from the bleachers.

Troy 21 Springboro 0

2010-09-17T21:59:00.002-04:00

Some people leave games early, whenever they feel the outcome is decided, in an effort to "beat the crowd" and avoid postgame traffic. I take the opposite approach. I like to stay to the end, no matter how lopsided the score may be, so I generally take my time on my way out of the stadium in hopes that the traffic started by those leaving early will have cleared out somewhat by the time I get to my car.

Springboro's CareFlight Field was built using money donated by Miami Valley Hospital. I think this is only its second year of use, so it looks shiny and new. At first glance, it looks pretty awesome, and I have to admit that it's a pretty decent place to watch a game. However, there are a few things that make the experience there a little less than optimal. The concession stands and restrooms are farther away than they need to be, at least for those sitting on the visitors' side. The locker rooms are housed in a building that sits behind the home stands, and it seems like the teams (home and away) have to walk a pretty fair distance to get to the field. And then there's the completely FUBAR traffic pattern that kept me stuck in the parking lot for 45 minutes before I got on an actual road to begin the 45-minute drive back to Troy. That's pretty ridiculous, and needless to say, tempers were running high inside my car (in which I was the only person) before those first 45 minutes elapsed. So, note to self: if Troy ever plays at Springboro again, find another place to park.

As for the game itself, it was interesting. Troy received the opening kickoff and scored on that first drive...and then the scoring dried up. The score remained at 7-0 until there was only about 30 seconds left in the third quarter; and yet, despite being up by just the one score, it really felt like Troy was solidly in command from beginning to end. The only time I felt a little uncomfortable was when, after a long injury delay in the third quarter, Springboro's offense seemed to get rolling. Just as it seemed they were about to tie the score, though, sophomore cornerback Seth Perdziola came up with a big interception near the goal line for the Trojans (his second of the game). After that, the offense would drive down and finally score their second touchdown of the game, and that was all she wrote.

Up to that point, I think the Trojans were almost outthinking themselves on offense. They were having great success running straight ahead at the Panther defense, and having trouble when trying to run around the edges. They were able to rack up a bunch of yards, but couldn't translate them into points. In the second half, they stuck more with what was working. To that end, fullback Zach Jones ran for 155 yards and a TD on 19 carries, and Marcus Foster had 165 and a TD (the last of the game, with about 5 seconds left) on 17 carries. Foster also had an incredible interception on defense in the fourth quarter.

This was a good win for the Trojans. Springboro isn't a bad team, and they'll win some more games this year. It sounds stupid to say their offense was impressive, considering they got shut out, but they do run a no-huddle that makes it tough for the defense to substitute, and they switch up their formations quite a bit. The Trojans did a really nice job in defending them. The Panthers may have trouble next week with Centerville (who may well win the state title this year), but I doubt they'll be shut out again this season.

One final note: I can't say for sure, but I think I saw the Trojan offense line up in the Wildcat formation for one play. I continue to be amazed by the evolution of this offense.

Next week the Trojans return to Troy Memorial Stadium to take on the 0-4 Beavercreek Beavers. This one could get ugly.

Scheduling Note

2010-09-15T17:24:00.006-04:00

Before the football game last Friday, stuck in traffic from one place to another, I was listening to a local sports-talk radio show discuss the topic du jour: that night's matchup between Division I power Centerville and Division IV power Alter. Given the points system the OHSAA uses to determine which schools get into the playoffs, it can be a bit of a risk for a big school like Centerville to schedule a team like Alter, as small schools yield fewer points than bigger schools do. This is mitigated to a certain extent if the team in question wins a bunch of games, as Alter is certain to do, but there's enough of an effect (real or perceived) to make games like this a rarity.

This led to a discussion of scheduling strategy, and the hosts gave a lot of credit to the "Big Three" (Centerville, Northmont, and Wayne, the perceived "powers" in Dayton-area Division I football, all of which have much larger student populations than my beloved Troy Trojans) and a couple of others for scheduling games with other big-time Ohio schools. To their way of thinking, that's how a team becomes a powerhouse: by pitting themselves against other powerhouses and playing up to that level. To that end, some of the teams they talked about were Cleveland St. Ignatius (Centerville this year, Northmont last year), Canton McKinley (Wayne), Cincinnati Moeller (Wayne, Northmont, Centerville last year), Cleveland Glenville (Wayne), and even Upper Arlington (Springfield).

To be fair, I give a lot of credit to those teams too, on both sides, for scheduling these games. Now. What I want to know is where some of these teams were back in the late '90s, when there was exactly ONE Division I powerhouse in the Dayton area, and it was Troy. I'll give credit to Centerville, who played Troy those years and took their beatings, and to Northmont, who was in the GMVC with Troy and had no choice. Wayne, on the other hand...I have no insider knowledge, but I've heard that Wayne was supposed to be on the schedule during those years and ducked the games. It just seemed like they had a hard time filling the schedule in general, leading to Troy having to bring in some awful teams, like Akron Coventry (who I understand has gotten much better, but I'm pretty sure they went 0-10 the year they played at Troy). I don't know how hard Troy tried to schedule some of these other powerhouse teams in question, but I'd be curious to find out. I would have loved to see some of those matchups.

And really, since the guys on the radio didn't do it (not saying they wouldn't; just saying it didn't come up, at least not while I was listening), I want to give Troy some credit for their scheduling philosophy. They're not traveling all over the state, but in general, they play some pretty tough teams, big and small, whether they themselves are up or down. Centerville has been a frequent opponent over the years, as I noted. Now that we share a conference with Wayne, we've seen them a few times (although that's dictated by the league and not "scheduled" per se). Off the top of my head, we've also played Upper Arlington, Dublin Coffman, Chaminade-Julienne, Valley View, and yes, even Alter. And I'll throw Middletown in there too, since they're pretty good now, even though they weren't when the Trojans added them to the schedule. And I'm sure there are at least one or two others that aren't coming to mind.

Also, while we're on the topic of scheduling: since the Trojans have shown a willingness to take on strong smaller programs, how about a game with Tipp City? Oh, I'm sorry, I mean Tippecanoe. I can't be the only person in Miami County who wouldn't mind seeing that happen. On the flip side, I'm not terribly thrilled about Greenville rejoining to the conference in 2012. I like playing them for tradition's sake, and I also like their stadium, but they don't stand to offer much in the way of competition or Harbin points. Hopefully that will change over the course of this year and next.

Anyway. Most of this is neither here nor there; I just think it's interesting how these things change over time. And, okay, I also get a little worked up when someone intimates that the discussion of Division I football in the Miami Valley goes no further north than Huber Heights and Clayton. The Trojans may not be what they were in the late '90s, but they're still a program with a lot of tradition, and nothing to sneeze at.

Troy 49 Fairborn 6

2010-09-10T21:50:00.002-04:00

I went into this game not really knowing what to expect. On one side of the field you had my beloved Troy Trojans, a team that looked very good in their Week 1 shutout win over a solid Chaminade-Julienne but then couldn't get out of their own way in a 38-7 loss to a good Middletown team in Week 2. On the other side you had the 2-0 Fairborn Skyhawks, a team with wins over a usually solid Tecumseh team that may be down this year and a usually dreadful Stebbins team that may be better than normal. Then you add in the fact that Troy lost at Fairborn (20-6) last year.

Any fears I may have had were put to rest pretty early. The Trojans were up 8-0 at the end of the first quarter, and it should have been more than that - after the Trojans scored a TD to go up 6-0, the Skyhawk returner ignored the ensuing kickoff, which bounced at the 1-yard line and went nearly straight up before being covered by a Trojan defender...only to be somehow awarded to Fairborn anyway. That was kind of the theme of the night - Fairborn's lone touchdown came after a terrible pass interference call (the ball was uncatchable by a clear margin) against the Trojan defense. Fortunately, the Trojans had already put 29 on the board at that point, and they went into halftime with a 42-6 lead. That allowed quite a few Trojan backups to log some extensive time in the second half.

It was tough to watch the Trojans get waxed by Middletown, but such a loss may not have been all bad. They looked a lot crisper this week, more focused. That's hard to tell from the stands, of course, but that's how it appeared from Row M. Granted, Fairborn was pretty obviously no Middletown, but it was good to see the Trojans recognize their issues and correct them.

Next week will be another adventure to another stadium I haven't visited before as the Trojans travel to play the 2-1 Springboro Panthers.

Middletown 38 Troy 7

2010-09-03T22:00:00.002-04:00

One of my favorite things about football season is visiting stadiums I haven't been to before. I thought Barnitz stadium was a pretty cool older stadium, with plenty of steel and cinderblocks and coated in the Middies' shade of purple. Actually, it reminded me quite a bit (except for the purple) of Troy Memorial Stadium before it was renovated. Unfortunately, I didn't take my camera along, so I didn't get any photos.

In a 31-point loss, it would be quite a stretch for me to say that this was a game the Trojans should have won. So I won't say that. I will say, though, that it's a game they should have been in, at least. They essentially gave the game away with four lost fumbles, including one on their opening drive that was quite impressive to that point, and another within five yards of the endzone. Take those away and this is quite a different ballgame. I'm still not saying they would have won, but I'm not saying they wouldn't, either. It would have made it a lot more interesting, and it was still pretty interesting until it got ugly late. If these two teams played ten times, I don't think the spread would be 31 points again, and Troy would win their share (I'll say four of 'em).

And that's not to take anything away from Middletown, who showed themselves to be a really good team. They discovered early on that they couldn't find much success against the interior of Troy's defense, so they started attacking the edges. With their speed, that's where they found some success. Defensively, they did a very nice job of slowing down Troy's running game. The Trojans were able to get some yardage through the air, and even managed to break some long plays only to find their players being run down from behind.

So hopefully the Trojans can regroup and return to their first-week form when they return home next week to take on Fairborn. The Skyhawks took the Trojans down last year (as did Chaminade-Julienne), so that will be a nice test to see where the team is at.

Gadgetry

2010-09-01T23:03:00.000-04:00

Sitting on the desk in front of me are my phone (a Blackberry), my iPod (an older click-wheel monochrome model, 40GB), a GPS, and a digital camera.

Right now, each of these devices is charging, syncing, or simply slumbering. And that's fine. I'm at home, it's going on 10:00 in the evening, and there's nothing pressing going on. However, anytime I leave the house, I take my phone with me, and frequently I'm going on journeys for which I need or want two or more of these items, frequently all four. Any one of them is convenient to slip into a pocket and go, but dealing with more than one gets unwieldy in a hurry.

What I would really like is a device that combines all four. Yes, there's a camera function on my phone, but it's just not very good. And yes, it'll play music as well, but it has neither the function nor the capacity of my iPod, and it won't handle the songs I've purchased from iTunes. Sure, I could make mp3 files of those songs, but there are an awful lot of them at this point. So as much as I like my Blackberry (which is significant - it's the first phone I've had that I've liked, and I like it a lot), it isn't quite the device I'm looking for.

So that's why I'm hoping the rumors of the iPhone coming to Verizon are true. Getting an iPhone would at least let me combine the iPod and the phone, and I imagine there are probably some decent GPS apps for it as well. I don't expect the camera to be a match for a standalone digital camera, but it can't be any worse than the one on the Blackberry. It would be enough for occasional casual use, at any rate. I would probably miss the Blackberry's physical keyboard, but I'm sure I could get used to typing on a touchscreen.

The one thing that does concern me about the iPhone is its storage capacity. I understand the highest-capacity model at this point is 32GB, and that just isn't enough. My current 40GB iPod is almost full. I'm sure there's some dead weight on there that I could clear off, but even if that's true, 32GB isn't going to give me any room to expand. And that's just music! That's not taking into account any apps I'd want to download or content I'd want to create. So even though I'm eager to consolidate all my technology, I'm not 100% sure the iPhone is going to be the right answer anytime soon, even if it does come to Verizon.

On a somewhat related note...before I had an iPod, I didn't really see what the big deal was. Then I bought one for my wife (who wasn't my wife at the time, incidentally), and as soon as I had a chance to see it in action a little bit, I knew I had to have one for myself. Being able to carry my entire music collection with me all the time? Hell yes. Now, if there's one thing I love more than music, it's books. So you'd think an e-reader device, like a Kindle or an iPad, would be high on my wishlist. Right?

Well...not so fast, my friend.

First off, notice the word I chose above: I love not just literature, but actual books. I love the tangible weight of a book in my hand, the feel and smell of the pages. I love my overflowing bookshelves, and the conversations that can result from a visitor simply glancing them over. I like being able to loan books to friends, or trade them in at used bookstores, or donate them to the library. Granted, I very rarely do either of those last two, because I have a hard time parting with a book whether I like it or not, but I do like having the option, at least. E-readers negate all of these things. The Kindle, which has a monochrome display, eliminates the possibility of comics and graphic novels, as well. So if I had to choose one, I'd go with the iPad, which, due to its variety of functions, could probably solve all my problems above, too - if it were about 1/4 the size.

Still, I have to admit, there are times when having an entire collection of books in convenient travel size is an extremely appealing thought. The problem, of course, is that you have to buy everything new. With an iPod, you can rip any and all CDs you already own into digital files that can be loaded. You can't do anything like that with a book, though. The only real solution I can think of, and it would be nothing more than a compromise, would be if, anytime you purchased an actual book, you could get a digital copy with it, even for an additional (nominal) charge. You wouldn't have your entire collection, but at least you'd be able to have anything you bought new.

At this point, I'm just holding out hope that someone will build me an R2 unit. Good for all purposes.

Troy 23 CJ 0

2010-08-27T23:11:00.001-04:00

Tonight, at stadiums all across Ohio, the Friday Night Lights came on again. And what a beautiful night it was. It's always hard to believe on opening night that in the next few weeks we'll transition from shorts and t-shirts to jeans, sweatshirts, jackets, and coats. Tonight was temperate and cloudless, enough so that attentive fans could see the International Space Station as it passed (quickly) overhead during the game.

Last week's scrimmage against Dunbar showed exactly nothing about the Trojans, so I came to the stadium tonight without any real expectations. I knew they brought back a lot of talent from last year's young squad, but Chaminade-Julienne was singing the same tune. And they beat Troy 10-0 in last year's opener.

It didn't take long to figure out that this year's game would be a different story. The Eagles got a great runback on the game's opening kickoff, taking the ball into Trojan territory, but their offense was stoned by the Trojan D. Once they gave the ball over on downs, Troy's offense took over, marching downfield and punching it into the endzone from about a yard out to take the early lead.

And really, that set the tone for the whole game. Troy's offense moved the ball more or less at will, handing off to their stable of thoroughbreds (junior halfbacks Marcus Foster and Isaiah Williams, sophomore halfback Fred Whitson, and junior fullback Zach Jones) and even mixing in some nice passes from junior QB Cody May. Meanwhile, the Trojan defense kept CJ frustrated all night. They eventually were able to move the ball a little bit through the air, mainly on WR screen passes, but they couldn't translate that into points. Troy's D looked very strong against the run, and honestly, the pass defense wasn't all that bad either.

It was great to be at Troy Memorial Stadium again, and it was great to see the Trojans play well and get a big win over a pretty solid football team. Don't let the score fool you: the Eagles have some talent, and they'll win their share of games this year. So will the Trojans, though, and fortunately, tonight was one of them.

Warming Up

2010-07-25T15:41:00.001-04:00

With the high school football season right around the corner, I need to see what I can do about getting back into a more regular blogging habit. With that in mind, here's a sampling of what's been going on lately.

• Speaking of high school football, I got to spend some time at Troy Memorial Stadium this past Friday evening. Some past Troy football players got together for a flag football game to benefit a scholarship fund they've set up. I actually watched the game from the stadium's pressbox with a couple of friends who were running the scoreboard. Pretty cool vantage point, although I wouldn't like being isolated from the crowd for a regular game. It was a good time, though, and it definitely whetted my appetite for the upcoming season. The first regular-season game is August 27.

• I'm making a conscious effort to be more active. To that end, I've been spending a fair amount of time lately at various locales in Troy, either walking or running. The bulk of that time has been at Duke Park, which is a place I love and which has a great trail for just that purpose. As much as I enjoy being out there, I'm trying to vary my routine in order to keep myself interested. I'm at the point right now where I actively want to get out and do something each day; I just need to make sure I hang onto that feeling. At some point this coming week I'm going to try to put in some time on the recreational trail that runs along Troy's levee.

• Troy has a very solid bike path/recreational trail; I just wish they would somehow extend it to make it accessible from our neighborhood. I would LOVE to be able to walk or ride my bike whenever I'm just going somewhere in town. Unfortunately, we live on the western edge of the city, and between heavy traffic and lack of pedestrian/bike accommodation, there's really no good way to get into town that doesn't involve being in a car. And that drives me just a little bit crazy.

• Yesterday I picked up Kurt Vonnegut's Breakfast of Champions, just after finishing his Cat's Cradle (which I thought was fantastic). I really enjoy Vonnegut's work - always insightful, and darkly humorous, which is right up my alley - but I haven't read a whole lot of it. That's a little sad on one hand; but, on the other hand, I have quite a bit that I'm looking very much forward to exploring.

Losing Lebron

2010-07-09T17:10:00.002-04:00

I never paid any attention to the NBA until Lebron James came into the league. When I did start to care, it happened mostly by accident.

It went like this. As you may recall, the hype machine was in full effect even then, making "Lebron James" a household name while he was still in high school. He was on the cover of Sports Illustrated and other sporting magazines, and his high school team went on a national tour his senior year, with many of the games being televised on ESPN. I was interested in seeing how good he actually was, but I'm uncomfortable with the concept of high school games being televised nationwide, so I didn't watch. When he got drafted by the hometown Cleveland Cavaliers, however, I tuned into his first game to see what the fuss was all about.

As an impartial observer, I liked what I saw. The kid really did have some game. I liked not only how copiously he scored, but how good he was at making his teammates better. Impressive. So I tuned into his next game, too...and the one after that...and the one after that...and so on. Eventually I realized I wasn't just observing anymore; I was actively cheering for the Cavs and Lebron. Which I suppose was inevitable, being an Ohio native myself and a fan of the city of Cleveland (although decidedly not their sports teams) from some good experiences there. At any rate, I developed an interest, and Brandi and I even made it to Gund/Quicken Loans Arena for a few games over the course of Lebron's stay there.

Now "King James" is off to Miami, and he's taking my interest in the NBA with him. I won't miss it. Paying attention to the league confirmed the opinion I had of it before I started paying attention: more spectacle than sport, with rules enforced so arbitrarily that being a fan is more frustrating than anything. I was willing to put up with it because the spectacle of Lebron was worth it, but now that he's no longer associated with the team I'm inclined to care about, I'm done.

The real shame in all of this is what it's going to mean for the Cavaliers franchise and, by extension, downtown Cleveland. As I mentioned, Brandi and I went to several games during Lebron's tenure. They were a lot of fun. The arena was packed, and the atmosphere was electric. Just being in the city and near the arena on a game night was cool. Going out on the town after a game was awesome. Establishments were crowded, buzzing. Now that's all gone. Dan Gilbert's assertions aside, the Cavs are likely to be irrelevant for a while. The arena will be half full, if that, and likewise for downtown. And sure, they can go get another superstar - they can try to trade for Chris Paul, or go after Carmelo next year when it's time for his Decision™. But it won't be Lebron, won't be the hometown boy, won't be the same. I won't be back for any games, I know that much.

Look, I don't have a whole lot to add to the Lebron discussion that hasn't already been said elsewhere. I'm part of the consensus: leaving was fine, but doing it this way, with the drawn-out process and the one-hour televised special, made it ridiculous. Whatever.

One thing I have to take exception with, though, is the idea I've seen expressed by multiple "experts" today that Lebron had to leave Cleveland in order to win a championship, that it wasn't going to happen there. Why not? He had led the Cavaliers to the NBA Finals once before. This year the Cavs were the best team in the regular season, and who knows what could have happened in the playoffs if, ahem, certain things had gone a little differently? If he's the player everyone (most importantly himself) thought he was, then yes, he could have won championships in Cleveland. After all, most championship teams consist of one superstar and, more or less, a collection of role players. And most legends build their legacy by being "the man" on a team built around them (hell, remember when Kobe Bryant made the Lakers get rid of Shaq so he could be that guy?). Now Lebron, not just by teaming up with other stars but by actively joining Dwyane Wade on his team, has shattered his chance of ever being that guy.

In Cleveland, the sky was the limit. He would have won rings there, owned that city, been their version of Michael Jordan. In Miami, with Wade, he can only be Scottie Pippen. And for someone nicknamed "King James" and "The Chosen One," and with the skills to back those names up, that seems like such a letdown.

Movie Review: Fanboys

2010-05-24T15:06:00.000-04:00

A brief plot synopsis, in case you haven't heard of it (which you probably haven't): five friends in their 20s, all huge Star Wars fans, take a road trip from Ohio to San Francisco to break into Skywalker Ranch to steal a copy of The Phantom Menace before its release so one of their number, who has a terminal illness, can see it before he dies.

This is a comedy, by the way.

Those of you who know me personally or who have paid much attention to this blog know that I'm a huge Star Wars fan myself. I'm not one to dress up in costumes, but I do have a well-worn collection of Star Wars T-shirts. I was at the midnight showings of all three of the prequels. I have all the movies on DVD and watch them often. I have a decent collection of action figures, both from my childhood and, yes, more recently; I play the video games; I read the novels and comics. I have a Jeremy Bulloch-autographed photo of Boba Fett hanging on my office wall, a wedding gift from one of my best friends. In that sense, I'm the guy they were portraying in this film.

Now. All that said, I flatter myself that I'm also a fairly rounded, well-adjusted adult male. Yes, I love Star Wars. I also have other interests. I love sports, for instance. I have friends who are not Star Wars fans, either at all or at only a casual (read: healthy) level, and I can and do hold conversations with them. Some of these friends are female, and somehow I manage to refrain from devolving to a stuttering, slobbering mess in their presence. In fact, hey! I'm married, and yep, I've had sex. And you know what? I even kind of enjoy Star Trek, too. In all of these respects, I'm the complete antithesis of the guy they were portraying in this film.

I suppose I'm going into a bit of a rant here, but this constant depiction of fans of Star Wars (or Star Trek, or Lord of the Rings, or basically any kind of science fiction or fantasy) as one-dimensional and socially incompetent is really, really tiresome. Yes, I realize these people exist, and I can even see the humor in the stereotype, believe it or not. But at a certain point, enough is enough. I do have friends who are just as die-hard in their love for Star Wars as I am, and none of them are like this. This movie was written and made by Star Wars fans; I guess I just thought they'd be more true to their own. I almost couldn't get through the movie because I was so irritated by these characters.

Despite that, I decided to sit through the whole thing and try to let go of my irritation as much as possible. In all, I'm glad I did. The general asininity of the characters aside, the movie was obviously an homage to George Lucas and Star Wars and the spot they hold in our culture, which was pretty cool. It definitely enhanced my desire to see Skywalker Ranch at some point. It was fairly amusing. And once the comedy of the characters' personalities has been established and they were allowed to emerge as (at least mildly) real people, it turned into a fairly decent rumination on friendship and being yourself.

Oh, and Kristen Bell in the Slave Leia outfit? Two thumbs up from this reviewer.

Back to the Grind

2010-03-30T02:32:00.000-04:00

Earlier in the year, my wife Brandi and I came to the realization that we hadn't enjoyed any significant downtime together since our honeymoon. Since we've been married for nearly four years, it seemed the time was ripe for us to remedy that situation. So we sat down and came to a consensus on a week we could both take off from work, and we put requests in at our respective places of employment to take that week off as vacation time.

That week, as it turns out, was last week. We pondered several different ideas for getting away, on both large and small scales, but in the end we decided just to spend the week here at home. Sometimes when you "get away," it ends up feeling like you didn't have any time off at all, and after toiling for so long without a break, that wasn't what we were after. So we stayed home, and it was phenomenal. We spent some time at the park, exercising in the mild spring weather. One day we went for massages. And we consumed copious amounts of alcohol, either going out for drinks or having friends over to the house just about every night.

Oh, and we also managed to find time to do our taxes. But for the most part, it was fun, it was relaxing, and it was awesome.

Thus it was that I found myself back in the home office this morning, catching up with what I missed while I was out, awake earlier than I had been in nine days, but feeling pretty good. Don't get me wrong: more time off would have been awesome, but firing up the iTunes and getting back into the swing of things wasn't all bad.

So yeah, I'm back to the grind. And now that I'm feeling refreshed, I'm going to try to turn some attention back onto this long-neglected blog as well. The operative word here is "try"; I'm making no promises, but we'll see. You'll notice some aesthetic changes that I hope will help spur and maintain my interest. There may be some further minor housecleaning details to come, but hopefully nothing that will significantly impede the blog's functionality (indeed, I've already noticed that the redesign makes it more palatable for viewing on a mobile device). I may lose some comments or some photos, but I'll preserve them if possible. If I can't, well, I suppose that's a small price to pay for making the site more visually interesting, as well as, you know, actually providing some new content.

What? Where Am I?

2009-12-29T20:52:00.003-05:00

Huh. After wandering around all this time in the dark, I've finally managed to stumble back onto my own blog. Yep, I'm still around and out of the funk brought on by the end of the football season. With the end of the year rapidly approaching, it seems like a good time for a sampling of what's been going on.

- If you're a regular visitor, you'll notice that my banners have disappeared. This happened a while ago, when my hosting company discontinued their service, the second time that's happened to me this year, I think. I've found a new host, though, and the banners will be back. I'm in the process of deciding whether to simply upload the old ones or create a bunch of new ones.

- I'm also in the process of contemplating, at least mildly, moving on from cable television and switching to a dish service of some sort. I've had DirecTV before and had a ton of problems with it; but, to be fair, the system wasn't professionally installed. My dad has it now and has occasional issues, but nothing like what I had. At any rate, I feel like a dish service might be able to offer a better deal for a comparable package, and I also like some of the features they offer (remote programming of DVR, onscreen score guide, more HD channels, etc.). But, on the flip side, I don't really want to get locked into a contract, and I'm still leery of dish performance, especially in adverse weather. So we'll see.

- Christmas was good. I took a couple of days off work last week so Brandi and I could travel up to her hometown to spend some time with her family. We had dinner and spent some time with her mom on Wednesday, then spent Christmas Eve with her dad and stepmom. Normally we spend Christmas Day with my parents, but my mom has been under the weather, so we just had a nice, low-key day here by ourselves.

- When iTunes started charging $1.29 for some more popular songs, I thought the tradeoff was going to be that some other songs would be reduced to $0.79. Where are the $0.79 songs?

- I went to the bookstore tonight in hopes of picking up a novel or three. I'm quite fond of my local independent bookstore, but I have to admit that my last several trips there have resulted in me leaving emptyhanded. Tonight was no exception. Apart from the big-ticket writers (King, Grisham, etc.), their selection is pretty limited. They might have a book or two from a lesser-known writer, but it's a crapshoot. And it's disheartening to finally come across something you are looking for, as I did a couple of times this evening, only to find that the cover is bent, or there's a section of pages with mangled corners. I'm admittedly a little bit of a snob about such things - I want a new book to look like a new book.

- I actually haven't been to any sporting events since Troy's football season ended in disappointment (as I referenced above). That'll change this weekend, as I'm planning to make my first trip of the season to Anderson Arena to see the BG Falcons men's basketball team take on the St. Louis Billikens (and Coach Rick Majerus). Basketball season doesn't even feel like it's started since I haven't been to Anderson yet. I'm really looking forward to seeing the Falcons in action, and I have to soak up that atmosphere while I can - just one season remains at Anderson after this one, and then the Falcons will move into the shiny new Stroh Center.

- While I won't be attending, BG's football team plays tomorrow afternoon at the Humanitarian Bowl in Boise (4:30 ET, ESPN). They'll be taking on the Idaho Vandals on the blue turf. Should be a good one if you like offense. BG's main threat, wide receiver Freddie Barnes (a Biletnikoff Award finalist), will likely set a new record for most catches in a season.

- Of course, the topic of BG football leads to the topic of Urban Meyer. He's an amazing coach, and college is football is better with him in it; I just hope he isn't risking his health by continuing to coach. I really enjoy watching his teams play (especially back when he was on BG's sideline), and I don't think there's anyone else even remotely like him out there. Of course, that's largely due to his intensity, which apparently isn't doing his heart any good. Hopefully a leave of absence will be enough to get and keep him on track in that regard.

Sidney 15 Troy 14 (OT)

2009-10-30T22:00:00.002-04:00

This one hurts. The Trojan defense, so stout all season and all game long, couldn't stop Sidney's 2-point conversion attempt in overtime. Just like that, the game, the winning season, the playoff chances - all gone.

What really hurts is that this is a game the Trojans should have won. Easily. In regulation. Instead, they beat themselves with a couple of empty red zone trips (one blocked field goal, one turnover on the 2-yard line) and a boatload of penalties at terrible moments. Say what you will about the officials - and the Troy fans in the stands had plenty to say, not entirely without merit - you really can't debate that the Trojans repeatedly put themselves in bad spots. The defense did an amazing job of keeping them in the game, but the offense just didn't have enough to overcome the mistakes.

And really, that's about all I have to say about this one. The Trojans finish the season at 5-5, which, given the youth of the team, is an accomplishment of sorts, I guess. Still, with everything they had at stake, this loss is just hard to take. This Troy team was so much fun (albeit also frustrating at times) to watch this season, and I'm not ready for it to be over. I know a playoff spot was far from guaranteed even with a win, but I'd much rather be sitting here waiting for the computer points to be released than just wallowing in disappointment. Getting a chance to travel to Dublin to serve as fodder for an outstanding Coffman team in the first round of the Region 3 playoffs may not seem like much of a reward, but I think it would have been phenomenal for this young team to have that experience. Ah well.

At the very least, we'll be able to go into next season with high hopes. So many key players are back, and the schedule, on paper, looks to be a little easier, with Centerville, Wayne, and Lebanon coming off and Springboro, Beavercreek, and Miamisburg being added (although we're also swapping Middletown for Xenia). The first game next year is on August 27, and now it's time to start looking forward to that.

One more thing, though - I just want to acknowledge one last time senior defensive tackle Xavier Ford, who was just a sheer joy to watch all season long. He was the unquestionable leader of the defense both on the field and on the sidelines. The Trojans have a lot of talent coming back, but we're going to miss that kid.

UPDATE (Saturday afternoon): Looking at the unofficial numbers, I have to believe the Trojans would have made it into the playoffs if they had won. They got all the help they needed; they just couldn't take care of the one piece of business under their control. Unfortunate.

Troy 26 Piqua 0

2009-10-23T21:46:00.002-04:00

So. In this shot of the visitors' side of Troy Memorial Stadium at kickoff of tonight's annual Troy-Piqua game, we see how the town of Piqua supports its team when it is struggling. That is, by far, the weakest turnout I've seen from either side in this normally heated rivalry. Normally this game requires an early arrival to ensure you can even get a seat in Troy's 10,000-seat stadium; tonight, as you can see, you could have waltzed in right at kickoff and found yourself a prime spot on the Piqua side. Now, to be fair, the Troy side was by no means full, but I can't imagine it looked anything like this from the opposite side.

And I can't understand it. This was my 19th consecutive Troy-Piqua game. I've seen games where both teams were powerhouses, where both teams were pedestrian, where both teams were weak, and where one team had a decided advantage over the other. I've seen scintillating games that went down to the wire, I've seen blowouts by each side, and I've seen everything in between. I've left the stadium after the final gun everywhere from exhilarated to despondent. I have never been bored by a Troy-Piqua game, never been sorry that I attended. I can't imagine missing one. Even when the game ends up playing out more or less like you'd expect, like this one did, you just never know going in. Yes, Piqua is struggling this year. Still, if that's your team, knowing the history of this game, why wouldn't you go? Why not go cheer your face off and lend whatever modicum of support the team may gain from your presence and hope to see them do the improbable and gain a victory over their chief rival? Wouldn't that be worth the 7-mile drive and the $6 entry fee?

Well, at any rate, the Piqua fans tonight stayed away in droves, and I suppose those that did so weren't disappointed as they got the outcome they expected as the Trojans wore down the Indians and came away with the shutout victory. I had a feeling going in that Troy's chances of pitching a shutout were fairly high, knowing that defense is their forte and that Piqua's offense has struggled (at least since their season-opening 84-point outing over Ponitz Tech, a first-year Division VI program. Who scheduled that game?). Piqua's offense actually showed a flash here and there that maybe they were ready to put something together, but each time Troy's defense tightened the clamps and shut them down. Xavier Ford was a monster on the D-line, spending most of the night in the Indian backfield, and Kyle Terando and Chad Merkert in the secondary took care of things on the other end. There were plenty more outstanding performances, but those were the ones that stood out.

Offensively, this game rested on the shoulders of senior fullback Chris Basil (13 carries, 110 yards, TD) sophomore halfback Marcus Foster (19 carries, 102 yards, TD, plus a receiving TD). Again, this was a night when everyone contributed, but those guys were clearly the stars, as the running backs tend to be for the Trojans. The rushing attack really let the offense wear Piqua's defense down, as the score was just 13-0 going into the fourth quarter. That last quarter really saw the Trojans put the game away as they just pounded on Piqua's defenders - especially as Piqua's offense couldn't hold onto the ball and keep them off the field to rest.

One thing I have to say...although it was cool for the rivalry to get some exposure from the U.S. Marines Great American Rivalry Series, but I'm really not in favor, for a game like this, of keeping the kids on the field for all these postgame trophy presentations and such. Or, at the very least, let the losing team get off the field. Let the kids get into the locker room and start licking their wounds without rubbing the other team's victory in their faces. And I say that as a fan of the winning team.

However, the important part of the win is that Troy now takes the lead in Ohio's most-played rivalry. After 125 meetings, the record now stands at 60-59-6 in favor of the Trojans. Troy finishes the regular season next week with a game at the 4-5 Sidney Yellow Jackets. It's hard to believe that Week 10 has rolled around so quickly. However, there is still some slim hope that the Trojans will extend their season beyond ten games. Should they come out on top next Friday, depending on the outcome of a few other games, they may yet squeak into the playoffs. It's not likely, but it's not impossible either. So here's hoping.

Trotwood-Madison 25 Troy 13

2009-10-16T23:25:00.001-04:00

As much disdain as I hold for Trotwood's head coach/recruiting coordinator Maurice Douglass, I have to wish that he wasn't serving a suspension on this night. He's not a particularly good in-game coach (from what I've seen, which is Trotwood's one game against Troy each year), so Troy's chances probably would have been better with him in charge. Then again, the Rams didn't really need a genius to come up with their formula for success - just hand the ball to Antwan Gilbert and let him do his thing.

I knew going in that Trotwood had a good rushing attack, but I felt pretty good about Troy's chances, given how strong the D has been all year against the run (Centerville game excluded, for the most part). Sure, Gilbert ran wild on us last year, but the defense is light years ahead of where it was then. However, as it turns out, he's a pretty special halfback. The Trojans were able to string him out or get to him in the backfield often enough, but they just couldn't bring him down. He'd shake off a tackle or two, then make a move and get himself up the field. I also have a feeling that Troy's defensive scheme was designed to negate Trotwood's speed, and that may have taken away from their ability to stop the run as effectively as they have so far this season; unfortunately, the very low visitors' stands at Trotwood's stadium didn't afford me a very good angle to be able to speak to that with any authority.

I have to give the Trojans a lot of credit, though. They had an obvious disadvantage in terms of size and speed in this game, and yet they managed to stay in it until the very end. There's a lot of fight in this team.

The unfortunate part of this loss is that it essentially ends Troy's hopes for a GWOC North championship and a berth in the Division I playoffs. On the flip side, there's still a lot to play for. For one thing, neither of those things is entirely out of the question - either one would require a lot of help, but the Trojans definitely need to win both of their remaining games to have any hope at all. They also need to win both games in order to finish with a winning record, and both games are with familiar adversaries with whom we go way back.

Next week, of course, is the game that's circled on the schedule each year, regardless of records or whatever else is going on in the season. That's right, everyone: it's Piqua week. The Trojans and Indians will be butting heads for the 125th time, and that's a big deal, the respective 4-4 (Troy) and 2-6 (Piqua) records notwithstanding. The all-time series is even at 59-59-6, with the Trojans taking the last two. They'll be looking to extend that streak next Friday at Troy Memorial Stadium on the banks of the Great Miami River. Getcha popcorn ready.

Troy 14 Lebanon 7

2009-10-09T23:38:00.054-04:00

Wet. Rainy. Chilly. Breezy. Sloppy. Muddy. And I wouldn't have missed it for anything in the world. I love games like this. I'd take 50° and raining over 72° and sunny/clear every time. If, you know, I had any say in the matter.

Of course, one reason I like games like this is because they tend to favor Troy's run-heavy offense - the Trojans don't have to alter their gameplan nearly as much as other teams do to compensate for the weather. That was certainly true on this night, as the Wing-T offense was in fine form. Lebanon, on the other hand, seemed to have some trouble with the elements.

What a night this was for Chris Basil. Before the game, he was named Troy's Homecoming king. During the game, the Trojans fed their fullback the ball and let him plow through Lebanon's defense. He answered with both of Troy's touchdowns and a 2-point conversion after the first. When he wasn't dashing into the endzone, he was punishing Lebanon defenders and picking up huge chunks of yardage, getting first downs and keeping the clock moving. Marcus Foster again provided a nice complement, serving as another ground-gainer that made sure the Warriors couldn't just key on Basil up the middle. Basil finished the night with 131 yards, Foster with 95. And let's not forget about QB Greg Yahle, who put up a Tyler Wright-esque 52 yards himself, often picked up when the Trojans really needed them.

Of course, there's no way you can talk about this Trojan victory without giving major props to the Trojan defense, which put in another incredible night's work. Lebanon has a ton of weapons, and sure, the weather may have slowed them down, but Troy's defenders were the ones that stepped up and stopped them. Xavier Ford, in particular, was all over the field, especially in the first half. I assume the Warriors made some adjustments to slow him down in the second half, but that just led the way for other Trojans to make plays.

So sure, most people watching this game may not have found it all that aesthetically pleasing, but to me, it was a thing of beauty. With the win, the Trojans find themselves at 4-3, and a berth in the Region 3 playoffs is not out of the question if they can win out. They'll take that quest on the road next week as they travel to take on Trotwood-Madison, also 4-3, in a game that will likely determine the winner of the GWOC North. Trotwood will be playing without the services of their head coach, who is serving a 4-game suspension, but I'm not sure that's a disadvantage for them. I suppose we'll find out next Friday night.

Troy 27 Vandalia Butler 6

2009-10-02T21:49:00.030-04:00

Early on, it didn't look like this one was necessarily going to go the Trojans' way. Butler took the opening kickoff and put together a pretty impressive opening drive, draining eight minutes from the clock and working their way into Troy's red zone. It wouldn't have been terribly surprising, at that point, if they had managed to score, and who knows where the game would have gone from there? However, as the drive went on, it looked more and more like Troy's defense was adjusting. They managed to push the Aviators back out of the red zone and keep them from scoring, and it was pretty much all Trojans from there.

Troy's offense has had some issues this year, struggling at times to move the ball, and thus to score points. It looked like they got some of the kinks in their Wing-T offense worked out tonight, though. Fullback Chris Basil became the first player of the season to rush for over 100 yards, the longest a Steve Nolan-coached team has ever gone into a season without a player reaching that mark. In addition, sophomore tailbacks Isaiah Williams and Marcus Foster ran for 83 and 72 yards, respectively. With QB Greg Yahle offering a threat to throw the ball as well, it seems like the offense is finally rounding into form.

The defense was impressive as well, which it has been for most of the year. In particular, I was impressed tonight with how hard they were hitting. Anytime an Aviator receiver had to leave the ground to attempt a catch, they did so at their own risk. The defense also brought the lumber to Butler's quarterback on one memorable scramble attempt - the poor kid lowered his shoulder to try to run the defender over, and ended up getting trucked himself instead.

The Trojans now find themselves at .500 (3-3) six games into the season. They'll be tested next week when the 5-1 Lebanon Warriors come to town. Hopefully Troy will be able to keep things rolling on both sides of the ball.

UPDATE: As a sidenote, I also wanted to mention that, after the game, I went to a local restaurant to meet my wife and some friends for drinks. While there I met and got to chat with the father of a couple of former Trojan halfbacks, one of whom is a program legend and the other (pretty good in his own right) who now is an assistant coach for the team. He was a really cool guy, and it was fun to chat with him a little bit about his sons and about football in general.

Troy 14 Wayne 12

2009-09-25T21:52:00.003-04:00

Let's get this out of the way: yes, Wayne played without Braxton Miller, their star quarterback, who was held out of the game with a leg injury. However, the Trojans came into the game so hampered by injuries all over the field that I'd be hard pressed to say that one team held an advantage over the other in that regard. Even with Miller out, I don't think you'd have found many people who expected Troy to win this game. Shameless homer that I am, even I didn't see this coming.

Offensively, this game looked, for the most part, like all the others have this year, with the exception of the Xenia game. The Trojans struggled to move the ball, and the coaches went with a conservative gameplan early on so they could work on field position and keep the defense out of bad spots as much as possible. The lone touchdown Troy was able to put up in the first half came as the result of a Wayne turnover in their own territory followed by a 30-yard desperation heave into the endzone by Troy QB Greg Yahle as time expired. Fortunately, receiver Ian Dunaway came down with the ball in the corner of the endzone, sending the Trojans into the locker room with a 7-6 lead due to a missed extra point on Wayne's TD early in the second quarter.

The exception to Troy's offensive woes came in the form of a 21-play, 95-yard, 10:32 drive to finish up the third quarter and eat up most of the fourth. Fullback Chris Basil was a beast on that drive, churning his legs, pushing the pile, and trucking defenders over as he moved the Trojans forward bit by bit. Wayne did their part too, keeping the drive alive at one point by roughing the passer. When the drive was finally over, the Trojans had a 14-6 lead with just 3:52 left in the game.

Where this game was won, though, was on defense. No matter how much praise is lavished on the Troy defense for this one, it isn't enough. Wayne was able to move the ball, especially running out of their spread formations, but Troy's D was able to step up and make plays when it counted. After the Trojans took a 14-6 lead, a long kickoff return put the Warriors in good position, and they were able to take the ball down the field and score. However, the Trojan defense stepped up and stuffed Wayne's ball carrier short of the goal line on their 2-point conversion attempt with 1:56 left. There was some drama after that, but that pretty much sealed the win right there. And what a win it was.

This was a fantastic game to watch. Not because it was pretty - it wasn't - but because it was so close and hard fought. I remember watching a few years ago as Troy lost to Fairborn on a last-second, on-in-a-million hail-mary pass; this was the complete opposite of that. What a huge win, and a huge confidence boost for a young group, to take down a team that has been one of the best in the Dayton area over the past several years.

The Trojans are now 2-3 halfway through the season (and where did that time go? I swear, football season goes by faster and faster each year) and heading into play in the GWOC North. Next week they'll host the Vandalia Butler Aviators (1-4) at Troy Memorial Stadium as they look to carry some momentum from this win into the rest of the season. While there certainly aren't any "easy" games remaining, there aren't any teams like Centerville or Wayne left the rest of the way, either. It'll be very interesting to see where these young Trojans go from here.

Centerville 40 Troy 7

2009-09-18T23:12:00.018-04:00

On one hand, a game like this makes me wish for the old GWOC. With Troy playing so many sophomores this year, Greenville and West Carrollton would look a lot better on the schedule than Centerville and Wayne. But, in the long run, all those young players probably grow a lot more through a tough game like this one than they would in games against those other teams. The Elks provide an interesting measuring stick for a team that has some talent but a long way to go in terms of seasoning and experience.

Centerville is really good. They've got about a thousand players on their team; they've got some size, they've got some speed. With all that in mind, I was actually fairly impressed with the way the Trojans played, final score notwithstanding. I mean, let's not mince words here: losing by 33 points qualifies as a blowout. Absolutely. But Troy didn't just lay over and die. Centerville had to work for everything they got, particularly on offense. Aside from a 50-yard TD run on the Elks' first play from scrimmage, I thought Troy's defense played really well. They were overmatched, and they were at a disadvantage because they were on the field so much, but they held up better than I think most people expected.

On offense, it was a little bit of a different story. The effort was there, but some injuries put the Trojans behind the eight ball even more than they would have been against Centerville anyway. Like last week, they just couldn't get anything going on offense. To their credit, they looked better in the first half than they did in the first. If not for a turnover on their opening drive of the second half, in fact, it's not inconceivable that they could have made this one interesting - it was only 19-0 at that point. Alas, as it turned out, they were only able to get on the board toward the end of the game, when Centerville had started to sub out some of their defensive starters. In that regard, watching this game was a lot like watching Troy's game against Xenia, only in reverse.

It doesn't get any easier next week, as the Trojans travel to Huber Heights to take on the Wayne Warriors, another Dayton-area powerhouse. That'll be another chance to see how the Trojans measure up. You know me, I never write them off - here's hoping the Trojans can go down there and pull off the upset.

Fairborn 20 Troy 6

2009-09-11T23:20:00.060-04:00

All I can really say about this one is that young teams are going to have games like this sometimes. It's hard to judge something like this from the stands, but it didn't look like the Trojans were playing with a whole lot of fire, whereas it was obvious that Fairborn wanted this one pretty badly. Then again, I came late to the game; it's possible that Troy started off fine and just had their spirit drained by Fairborn's first drive, in which the Skyhawks gouged the defense pretty easily and took the early 7-0 lead. I thought Fairborn had a good offensive gameplan, spreading the Trojans out and working the edges with receiver screens to soften up the middle, taking away the defense's strength of swarming to the ball. The Trojans adjusted and didn't play all that bad defensively, but the offense just had nothing. The P.A. announcer gave them 51 yards at halftime, and while it was a little better in the second half, it wasn't enough to make a difference.

The reason I arrived late is because I had to drive down to Fairborn from Toledo, as I was doing my monthly time in the office on Thursday and today. I probably would have been in my seat for kickoff if I didn't have to wait in line for a ticket - I sat down just 1:20 into the game. While I'm still ecstatic to be living in Troy and that driving long distances and arriving late to games is mostly a thing of a past, I don't mind this every once in a while. I actually kind of like having a drive like that before a game, getting a chance to jam to some tunes (my personal Football playlist on my iPod, of course) and get my game face on. But this was the only time I'll have to do it this season, and I'll be glad to be in the stadium and in my seat well in advance of kickoff next week when the Trojans take on Centerville. That'll be a tall task, and it'll be interesting to see how they respond. Especially coming off a loss like this one.

As for the photo...the lighting conditions at Fairborn precluded me from getting any action shots of the game. Of the peripheral activity, I just thought this was kind of a cool shot. I wanted to get one where the cheerleader was in focus and the background was fuzzed out. Unfortunately, she had finished her cheer and moved on by the time I got my camera settings changed, and I haven't had a chance to give it a run in Photoshop yet.

Troy 49 Xenia 6

2009-09-04T23:44:00.005-04:00

I know my opinion has absolutely no bearing on this, but in my mind, this should go down as a shutout for the Trojans. Xenia didn't score until the clock expired in the fourth quarter; the officials took an inordinate amount of time to spot the ball and wind the clock before the play, otherwise I doubt they even would have gotten the last play off; and from my admittedly poor angle, it looked like the ball carrier got stacked up before the ball actually crossed the goal line anyway. However, at the very least, the Trojans held them scoreless for forty-seven minutes and fifty-nine seconds, and that's an impressive feat in itself.

Although the final result wasn't terribly different from last year's Troy-Xenia game, the method of getting there was. Last year the Trojans blitzed the Buccaneers with a flurry of points right off the bat, then coasted to the end. Tonight was a more workmanlike performance, for the most part. Oh, there were big plays aplenty, but the points didn't come in bunches the way they did last year.

One thing is for certain: Xenia was looking for the Trojans to run, and weren't prepared at all for any sort of passing attack. That was clear on Troy's first pass attempt, when QB Greg Yahle hit a receiver for a short gain despite a wide-open receiver streaking downfield. As it turned out, the downfield receivers were open all night, and Yahle didn't miss them after that first pass. Now, the passes weren't always things of great beauty, but hey, they got the job done. Yahle finished the night 10 of 11 for 239 yards and 3 TDs.

And on a night when they came so close to recording a shutout, I'd be remiss not to mention the defense, which continues to look strong, particularly against the run. Xenia couldn't get much going either up the middle or on the edges. They also got some solid pressure on the QB, forcing him into an interception at one point. Xenia isn't exactly an offensive juggernaut (and, to be fair to them, they were missing a starter or two due to injury), but that kind of performance against anyone bodes well.

Next week the Trojans take their act on the road, heading down to Fairborn to take on the Skyhawks. I'll be coming down from Toledo, so it's possible I won't make it in time for kickoff, but I hope to be there before too much of the first quarter has elapsed. Here's hoping that traffic cooperates with that timeframe.

Chaminade-Julienne 10 Troy 0

2009-08-27T22:12:00.001-04:00

This is the first regular-season game I've attended at Dayton's Welcome Stadium. Each time I've been there previously has been for a playoff game, so I'm used to a pretty overstimulated environment - early-arriving fans, packed stands, high emotion. That made the complete lack of atmosphere at this game a little jarring, especially since this was supposed to be a huge high school football "event." The crowd on both sides was small, the Troy band didn't come, CJ's band was very small and barely played, and there wasn't even a halftime show. Heck, I don't even think they printed up any programs. If they did, I never saw 'em. Also, they didn't turn on the lights until the game was almost over, and even then it was only one standard. I understand trying to save a few bucks in a tough economy, but it was plenty dark enough for lights for most of the fourth quarter at least. Seems a little bush league to me.

This is also the first high school game I've attended that was televised on anything more than an extremely local basis. It simply reinforced my belief that high school sports really shouldn't be televised. It slowed the game down so much. I'm all for being at the game for as long as possible, but I prefer that it's due to the action on the field rather than interminable timeouts and play stoppages.

But hey, high school football is back for real, and in view of that, it's hard to complain. Unfortunately, the Trojans couldn't get a win to open the season. They're young, and although they have some talent, their inexperience showed tonight. They made some good plays, but they couldn't string enough of them together to mount a serious threat against a solid CJ team that is Division III in name only - they've got plenty of size and speed. The Trojans were able to keep it close by stepping up when it counted on defense. CJ's only touchdown came on a trick play, a double pass that the Trojans were almost able to stuff in the backfield. Outside of that drive, the Eagles were able to rack up some yards, but the Trojans made some nice plays (including a beautiful interception by Kyle Terando in the third quarter) and kept them from getting into the endzone again.

The offense, on the other hand, couldn't really get anything going. The Trojans are returning this year to the run-heavy Wing-T that has served them so well in the past. However, that offense is predicated as much on misdirection as it is on anything else, and in this game it seemed like they plays were taking too long to develop. This led to a whole bunch of tackles for loss or short gain. The most success they had was with a long drive in the third quarter which was made up mostly of quick hitters attacking the center of the line. That seemed to wear down CJ's defense, but Troy just couldn't keep it up. They got down into the redzone, then, on third down, ran a QB bootleg around the right side. I don't know if it was a designed run or if QB Greg Yahle couldn't find a receiver and decided to run on his own, but either way, it didn't work. He fumbled, and although the Trojans recovered, the lost yardage resulted in a failed field goal attempt. That was the only time Troy seriously threatened to dent the scoreboard. When CJ drove down after that and scored a field goal of their own, the game was pretty much over.

Still, this was only game one, and it was against some decent competition. I did see some pretty good things, and I expect the Trojans to build on this and put some good games together this season. They'll get their chance when they open up at home next week with an actual Friday game against the Xenia Buccaneers.

Oh yeah, and that reminds me - non-Friday games are for the birds. I've been going to high school football games for a really long time now, and this is the first one that wasn't on a Friday or, at worst, a Saturday. Needless to say, my mind is now convinced that I have tomorrow off; unfortunately, I have to work in the morning. Ugh.

Programming Note

2009-08-26T23:15:00.001-04:00

For those of you who may be interested, the season-opening football game for the Troy Trojans will be televised LIVE tomorrow (Thursday, August 27) on Fox Sports Ohio. The Trojans will be taking on the Eagles of Chaminade-Julienne, and kickoff is scheduled for 5:30 PM.

Go Trojans!

Mobile Blogging

2009-08-25T17:16:00.001-04:00

I mentioned in my last post that I would be getting a new phone. That did indeed happen - Brandi and I both got BlackBerries. So this is a test to see how blogging via mobile email works on this thing.

FWIW, on short acquaintance (I've been messing with it since Saturday), I love the BlackBerry so far. We both got the Curve 8330, if you're interested. I'm more of a texter than a talker, so the full keyboard is fantastic (yes, I'm composing this whole post on my phone). And I also really dig the social media integration and other apps (hello Pandora). I hated the last two phones I had, at least, so feeling so enthusiastic about this one is a welcome change.

I've only made a couple of calls on it, but it seems to perform its "primary" function perfectly adequately. It also has a competent camera function.

What's Going On

2009-08-19T22:17:00.005-04:00

First off, I'd like to acknowledge that I got my driver's license sixteen years ago today. I'm having a rough time wrapping my head around that. You spend so much of your young life pining for the day when you can get behind the wheel...and I've now reached a point where I've been able to do it for just as long as I was unable to do it. Bizarre. At any rate, I had every intention of posting a picture or two of my first car, but I couldn't find any. I'll get 'em up if I come across any, though.

I haven't found any car pictures yet, but in looking for them I did come across one photo I wanted to share - a photo of my almost seven-year-old self with one of my first prized possessions (well, one of the first that wasn't Star Wars-related, anyway). That's right: it's MJ's Thriller album on cassette. I listened to that thing nearly nonstop; it was toast in no time.

Secondly, I'm extremely excited that my contract with my current cell phone carrier ends tomorrow. I have no qualms with the carrier itself; I just really hate my phone, the second consecutive phone I've hated, and I'm ready for a new one. Since Brandi's contract with her carrier doesn't expire for a long time, I'm just going to port my number over there and join her under a family plan. We're planning to go get new phones this weekend. I'm looking for something with a full keyboard, since I'd rather text than talk anyway.

Between now and then, though, my favorite time of year will begin. On Friday night I'll get my first look at this year's edition of the Troy Trojans as they have their annual scrimmage against the Dunbar Wolverines at Troy Memorial Stadium. You know what that means, boys and girls - you'll be able to count on at least one post a week from me starting on Friday and running through October, as I recap each week's game experience. The Trojans have a young team this year, so I'm really looking forward to getting out there on Friday and getting a first impression.

Amen

2009-08-07T00:39:00.003-04:00

Hat tip: Hey Jenny Slater

Settling In and Bugging Out

2009-08-03T09:29:00.001-04:00

Brandi and I have had possession of our new house for nearly two full months now, and we've been actually living in it for pretty close to a month and a half. Most of that time has passed in a whirlwind of activity, but now things are starting to settle down and feel more routine.

I have to say first off that the house is pretty awesome. It's a complete 180° difference from the last place we lived in terms of peace and quiet. Most obvious is the fact that it's not a duplex and we're not physically attached to our neighbors' domiciles, and thus are not subject to their screaming babies, shouted conversations, or windchime fetishes. Also, we live on a side street of an isolated subdivision, so traffic is extremely sparse. Really, about the only things we hear from outside are crickets and the occasional barking dog.

My favorite feature of the house is the screened-in back patio. One of our first purchases for the place was a table and chairs set for back there, and it's a great place to sit in the evenings to have a drink and unwind. Since the summer has been so temperate thus far, I've even taken to eating lunch out there as often as not. Generally I'm not big on eating outside because I have a hatred of bugs that borders on mania, but the screens let me enjoy the benefits of being outside without being bothered.

Of course, there are some aspects of home ownership that I'm not quite so fond of. Near the top of the list is lawn maintenance. It's not so much that I mind mowing the lawn - to be perfectly honest, it's not something I've done enough to develop a distaste for yet. Mostly it's that I don't even think about it. When I have free time, pulling the mower out of the shed is the furthest thing from my mind. And we've got a ton of plants/flowers/trees/shrubs/bushes/etc. that really need to be brought under control. We have some friends who are going to help us with this, which is awesome, but in the meantime we've taken to calling our yard "the jungle." Of course, this has its fair points, too - yesterday Brandi went out and picked a large bowl of cherry tomatoes off the plants outside our back patio. They're pretty tasty, and it looks like there will be at least one more crop before the summer is over.

This week, of course, our developing routine will be turned on its ear. Brandi is leaving today for California, where she'll be for a week to attend a fitness conference. I'm taking a few days off from work as well, although I'm not actually going anywhere. It was just time for me to have some time away from work to relax. With Brandi gone, my week will likely consist mostly of PS3, loud rock music (headlined by Def Leppard and Journey), dawn coming at the end of the day rather than the beginning, plenty of time spent on the patio, and a fair amount of wine. So I may not be going anywhere, but that sounds like a solid enough vacation for me.

No Longer Hypothetical

2009-06-08T08:19:00.003-04:00

Now it's official: Brandi and I bought a house.

We closed toward the end of May, but since the people we bought it from were still living there, we didn't get the keys and actually take possession of it until last Friday. We spent a fair portion of this weekend over there getting familiar with the nooks and crannies, taking measurements, and getting ready for painting. I'll tell you this - the people who lived there before us did not believe in nails. I spent about an hour last night removing screws and drywall anchors.

We'll try to do the bulk of our painting next weekend, and then we're having the carpets cleaned the following Monday. At that point we'll be able to start moving in our stuff. The only other thing we really need to do is have a landscaping expert come over to help us make some sense of the tangle of plants that surround the place. Luckily, we know such a person, so hopefully that won't be much of a problem.

Three Years Ago Today

2009-06-03T08:15:00.002-04:00

Read all about it!

Getting Closer Every Day

2009-05-20T19:48:00.002-04:00

So Brandi and I bought a house.

Well, check that. We're in the process of buying a house. Our closing is one week from today, and at that point I'll be able to say we bought a house. I've been loath to write about it because I keep expecting the whole deal to fall through and come crashing down around us with each successive step in the process. Now, though, with just a week to go, I'm almost certain that closing is the last hurdle, and it seems like everything is still in order.

We close next Wednesday. From closing, the couple selling us the house has fifteen days to clear out and hand over the keys. During that time we'll have to set up the utilities to switch over into our names on whatever day we're to take over occupancy. If they take the full fifteen days, we'll gain access to our very own house on June 11. Conveniently, that'll be my first of two days in Toledo for the month. When I get back, that weekend will likely be given over to whatever painting we decide we want to do. The following week we'll need to have the carpets cleaned and complete any other minor projects we come across. Then comes the actual moving, which Brandi and I should be pros at by now. Our current lease expires at the end of June, so we don't have to do everything at once if we don't want to. Fortunately, we only have a handful of items that can't fit into one of our cars or the other - our couch and bed and my desk are the only things coming to mind offhand.

And with that, our path to home ownership and occupation seems clear. It seems strange, and I still have the same mixed feelings I have about the whole situation that I've had about buying a house for years. But, by the same token, I also have mixed feelings about continuing to rent. There are pros and cons to everything, and I think I've convinced myself that the rewards outweigh the risks in this case. If nothing else, I've lived in dorms and apartments for fourteen years now, since my first sojourn to Wright State University's Hamilton Hall as a newly minted 18-year-old college freshman in the late summer of 1995, and I'm ready to finally have some distance between myself and my neighbors rather than sharing walls and yards. More than anything else, I'm looking forward to dealing with no one's noise but mine and my wife's.

I Don't Even Like Beer, But...

2009-05-07T20:59:00.002-04:00

The monthly beer tastings at The Caroline are always a good time. And, to be fair, at this particular tasting, there was one that I really enjoyed - Oxford Organic Raspberry Wheat Beer by Clipper City.

Problem Solved, Sort Of

2009-04-09T15:18:00.002-04:00

It looks like we won't be deciding between the two houses I profiled in my last post. We just found out through our agent (who's still on vacation, I might add) that the status on both has been updated to "Sale Pending." So, barring a deal falling through on one or the other, we're pretty much back to the drawing board.

A Very Very Very Fine (Hypothetical) House

2009-04-06T22:01:00.010-04:00

I've written before (here AND here, lucky you) about my reservations regarding home ownership. So I don't spend too much time rehashing territory I've covered before, I'll just refer you to those links and say that my reservations haven't really changed all that much - mainly maintenance, and all the time, effort, and money I don't want to put into it. That's the main item on the CON side of the ledger, but it carries significant weight. On the other hand, as time goes on, there are more and more things being added to the PRO list of purchasing a house.

For instance, as I'm sure I mentioned in at least one of the posts linked above, there are a number of issues with the place we live now (defective refrigerator, drafty windows, squeaky plumbing...I could go on). As leery as I am of being responsible for maintenance, I've come to the conclusion that it may be preferable to hassling the landlord over every single thing I'd like to see fixed or improved. Sure, I'd have to pay for it myself, but at least I'd be able to get it done. Our landlord is easy enough to deal with when something needs to be done, but I have a hard time imagining he'd agree to replace these windows, for instance, without them actually being broken.

And then there's the X factor. Right now Brandi and I live in a duplex - the two sides are mirror images of each other, and our bedroom shares a wall with the neighbors' bedroom. Also, there's a third dwelling, a house, immediately behind our duplex, in what would be a backyard under other circumstances. Now, normally none of these things would be that big of a deal. But for the neighbors with whom we share a roof, the bedroom seems to be their primary gathering place, and they often converse in upraised voices (usually with poor grammar, too, although I suppose that's beside the point). Also, they have a small child, I think he's 3, who should be beyond the "screaming all the time" stage of life, but isn't. And when I say "isn't," I mean not at all. So there's constant noise coming from the other side of the wall, which is irritating enough at the best of times and even more so in the small hours of the morning. I mean, I'm a night person, and generally pretty tolerant of that sort of thing, but this is in the realm of the ridiculous. And if that weren't bad enough, the neighbors behind us have a thousand wind chimes strung along the front of their place, tinkling and clanging and bonging and tolling ALL THE TIME. And even before we moved here, Brandi and I have always had loud neighbors. As it relates to buying a house, the thing we're most looking forward to is no longer sharing walls or a yard with anyone else, and all the noise we have to contend with will be our own.

Our current experiment in house-hunting started the same way all the others did, but it's gone a lot further because this time we actually did some follow-up. What happened was that I saw a house that was up for sale on my way home from somewhere one day, thought it was pretty cool, shared it with Brandi, checked it out online, and found ourselves at least mildly interested. Normally that would be the end of it, but seeing as how this was the third or fourth time we had gone through this, I mentioned that we should talk to a mortgage professional to find out where we stood so we'd know if we were wasting our time or not. Well, Brandi took that ball and ran with it - she called a mortgage guy, and it turned out that we were in better position than we thought we would be. The upshot of all this is that we were approved for a loan, and we've been looking for a house, actively and for real, for close to a month now.

We've been inside twenty houses at this point, or thereabouts (I've lost exact count). Of those, we've liked about five enough to merit further discussion amongst ourselves once we left them and were back in the comfort of our own noisy, defective home. One of those was the very first one we went into, the one that started this whole mess, which turned out to be pretty awesome. We've mostly ruled that one out at this point, as the asking price is at the upper end of our price range and we're hoping to stay as far below that as possible. Another we liked is in the finishing stages of some massive renovations and absolutely beautiful and almost entirely new inside, but we're not thrilled with the neighborhood it's in.

Our agent is on vacation this week, which is actually kind of nice because it has given us a chance to step back from everything and just think things over. We've narrowed it down to two different houses that we're kind of going back and forth on, and it's tough because they're almost polar opposites of each other.

The one I'm leaning toward doesn't really have anything that stands about it, but it really has no drawbacks either. It's a single-story brick ranch with a two-car attached garage on a cul-de-sac at the back end of a quiet residential neighborhood. It's well-maintained, with a nice yard and a privacy fence in the back, and all the appliances are included. It's a nice place - we wouldn't have to do anything to it except move our stuff in and start living there.

The other one...well, I'd describe it as our high-risk, high-reward option. It's a sweet place, but it definitely needs at least some work, and potentially a lot of work. I guess it's technically a ranch too, mostly brick with some sided areas, with an unfinished basement and a crawlspace, and it sits on the edge of a residential area, on a busy state route. It's almost majestic when you first walk in, with a wrought iron railing separating the entryway from the living room, which has one sculptured brick wall with a fireplace, plus a vaulted ceiling with exposed beams, and one wall is a glass window/sliding door that looks out onto a sun room. So yeah, it's cool...but. First and foremost, at the very least the electrical outlets need to be redone, as they're currently only the two-pronged variety, and there's some question as to whether the house even has a ground wire. I run a lot of electronics, so that's kind of a big deal. I have some questions about the foundation, as there are spots in the basement where you can see small amounts of daylight shining through. There are hardwood floors throughout, which is awesome, but they would need to be refinished, as they look a little worn and scruffy. There are a ton of windows, but they're pretty old and will need to be replaced sooner than later. We would have to buy a washer and dryer, and while all the kitchen appliances would stay, they're fairly old. The furnace and air conditioner are old. There are 2 1/2 bathrooms, but the institutional tile and fluorescent lighting give them the feel of high school locker rooms. The yard is 1/3 of an acre and pretty nice, but it needs to be cleaned up and landscaped. Everything on the inside needs to be painted. And I could go on, but I think at this point you probably get the picture - lots of upside, with plenty of strings attached. All that work might not be a problem if we could get the house for the right price, but I don't know what that might be. Just eyeballing it, I think they'd have to come down around 20% from their asking price to make it worth our while. It's been on the market for a long time, but that's a pretty steep drop. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to make a crazy-ass lowball offer and see what happens. Even if it somehow got accepted, I'd be concerned that we'd get in there and find that we'd bitten off more than we'd care to chew. But I suppose that's what pre-sale inspections are all about.

At any rate, that's what we're looking at right now. By the time our agent comes back next week, I'm hoping that Brandi and I will have reached a consensus, either to put in an offer on one of the houses we've seen so far or to keep looking. We'd like to move this summer if at all possible, with an eye toward possibly hosting my family's annual Independence Day shindig at our new pad. Of course, it's not the end of the world if things don't break right for that to happen - getting the right place for the right price is far more important than the timing. All I know right now is that I'm looking forward to toasting our first night in our own place with a glass of wine, and savoring the silence that comes with having some actual distance between ourselves and our neighbors.

Notes From the Road

2009-03-10T18:45:00.000-04:00

I'm coming out of my hiatus today during my monthly trip to Toledo for work. I have to say, it seems as though Northwest Ohio has been operating lately under the delusion that it's actually the Pacific Northwest. Every time I've been up this way lately, it's been raining, and not just a little. The entire city of Findlay is probably underwater at this point, and lucky me, I get to drive through it on my way home tomorrow. I'm seriously tired of driving in the rain. I was planning to go out tonight and pick up a pair of jeans, maybe get a haircut. Instead, I don't really even feel like heading out to get something to eat.

Of course, this trip got off to an inauspicious beginning as early as yesterday afternoon. My list of deadlines for the year listed this month's deadline as the 12th, meaning I would come up on the 11th, which is tomorrow. Yesterday, about fifteen minutes short of quitting time, I accidentally found out that deadline had been moved up a day and no one had let me know. It wasn't a terribly big deal to come up a day early, but I have certain things I like to do on the day before I make my deadline trip to make sure everything is in order for me to work in the business office instead of the home office, and since I didn't get to do any of that, I've spent the past 26 hours feeling like I've forgotten something. Yesterday I was flustered; today I'm fried. The good news is that it doesn't seem like I did forget anything, and I think we're in good shape for tomorrow, the actual deadline day, to go pretty smoothly. Yes, I'm knocking on wood as I type that, just in case.

This has been a bit of a crazy month anyway. We normally publish three catalogs per month; this month we're doing five. On top of that, for the past year or so I've had a proofreading minion that has helped take some of the load off my shoulders; starting this month she took a position in the IT department, so the responsibility for those five catalogs was mine and mine alone. I don't mind that - in fact, I went out of my way to assure my boss that it was fine and that I didn't need any help - but after working the bulk of the month under a pace I normally only achieve during the last week and a half or so, I'm ready for it to be over. I think next month we're back to our normal schedule, which will be nice. Of course, I say that now, and in reality I'll probably end up being bored out of my mind.

If you actually visit the Yawp instead of reading from an RSS feed, you'll have noticed by now that I've joined the Twitter craze (and if you do subscribe via RSS, here's the link if you want to follow me). That's part of why I've been out of action for so long, I think, as I've used Twitter as a blogging substitute of sorts. But I don't think there's any reason why I should do one to the exclusion of the other, so I'll probably get back to a little more regular action here as well.

And there should be no shortage of topics - the BG men's hoops team is in position to make a run in the MAC tournament; Brandi and I just started looking for a house; I'm planning to get back into some sort of exercise regimen at some point; and more. So stay tuned!

The Week Ahead

2009-01-12T11:26:00.005-05:00

Today goes down as the first time in 2009 that I've felt a serious pang of desire for high school football. It came when, for some reason, I was thinking about the days of living in Bowling Green and driving down for each Troy game nonetheless, and, more specifically, the long contemplative drives back on the occasions when I'd return to Bowling Green the same night after the game. Although I'm extremely glad to be back in Troy, and that I don't have to rush in order to make it to the game in time for kickoff each week (particularly for away games), I do miss making those drives sometimes.

I'll be making a similar drive tomorrow morning, though, as the time has come 'round once again for my monthly trip to Toledo to spend two days in the office. Hopefully the weather won't make trouble, although I have to make the trip regardless. This has been kind of a strange winter so far in that regard - I don't feel like it's been too bad, but I've already skipped traveling to two BG basketball games due to the weather (including one this past Saturday), and I can't remember that ever happening before.

I'm not a huge fan of audiobooks, much preferring the experience of actually sitting or lying down with a book in my hands, but I've decided to give it another go. Mainly because my reading time conflicts with my PlayStation time, and this seems like a way I might be able to do both at once. That said, I'll probably get started on my drive to and from Toledo over the next couple of days. If I can stand to drive that long without music, that is.

The book I'll be listening to, by the way, is World Without End by Ken Follett. I just read (actually read) his Pillars of the Earth, and this is the follow-up. The audio version spans 36 discs, and transferring it to my iPod has been a very tedious process. I've only done half of it so far; I'll do the rest as it become necessary, should I make it that far.

I mentioned last week that my intention was to start setting more short-term goals for myself in terms of my writing process, so here's the first. My goal for this week (meaning sometime between now and, let's say, Friday) is to start getting down on paper (or screen, as the case may be) the story that's been kicking around in my head for quite some time. Not notes, ideas, or character outlines, but actual narrative. I have a feeling this one is going to write itself once I get going. I could be wrong about that; I'll see how I need to progress once I get some sort of start.

Along similar lines,when I get back from Toledo later this week, it's probably time to start getting back into an exercise routine. I'll be restarting my aborted Power 90X regimen from a few months ago. That time I think I derailed myself by trying to stick too rigidly to the schedule, and I lost my groove when I had a couple of days I couldn't exercise because I had other stuff going on. This time I'll try to be more flexible, and hopefully I'll be able to see it through to the end this time.

On Atlas Shrugged

2009-01-08T10:58:00.016-05:00

I finished reading Atlas Shrugged a couple of weeks ago, and I've been sort of mulling it over since then, hoping my thoughts would coagulate into some sort of cohesive whole that I could present to the masses. That hasn't really happened, though, so I'll just share some thoughts.

First, someone should dig up Ayn Rand and teach her about section breaks. I hate to pause in my reading without some kind of break in the text, but in this book they're few and far between, especially toward the end.

In general, the whole novel is overlong. Way too much text is devoted to endless character conversations that serve no more purpose than hammering home the point that socialists are lazy, selfish (the bad kind), irresponsible, poor excuses for human beings, whereas selfish (the good kind) capitalists are the pinnacle of evolution and the only hope for civilization. We get it, Ayn, thanks. In terms of length, if nothing else, she would have been better served to simply publish the chapter "This Is John Galt Speaking" as a manifesto and been done with it (although I still would have argued for section breaks).

Beyond that, I'd say the book is a stylistic mess. It's preachy and pedantic, with large chunks of exposition shoved into the characters' mouths. None of the main characters are sympathetic, likable, or even particularly realistic. The plot itself was pretty ludicrous. I remember at one point thinking "Really? This is where we're going? Wow."

And seriously, what the hell happened to Eddie Willers? He was one of only two characters in the book I could relate to even a little bit, and he ends up getting screwed bigger than life. He may not have been exceptional, but he shared the same values as everyone who disappeared, and it seemed to me that there were "normal" people like him in the valley. All he did was bust his ass all his life for Dagny and her railroad, falling in love with her in the process, and he ends up having some kind of nervous breakdown trying to fix the last working train in the universe while Dagny flies off into utopia, sipping champagne and getting tag-teamed by the industrious saviors of the world who also happen to be he-man lovers.

(Okay, so that's not quite the way it went down, but close enough.)

Still, for all of its flaws, this was an interesting book, and I'm glad I read it. I have to say I liked Rand's The Fountainhead better, as it seemed to focus on an individual's passion for his craft, rather than the application of said craft to the accumulation of wealth, which I found slightly off-putting. I didn't agree with a lot of Rand's philosophy, mainly because I don't think real people are anywhere near as black and white as she makes them out to be in the novel. Sure, pure socialism may be a lousy system because unscrupulous lazy people exploit the system, but unfettered capitalism is just as bad because unscrupulous greedy people exploit the system. From a purely theoretical standpoint, I think both systems have their merits; in practice, however, neither is perfect because people aren't perfect. And really, that's all there is to it.

One thing I absolutely can't argue with Rand about, though, is that there is a staggering amount of incompetence out there in the world, seemingly sparse drive for individual (self) improvement, plenty of scorn and ridicule for those who are competent or even exceptional in some way, and far too much acceptance of the situation. Sometimes I look around and despair for the future of the human race. But I have no plans to withdraw from society, nor do I think it would much change matters if I did, even if I took a thousand of my closest friends with me.

Okay, so I guess that turned out to be a little more coherent than it seemed in my head. That's what the writing process is for, folks! I do have three random thoughts to share before I go, though:

It's difficult to take seriously any author that uses the words "loot" and "mooch" with such reckless abandon.

Dagny Taggart reminds me strongly of Mara Jade, the Imperial assassin turned Jedi from the Star Wars expanded universe.

Likewise, I can see the world of Atlas Shrugged being the world that moved on to become the apocalyptic fantasy world of Stephen King's Dark Tower series. Consider - "regular" society collapses after the intellectual aristocracy withdraw, then, several generations on, their greed leads them to destroy themselves with the new advanced weaponry and environmental damage their unbridled capitalist innovation has wrought in the meantime.

Oh, and if you can find another review out there somewhere that draws parallels between Atlas Shrugged, Star Wars, and The Dark Tower, I'll eat my copy of the book.

Some Goals for 2009

2009-01-07T09:00:00.005-05:00

I thought I should probably get around to making this entry before the new year was more than a week old.

More writing. I set a goal in 2008 as well, and I met it. Now I want to expand on it. I found that setting one goal for an entire year is far, far too broad. I need to set specific weekly and monthly tasks for myself as well. I may or may not make those public; I'm not quite sure yet exactly what kind of system I need to establish. But I'm working on it.

And this extends beyond my fiction-writing activity as well. Take this blog, for instance - I don't think it's too much to ask myself to put up at least one post per week. Even if I'm busy, I should be able to find time for that much, at minimum. I do it during football season, after all.

More reading. This one shouldn't be much of a problem, but it is something I want to keep in mind. I have a tendency to go through stretches of time where the PlayStation seems to command all my free time. Not that there's anything wrong with vegging out for an hour or two, or even a whole evening here and there, in that manner, but not to the exclusion of curling up and getting captivated by a good book. One intermediate goal in this regard is to create a list of books I want to pick up so I'm never floundering for what to read next. I keep hoping that LibraryThing will roll out a wishlist feature so I can keep (and share) a list in conjunction with but separate from my own library, but I guess I'll have to devise another solution in the meantime.

More sleep. Not sure if I can deliver on this one, as it may be mutually exclusive with the last one. I have a tendency to read before going to bed, and when I really get into something, well...last night, for instance, it was after 3:30 a.m. when I finally put down the book (The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett) and turned off the light. Even under normal circumstances I struggle to get six hours of sleep per night during the week, and while that generally doesn't bother me on a day-to-day basis, it occasionally catches up to me in spectacular fashion.

More time spent with family and friends.

More water, less pop. More exercise. Better health. You get it.

Now I just have to find the time to accomplish all of this.

The Christmas Haul

2008-12-30T02:14:00.003-05:00

Returning to work on Monday morning brought home the ugly reality that the Christmas holiday is over, taking with it my five consecutive days off. With everything going on, I certainly didn't get five days of rest. Fortunately, this is another short week, although the upcoming four-day break for New Year's may turn out to be just as hectic.

Still, no complaints from me, as Santa Claus did well this year. The first gift-opening extravaganza took place at Brandi's parents' house on Christmas Eve, where we received a really nice wine serving set, which will be a nice complement to the wine fridge they gave us last year. Most of the rest followed on Christmas day, when I got a gift certificate for a massage plus a sweater and a pair of jeans from my parents. From Brandi's mom I got a couple of polo shirts and more candy than I'll be able to eat in the next two weeks. From Brandi herself I got some deodorant (a long-standing joke between us), the final season of Futurama on DVD, a DVD player for our bedroom, a memory foam pillow, and a showerhead that'll do just about anything except cook dinner (and I'm not even sure about that). Due to a package delivery mishap, the last of my items from her didn't arrive until Monday afternoon, and they were a Chewbrian (Chewbacca/Brian) bobblehead from Family Guy's "Blue Harvest," and a mini-calendar from the same show.

The big prize of the season came from my company Christmas party, where I won a Garmin GPS system, which is totally sweet. It's come in handy already, as it helped Brandi and I navigate our way through some relatively unknown neighborhoods here in town as we conducting our annual Christmas lights sightseeing tour, and it also took us a different way to her parents' house when we went up there for Christmas Eve, saving us a little bit of time. I do pretty well with maps and directions, but it'll definitely be handy to have access to that kind of information on the fly, especially anytime we find ourselves in need of a detour or some kind of pit stop along the way.

Of course, there's a downside to the holiday as well. I got Brandi something I knew she wanted - a pair of tickets to see Britney Spears perform in Columbus in April. On the plus side, she was pretty stoked; on the down side, I'll be going to the concert with her. Oh, I don't really feel one way or the other about Britney - I'm sure the show will be entertaining, even if it's more for the spectacle than for the music. I'm just not thrilled about being in an arena full of screaming 12-year-old girls. I told Brandi that her part of this bargain is that she has to pay for my drinks that evening, and quite a few may be necessary to get me through it.

Technical Difficulties

2008-12-22T13:43:00.005-05:00

Hi everyone. You'll be glad to know (I hope) that I'm still alive. A new post is coming soon.

In the meantime, I wanted to let you know about some technical difficulties that may be ongoing with this blog and some of the sites I've associated with it. There may be some missing images and broken links. I'm aware of the problem, and should have it taken care of within a few days.

UPDATE Monday, December 29: Most issues should be corrected at this point. I lost all my page header images, so those will be back slowly over the coming days as I create new ones. I think I got everything else, though, so if you see something that appears broken, please let me know.

It's Coming

2008-11-20T09:28:00.003-05:00

As it turns out, HOPE and CHANGE aren't the only things on the horizon. At long last, Chinese Democracy - the long-awaited new album from Guns N' Roses - is slated for release this coming Sunday.

If, like me, you're skeptical that this release can, after all this time, possibly live up to the standards of Guns N' Roses of old (and by "of old," I mean pre-Spaghetti Incident), I encourage you to check it out in advance. The whole thing is available for streaming, legally, right now through MySpace. I'm listening to it right now myself. I had no idea what to expect from this thing...but I'm blown away by what I've heard so far (I'm on song 8 out of 14). It's good, maybe even really good. I wanted to find out before I plunked down cash on something that may turn out to be nothing more than a curiosity - I mean, how often do you hear albums that were fifteen years in the making? Now I'll be able to track it down on Sunday with confidence that my money is being well spent.

So, sorry folks...it looks like the days of Chinese Democracy being nothing more than a punchline (and, I admit, I've used it as such myself frequently over the years) are over.

UPDATE: Now that I've heard the whole thing...WOW. The second half is even better than the first. I'd have to say, upon one listen, that this album surpasses "good" and flies straight into the rarefied realm of "awesome." It's the kind of music that makes me want to get in the car, roll down the windows, crank up the stereo, and drive real fast (in someone else's car, of course...my Taurus just doesn't fit into this mental picture).

That Says It All, Doesn't It?

2008-11-05T01:25:00.000-05:00

Trick or Treat

2008-10-31T09:38:00.004-04:00

Last night was Trick or Treat night here in the old hometown. Disappointing turnout, I must say. We had just 35 kids come by, down from 54 last year. It could have been a lot worse, though: after the first hour, there had been just 9. At any rate, there's a ton of candy left over. I planned ahead, though - I put the strongest candy at the bottom of the bowl and did only perfunctory mixing, so I mostly gave away the stuff I'd rather not eat myself.

I find that I look forward to giving out candy nearly as much as I used to look forward to going out and collecting it when I was a kid, and believe me, that's quite a bit - Halloween is probably my favorite holiday. Still, it hardly seems worth doing for so few kids. As I mentioned last year (when I thought 54 was low), our place is almost, but not quite, a little out of the way. Maybe next year I'll do some marketing or something.

And now, just because this seems like it's too short to post as an entry all its own (a hangup that is solely my own, I know), here's a list of the last ten songs played this morning from my iTunes library:

1. "Popular" - Nada Surf
2. "Mr. Chess" - Duncan Sheik
3. "Never" - Heart
4. "Raise Your Hand" - Edwin McCain
5. "Girls Girls Girls" - Motley Crue
6. "Behind Blue Eyes" - The Who
7. "The Tuesday Night Bingo Queen" - Joshua Kadison
8. "Because I Got High" - Afroman
9. "Modern Day Cowboy" - Tesla
10. "Goodbye to Romance" - Ozzy Osbourne

Wassup, America?

2008-10-27T14:48:00.000-04:00

Troy 48 Sidney 14

2008-10-24T23:55:00.002-04:00

And so it ends.

First off, congratulations go out to Tyler Wright, the first Trojan QB to throw for over 1,000 yards in a season since 1985. That's quite an accomplishment. It was a welcome sight to see Troy with a legitimate passing attack to complement the always-strong ground game. Hopefully it won't be another 23 years before a Trojan QB sees 1,000 yards again.

As for the game itself, there really isn't a whole lot to say. The Trojans were able to sustain the momentum they accrued from rolling over archrival Piqua last week, and they used it to lay the wood to a simply overmatched Sidney team. Between Tyler Wright and tailback Matt Allen, Troy had a 21-0 lead with four minutes left in the first quarter, and they were able to coast from there.

The defense also played a great game, keeping Sidney's offense off the board until nearly halfway through the 4th quarter, when the game was already well in hand. I was particularly impressed with the pass defense, with plenty of nice plays made on balls in the air. Guys were laying out to bat down passes, hit receivers as the ball arrived, or pick them off. Sophomore linebacker Kyle Terando had a couple of interceptions, one of which was a great, athletic move on trick play by Sidney's offense - the ball looked like it was going to sail over his head, and he just got up and snagged it.

All in all, the Yellowjackets just didn't have an answer for the Trojans on either side of the ball. Or special teams either, for that matter - Troy had a punt return for a TD, and they also forced fumble on a kickoff return. Yes indeed, it was a dominant Week 10 showing by the Trojans.

So now the season's over, when it feels like it's just begun. Pick out any other 10-week period over the course of a year, and it feels like ten weeks; but when it's high school football season, it just flies by. Now begins the long countdown to, if my figuring is correct, August 28, 2009. I'll probably make it to a playoff game or two in the next few weeks, but it just isn't the same without the Trojans involved.

Troy 49 Piqua 28

2008-10-17T23:59:00.001-04:00

Ah, sweet victory.

First off, this is the last time I'm working a full day on a Troy-Piqua gameday. This was probably the first time I've kept a full schedule since I was in high school - for the past several years, I've taken off the whole day or at least the afternoon from work, and when I was in college I certainly wasn't adverse to blowing off classes for the day. Today I didn't do that, and it was the longest day of my life.

Now, in previous seasons, I took time off at least in part so I could get to the stadium early in order to ensure myself a good seat. That was especially important when Piqua played their games at Wertz Stadium in downtown Piqua, where the visitor's stands were small and there was absolutely nowhere to park. Since they've moved into Alexander Stadium, where seats and parking are much more plentiful, it's less of an issue; and with both teams struggling a bit this season, I didn't think getting there early was as much of a priority. I still got there before 6:00 for a 7:30 kickoff, which granted me a prime spot on the 50-yard line with no problem. At any rate, it seemed like everyone else had the same idea I did - it was a late-arriving crowd, but the place was pretty packed by the time kickoff rolled around.

Once the game started, it was good to see the Trojans return to the form they showed in their first three games. I told my friend Amy early on, when the score was tied 7-7, that we were going to win. It was just that kind of game. Piqua was able to keep it close for a while, but from the way the Trojans were playing, I never really felt like the outcome was in doubt. Piqua's defense was loading up to stop the run, and it didn't even matter - Troy's O-line completely dominated them, and Matt Allen ran like a man. He found holes, trucked guys over, dragged them down the field, or simply blew past them. He was phenomenal, rushing for 286 yards and 5 TDs. The Trojans were so good early in the season due in part to their offensive balance, but on this night it wasn't necessary. Tyler Wright and the receivers, and fullback Chris Basil, were good when called upon and did enough with the ball to complement Allen's performance, but the Trojans didn't have to rely on them.

As good as the offense was, the defense was just as good, the 28 points Piqua put on the board notwithstanding. Personally, I thought Piqua's first three TDs should have been called back for penalties (2 holding and 1 offensive pass interference), and their last one was tallied when the game was already decided. The Trojans rendered Piqua's running game virtually nonexistent, and their quarterback was frequently running for his life. Troy also collected three turnovers, which are huge in an emotional game like this one. All in all, I'd say the Trojan defense played as well as they have all season.

There are few things more satisfying than witnessing such a convincing smackdown over one's rivals. And really, what a rivalry this is - after 124 meetings (dating back to 1899), the series record now stands even at 59-59-6. How amazing is that? Also, the win granted the Trojans the first rights to the Traditions Trophy, a traveling trophy instituted for the newly named "Battle of the Miami" just this year. Maybe it's me, but I think this game is better off without stuff like that. A name and a trophy can't possibly add anything to the rivalry that wasn't already there. It's about pride, bragging rights, and guys from two proud, storied programs going at each other for four quarters. And really, that's enough.

So now, hard as it is to believe, 90% of the season is in the books. The Trojans stand at 5-4 with one game left to go. They're out of the playoff race, and they have just an outside shot at sharing the GWOC North title, but the season is a success on some level no matter what else happens by virtue of the win over Piqua. Still, the Trojans take the field next week looking to finish with a winning record. Standing in their way will be the Sidney Yellowjackets (3-6). It'll be senior night at Troy Memorial Stadium, and hopefully the Trojans will be able to maintain their form and send their seniors out with a bang.

Trotwood 26 Troy 22

2008-10-10T23:59:00.004-04:00

In high school football, losing a game is tough enough. Losing on Homecoming makes it just a little bit worse. And losing on Homecoming to a cheater, well...it's the worst. Trotwood coach Maurice Douglass is a known cheater, having served a three-game suspension earlier this season for improper recruiting. So, although it may be unfair to the kids that play for him (as though my whims have anything to do with it), I hope for him to lose every game he coaches. Alas, on this night, it was not to be.

Troy looked better against Trotwood than they did against Lebanon last week, but I think that's probably the kindest thing that can be said. They still made too many mistakes, in the form of penalties and turnovers, that resulted in them leaving points on the field instead of putting them on the board. The game should have been over by halftime, in Troy's favor; instead, Trotwood hung around and hung around, and late in the game, when it really mattered, Troy's undersized defensive line just couldn't get a stop. The Rams were able to chew up the clock and put the winning score with just 19 seconds left, and that just wasn't enough time for Troy's offense to counter.

Again, all I can do is shake my head at the contrast between the Trojan team of the first three weeks of the season and the Trojan team that has been on the field since then. If they're going to get it together, now is the time, with archrival Piqua looming on the horizon for next Friday.

On the bright side, it was a phenomenal night to sit outside in the bleachers for a few hours and watch a game. I took advantage of the great weather to walk to the stadium. If you look at the photos below, you'll see that the first couple are from the walk. Troy's bike path runs from my neighborhood right to the stadium, so that was pretty convenient. Hopefully the weather holds out so I can do it again for the last game of the season in two weeks.

A Few Notes

2008-10-09T09:07:00.008-04:00

I was a pretty big fan of horror movies as a kid. I loved the Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th series, and I have no idea how many hours I spent watching B-grade movies with my cousins Rachel and Mike. Having gotten away from that interest in recent years, I decided a while ago to dedicate the month of October to watching horror flicks. To that end, I started a 2-week trial of Netflix earlier this week. I got my first movie, 1408, yesterday, and I even managed to get Brandi to watch it with me last night. Needless to say, Brandi's not a horror movie fan; she actually screamed out loud at least once. I enjoyed it. It was pretty creepy, even if it did drag a little bit at times (I saw the director's cut, not the theatrical version, which I've since read was better). I thought the short story was better - I didn't especially care for some of the plot points they had to add in order to make it a feature-length film - and especially in audiobook format. Stephen King himself narrates, and he does a phenomenal job.

That one's being mailed back to Netflix this morning. I don't know if I'll get through them all this month, but still in the queue are The Mist, 28 Days Later, Secret Window, and the Nightmares and Dreamscapes series.

Arriving at some point today should be my new iPod. Well, Brandi's new iPod, I guess I should say. After a history of trouble, my iPod gave up the ghost a few weeks ago. When purchasing a new one was discussed, somehow it was decided that Brandi would get a new one and that I would take over her old one. Not sure how that works. At any rate, we ordered one from Best Buy, who assured me that it would ship the next day. Well, the next day I got an email saying that the iPod we wanted was backordered, and that it would ship within 1-2 weeks. Well, today is 3 weeks...I finally got an email last night saying that it had been shipped, and tracking the package informs me that it's in the area and should arrive soon. So that'll be good. I've definitely gotten used to being able to carry my entire music collection around with me, and losing that capability has been a harrowing experience.

Regular readers of this blog will be aware that I'm a big fan of Dan Dakich, former head coach of the BGSU men's basketball program. Coach Dakich finished up last season as the interim coach at Indiana after Kelvin Sampson was fired, and he held that position until the Hoosiers hired Tom Crean away from Marquette. Earlier this week, Coach Dakich embarked on a new career - he's now hosting a daily 3-hour sports talk show on an Indianapolis radio station. I've listened to it each day this week, and he's really good. He sounds like he's been doing it for years, actually. He's got some hilarious stories, and you can tell he has a blast bantering with callers. It focuses mainly on sports in the state of Indiana (IU, Notre Dame, Purdue, the Colts, the Pacers, etc.), but he's shown that he'll talk a little bit of anything, and there's been plenty of mention of Bowling Green. It streams live online from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 1070 the Fan, and I recommend it highly.

I forgot to mention it, but my celebration of Banned Books Week took the form of a re-read of the Harry Potter series. I intended to read something I hadn't read before, but I'm still working my way through Atlas Shrugged. I'm enjoying it, but for some reason I'm having a hard time making myself and read it for long stretches of time. It's a long book, so it's taking me quite some time to get through it, which is unusual for me.

In these troubled economic times, I'd like to take this opportunity to remind everyone that DVD movies, music CDs, and audiobooks are available to be borrowed from your local public library. Oh, and regular books too, of course.

I didn't watch the presidential debate earlier this week, and I have no intention of watching the next one. I know who I'm voting for. Nothing's going to change my mind at this point, especially not with the tiresome tone the campaign has taken. I'll be glad when this whole thing is over, which thankfully is less than four weeks from now.

Lebanon 24 Troy 14

2008-10-03T23:59:00.009-04:00

I'd like to begin this week's game recap with an aside. At away games, I always seem to end up sitting near the same group of people (and since I arrive pretty early, I suppose it's more accurate to say that the same group of people ends up sitting near me), and a couple of people in this group seem to spend nearly the whole time complaining loudly about the officiating and the coaching. Man, that gets annoying. Now, I'm not even going to try to convince anyone that I never complain about such things myself (although I will say that I try to keep it to myself or within the circle of whoever I'm with as opposed to simply shouting it into the night), and I'm also not going to say that their comments don't have occasional merit. But to harp on about it all game long? And at each game throughout the season? It wears on you after a while.

Aside from that, one of my favorite things about the football season is going to different stadiums, especially those I've never been to before, and sampling the atmosphere. This was my first trip to Lebanon, and I thought their stadium was pretty cool. The visitors' side could be raised up a little more to give a better view of the field, but that's a common flaw in a lot of high school stadiums. It's in a cool setting, near a neighborhood (I love stadiums with houses nearby; no idea why) but with plenty of trees and open spaces around; parking was close, plentiful, and free; there was a lot of open area for little kids to run around and play without getting in the way; there was a good crowd; the concession lines moved quickly; and the pulled pork sandwich was awesome. Good stuff.

I'm really glad I enjoyed visiting the stadium, because the game itself was pretty hard to watch. Defensively, the Trojans played well enough to win. Really, to be on the field as much as they were and only give up 24 points, that's enough to consider this a moral victory on that side of the ball. The offense...well, this just isn't the same offense the Trojans showed in their first three games of the season in nearly any respect. Lebanon's offense was able to wear the Trojan defense down by playing keep-away, and Troy's offense obliged by making mistake after mistake - turnovers, dropped passes, and untimely penalties chief among them. Everyone has an off night from time to time, of course; it's just amazing and more than a little befuddling when seemingly everyone has one at the same time.

At 4-3, any playoff aspirations the Trojans may have been nursing, already slim in the ultra-competitive Region 4, have now gone by the wayside. On the bright side, since this was a GWOC crossover game, it doesn't have any bearing on the Trojans' hopes for a league championship. Also, I made it out of the stadium and into my car in time to listen on the radio to the last few minutes of Piqua's loss to previously winless Vandalia Butler. I won't say that a Piqua loss cures all ills, but it certainly has a tendency to soothe them.

Next Friday is Homecoming for the Trojans, and they'll set their sights on the Trotwood-Madison Cheaters...uh, Recruiters...um, I mean RAMS. Sorry about that. The Rams are 2-5, losing 5 straight to open the season before winning the last 2 against GWOC North opponents Piqua and Sidney. It'll be interesting to see how the Trojans rebound, and I'm looking forward to coming home and seeing them hopefully vent their frustrations and get back to form.

On the VP Debate

2008-10-02T23:39:00.002-04:00

Oh, Mrs. Palin?

"The Almighty says...don't change the subject, just answer the fuckin' question."

Pat Conroy on Censorship

2008-10-01T14:06:00.002-04:00

A Letter to the Editor of the Charleston Gazette:
(originally published October 24, 2007)

I received an urgent e-mail from a high school student named Makenzie Hatfield of Charleston, West Virginia. She informed me of a group of parents who were attempting to suppress the teaching of two of my novels, The Prince of Tides and Beach Music. I heard rumors of this controversy as I was completing my latest filthy, vomit-inducing work. These controversies are so commonplace in my life that I no longer get involved. But my knowledge of mountain lore is strong enough to know the dangers of refusing to help a Hatfield of West Virginia. I also do not mess with McCoys.

I’ve enjoyed a lifetime love affair with English teachers, just like the ones who are being abused in Charleston, West Virginia, today. My English teachers pushed me to be smart and inquisitive, and they taught me the great books of the world with passion and cunning and love. Like your English teachers, they didn’t have any money, either, but they lived in the bright fires of their imaginations, and they taught because they were born to teach the prettiest language in the world. I have yet to meet an English teacher who assigned a book to damage a kid. They take an unutterable joy in opening up the known world to their students, but they are dishonored and unpraised because of the scandalous paychecks they receive. In my travels around this country, I have discovered that America hates its teachers, and I could not tell you why. Charleston, West Virginia, is showing clear signs of really hurting theirs, and I would be cautious about the word getting out. n 1961, I entered the classroom of the great Eugene Norris, who set about in a thousand ways to change my life. It was the year I read Catcher in the Rye, under Gene’s careful tutelage, and I adore that book to this very day. Later, a parent complained to the school board, and Gene Norris was called before the board to defend his teaching of this book. He asked me to write an essay describing the book’s galvanic effect on me, which I did. But Gene’s defense of Catcher in the Rye was so brilliant and convincing in its sheer power that it carried the day. I stayed close to Gene Norris till the day he died. I delivered a eulogy at his memorial service and was one of the executors of his will. Few in the world have ever loved English teachers as I have, and I loathe it when they are bullied by know-nothing parents or cowardly school boards.

About the novels your county just censored: The Prince of Tides and Beach Music are two of my darlings, which I would place before the altar of God and say, “Lord, this is how I found the world you made.” They contain scenes of violence, but I was the son of a Marine Corps fighter pilot who killed hundreds of men in Korea, beat my mother and his seven kids whenever he felt like it, and fought in three wars. My youngest brother, Tom, committed suicide by jumping off a fourteen-story building; my French teacher ended her life with a pistol; my aunt was brutally raped in Atlanta; eight of my classmates at The Citadel were killed in Vietnam; and my best friend was killed in a car wreck in Mississippi last summer. Violence has always been a part of my world. I write about it in my books and make no apology to anyone. In Beach Music, I wrote about the Holocaust and lack the literary powers to make that historical event anything other than grotesque.

People cuss in my books. People cuss in my real life. I cuss, especially at Citadel basketball games. I’m perfectly sure that Steve Shamblin and other teachers prepared their students well for any encounters with violence or profanity in my books just as Gene Norris prepared me for the profane language in Catcher in the Rye forty-eight years ago.

The world of literature has everything in it, and it refuses to leave anything out. I have read like a man on fire my whole life because the genius of English teachers touched me with the dazzling beauty of language. Because of them I rode with Don Quixote and danced with Anna Karenina at a ball in St. Petersburg and lassoed a steer in Lonesome Dove and had nightmares about slavery in Beloved and walked the streets of Dublin in Ulysses and made up a hundred stories in the Arabian nights and saw my mother killed by a baseball in A Prayer for Owen Meany. I’ve been in ten thousand cities and have introduced myself to a hundred thousand strangers in my exuberant reading career, all because I listened to my fabulous English teachers and soaked up every single thing those magnificent men and women had to give. I cherish and praise them and thank them for finding me when I was a boy and presenting me with the precious gift of the English language.

The school board of Charleston, West Virginia, has sullied that gift and shamed themselves and their community. You’ve now entered the ranks of censors, book-banners, and teacher-haters, and the word will spread. Good teachers will avoid you as though you had cholera. But here is my favorite thing: Because you banned my books, every kid in that county will read them, every single one of them. Because book banners are invariably idiots, they don’t know how the world works — but writers and English teachers do.

I salute the English teachers of Charleston, West Virginia, and send my affection to their students. West Virginians, you’ve just done what history warned you against — you’ve riled a Hatfield.

Sincerely,

Pat Conroy

Troy 34 Vandalia Butler 21

2008-09-26T23:59:00.008-04:00

I was prepared to be irritated by Troy's inability to put away the Aviators...until I got in my car after the game and heard on the radio the scores of other games throughout the Miami Valley. It was a crazy night, and with that in mind, I'm just relieved that they made it out of Vandalia with a win. It may not have been pretty, but at least they avoided the upset.

Early on, it looked like the Trojans would cruise to an easy blowout win. Aside from one drive, they handled Butler's offense easily and, offensively, moved the ball at will. They ran out to a 28-7 lead at halftime on the strength of Matt Allen's 3 touchdowns, and figured to be able to name the final score.

Then the second half started. Troy's offense battened down the hatches, going conservative and finding itself unable to score the killing blow. Meanwhile, the Aviators took advantage of a weary Trojan defense with a single-wing offense that allowed them to score twice in the fourth quarter to bring the deficit to 28-21.

Fortunately, that's when Tyler Wright took over. Most of his 203 passing yards were accumulated in the first half, but he was ready when the Trojans needed him to seal the win. With a mixture of running and passing, he led the offense down the field for their final TD of the night. That score, along with the time they were able to run off the clock, ensured that Butler wouldn't be able to make the Trojans one more upset victim in a night that was full of them.

Next up, the Trojans (now 4-2) face an unknown test as they travel to Lebanon to take on the Warriors (3-3). I'm not sure if these two teams have ever met before, but they have not in the time that I've been following the Trojans, which would put it back to 1991. I haven't been to James Vandegrift Stadium before, so I'm really looking forward to it. Let's hope I'm just as enthusiastic after the game is over.

EDIT: I finally remembered to take some pictures at this game. I've taken my camera to most of the games, but I've gotten so caught up in actually, you know, watching, that I didn't think to take any photos until Week 6. Go figure, eh?

Closing Books Shuts Out Ideas

2008-09-25T16:28:00.004-04:00

This is a reminder to everyone that the American Library Association's Banned Books Week runs from this coming Saturday, September 27th through October 4. As I do each year, I encourage everyone who reads this to take this opportunity to visit your local library and borrow a banned or challenged book as a means of celebrating our freedom of thought and expression. Here is a great list if you need a suggestion, and you can find more on the ALA Banned Books Week website.

I'll let you know what I'll be reading as soon as I choose one for myself.

Emptying the Notebook

2008-09-23T09:51:00.010-04:00

This past weekend was one that needed another weekend tacked onto the end of it for recovery purposes. Seriously, when my alarm clock went off on Monday morning, my first thought was why in hell did I set my alarm for so early on a Sunday morning? Oh...crap.

On Friday night I went to the Troy-Wayne game, of course. Playing Wayne now that they've become an area powerhouse makes me wonder where they were back in the late '90s when Troy was the dominant team in the area. No one around here (with the exception of Centerville, who stepped up and took their losses like men, and the teams in our league, who didn't have a choice) wanted anything to do with us then, and the Trojans were forced to fill their schedules with weak teams from other areas of the state - Akron Coventry, Columbus West, Cincinnati Woodward, etc. - who did nothing to help the Trojans prepare for the tests they'd face when they made it into the playoffs. But now that Wayne (and other teams in the Dayton area) are strong, you don't see the Trojans ducking them. Part of that, I'm sure, has to do with league scheduling, now that all the "big schools" in the Dayton area have come under the umbrella of the Greater Western Ohio Conference, which wasn't the case ten years ago. But that's certainly not the whole story, as Troy has shown a willingness to take on anyone (in recent years they've played area bullies Kettering Alter, Valley View, Chaminade Julienne, plus Columbus power Dublin Coffman, etc.). I just think it's an interesting contrast in scheduling philosophies. For myself, I'm glad Troy plays strong teams. Sure it means more losses, and an occasional blowout, but at least you know you're being tested.

As everyone knows, I love going to high school football games, but there's one part of the experience that drives me crazy, and unfortunately, it happens mostly at Troy Memorial Stadium. After the game, when I leave the stadium and go out to the parking lot, all too often I find propaganda leaflets stuck under my windshield wiper or jammed into the door handle of my car, almost always informing me that I'll be going to Hell. Now, for what it's worth, I'm totally comfortable with my own spiritual status, which, to my way of thinking, is no one else's business or concern. But do you want to know who I think is going to Hell? That's right: the people who put this shit on my car, and all the cars in the lot.

On Saturday, Brandi and I went to the wedding of a couple of her co-workers. It happened to be a Catholic wedding, so I told Brandi, who had never been to a Catholic wedding before, that she should pack us a lunch and a couple of pillows. She thought I was kidding...until the wedding lasted an hour and a half. Our own wedding, for the record? Fifteen minutes.

After the wedding finally ended, we headed over to the reception, which was held at Wright Patterson Air Force Base. In going from a Catholic church to a military base, I've rarely spent a day when I was more out of my element. In all seriousness, though, the reception was very nice - the bar was open, and (most importantly) the food was awesome and plentiful.

On Sunday, Brandi and I ventured to Columbus to meet some friends for lunch. Patrick and Sarah live near Athens, so Columbus is a convenient midway point; and Matt and Jessica live in Columbus, so it was easy enough for them to join us. I'm generally terrible about keeping in touch with people, so it's always great to get together and catch up. We got to spend a couple of hours together. I'm really glad there's a good place for us to meet; now we just need to take advantage of it more often.

Watching Monday Night Football last night reminded me exactly how much I love HD. I could actually see the tears in Brett Favre's eyes each time he threw an interception.

I've been experiencing some technical difficulties lately. It seems as though my iPod has given up the ghost, despite my various efforts over the past several weeks to revive it. It seems the hard drive is corrupt beyond repair - I've tried restoring it through iTunes, formatting it through Windows, and even working with a third-party program that's supposed to diagnose and repair most issues, to no avail. I've no idea what else to do with it. Somehow, this means that Brandi is getting a new iPod, and I'll take over her old one. We ordered her one of the new models that just came out, and of course, it's on backorder. Supposedly it'll be on its way sometime in the next two weeks, but I'll believe it when I see it.

On top of that, my car's in the shop right now. It had a strange burning smell anytime it was running, and then recently it started leaking oil. Wonderful. I really thought, when I got out from under the Neon, that I was done with car trouble for at least a while. Unfortunately, it hasn't really turned out that way. Hopefully this will turn out to be something minor.

Wayne 35 Troy 16

2008-09-19T23:33:00.007-04:00

This game was a tale of two halves. Unfortunately, the Trojans didn't show up in the first half, and time simply ran out on them in the second half. But, much like last week, losing this game doesn't reflect all that poorly on the Trojans - Wayne is a really good team.

In fact, I'd say this game reflected quite well on the Trojans. The result was unfortunate, of course, but consider that the Trojans were down 28-0 and being utterly dominated at halftime. It would have been all too easy for them to fold up the tents and give up. Instead, they kept their heads in the game and fought back. The guys were obviously 'up' on the sidelines, cheering each other on and pumping each other up. Loss aside, I was proud of them.

One play in particular that stood out was the PAT attempt after Troy's second touchdown. The snap was bad, making the hold impossible. But instead of the panic and chaos you normally see on a play like that, the holder (quarterback Tyler Wright) kept his cool, picked up the ball, rolled to his right, and found a man (Justin Bunch) in the endzone for a 2-point conversion. Talk about making the best of a bad situation.

The game was lost in the first half, though, when the Trojans were unable to score or to stop the Warriors from scoring. I think the game turned on one play, in fact, on the Trojans' first drive of the night, before either team had scored. Troy faced a 4th-and-5 on Wayne's 35, and the decision was made to punt. They had been moving the ball, and going for it in that situation seems like a no-brainer. Convert the first down and get some points on that drive, and this is a different ballgame. Instead, they punted into the endzone, giving Wayne the ball at the 20 and gaining only 15 yards; and Wayne drove downfield and scored their first TD of the night.

Indeed, the playcalling was curious throughout that tragic first half. It looked to me like the Trojans were out-thinking themselves, trying to do too much. While the balanced offense has worked well for the Trojans through the season to this point, on this night the run game was working well and the passing game was not. It just seemed like Troy's coaches were intent on maintaining that balance instead of going with what was working. When they did finally go almost exclusively to the run in the second half, Matt Allen and Tyler Wright started gashing the Wayne defense for big yardage and TDs.

Again, though, I want to be sure to credit Wayne. They're a good team, and they did the things they needed to do when they needed to do them. I'm not saying Troy would have won even if they had played a better game in the first half; just that it would have been a different game. Troy's offense, even now, is not optimal for big comebacks, and that 28-0 halftime deficit really put them behind the eight-ball.

Oh, and a couple of newspaper reports on the game mentioned that 'eyewitnesses' reported that Ohio State coach Jim Tressel may have been at the game. I can't say that he was or wasn't, but I can say that if these eyewitnesses saw the same guy I did, I'm about 95% sure it wasn't him, unless he looks a fair bit heavier in person than he does on TV. If it wasn't him, the guy in question sure went to great pains to look like him - the hairstyle and glasses were at least similar, and he was wearing a red OSU sweater vest, gray slacks, and sneakers. But still, I got a good look, and I'm fairly certain it was not him.

So now the season is halfway over, and who can believe it? Time certainly seems to go by faster during this time of year than it does at any other. At any rate, the Trojans find themselves at 3-2 at the midway point, losers of two in a row. Thankfully, the two biggest tests of the season are now behind them. They'll look to get healthy in a big way this coming Friday as they take on the hapless Aviators of Vandalia Butler (0-5).

Centerville 48 Troy 14

2008-09-12T23:12:00.005-04:00

Sometimes even a good team can run into a buzzsaw. I think that's what happened to the Trojans in this game. The Elks (or "Elk," if you prefer the precise nomenclature) were so much bigger than the Trojans on the offensive and defensive lines that the Trojans didn't have much of a chance, particularly on defense. Granted, the size differential wasn't a problem against Xenia, but against a disciplined team like Centerville, it was. Trojan defenders found themselves blocked at every turn and unable to get to the ballcarrier, and thus the Elks were able to do pretty much whatever they wanted.

Offensively, the Trojans were able to do some things, at least here and there. They had some drives stall due to penalties and mistakes, and again, I think a lot of that can be attributed to Centerville's stronger line wreaking havoc. Overall, I think I'd take Troy's skill players, but Centerville's lines. And that's not meant as disrespect to Troy's linemen, who have played out of their minds and performed admirably so far this year.

Admittedly, my perception of the game may be a little skewed, as I arrived late and missed the entire first quarter. Centerville was already up 14-6 by the time I found my seat. Just like old times, really - I had to drive down from Toledo after getting off work at 5:00, something I used to do each week instead of just once in a season. I found that I don't miss it. I actually kind of like the drive, having some time to just zone out and rock out to some tunes, but I can definitely do without missing the early part of the game.

And it wasn't a total loss - I ran into an old friend I hadn't seen in years, and I got to meet his wife for the first time and chat with them for a few minutes. So that was pretty cool.

Next week brings another tough test, as the state-ranked Wayne Warriors (4-0) pay a visit to Troy Memorial Stadium. The Trojans have a tendency to play well against Wayne even when they aren't necessarily supposed to, so this game could be interesting. Hopefully they'll be able to get back to their winning ways as they return home.

Troy 47 Fairborn 7

2008-09-05T23:28:00.002-04:00

Mmm, Skyhawk...it's what for dinner.

If I were in charge of the universe, this is the type of weather we'd have for ten Fridays in a row through football season - cool (mid-60s), overcast, a little breeze, and occasional slight drizzle. That, to me, is perfect football weather.

It was, in fact, an appropriate complement to the nearly perfect performance the Trojans put on against Fairborn, a mirror image of last week's blowout of Xenia. They didn't start out with quite the same torrid pace, but the results were almost exactly the same. The offense and defense teamed up for a 41-0 halftime lead, and Troy was able to control the clock, rest the starters, and cruise to victory from there.

The tandem of Tyler Wright and Matt Allen did the damage on offense once again. Allen ran for 143 yards, putting him close to 500 for the season through three games. Wright completed 7 of 10 passes for 155 yards and a couple of scores, and again showed some nifty moves when scrambling or running the ball himself. I've said it before, I'm sure I'll say it again: this balanced offense is just fun to watch.

Equally impressive - as they have been all season, really - was the defensive performance. Fairborn didn't achieve even a first down until more than halfway through the third quarter, and even that was questionable - I had a great look from where I was sitting, and it looked like the receiver slid out of bounds before he caught the ball. But the game was in the bag at that point, so why quibble? The Skyhawks just couldn't get anything going at all. The defense even managed to put some points on the board, when safety Geoff Olszewski (ol-SHEFF-ski) picked off a pass and took it to the house in the first quarter.

Troy is now 3-0 on the season, with some real tough sledding coming up in the next two weeks with games against area powerhouses Centerville (away) and Wayne (home). I'll likely miss the opening kickoff this week, as I'll be working in Toledo on Friday and won't leave that area until 5:00 pm, but there's no way I'm missing a game of this magnitude - I'll make it down to Centerville for as much of the game as possible.

Equal Time

2008-09-05T09:21:00.007-04:00

I watched and listened to the "Mavrick's" (sic - someone in the crowd had a sign written as such) speech last night, and I just have some random thoughts to share, about the speech and about the election in general.

First off, what a complete and total lack of charisma this guy has. Maybe it wouldn't be so noticeable if he wasn't going up against the force of nature that is Senator Obama, but wow. He just doesn't strike me as a leader, at least not at the level he's aspiring to. The thought of him going into high-level diplomacy talks leaves me nearly speechless with wonder at the fact that he's made it even this far into the process.

Of course, I should take a moment here to point out the obvious - no matter which candidate gets elected, it will be a major upgrade from the stupidity and ineptitude (and I won't rule out maliciousness) inflicted upon us and the world at large for the past eight years.

When his speech was interrupted briefly at the beginning by a protester (I couldn't tell what she was protesting, and none of the articles I've read this morning has mentioned it), McCain drew big laughs by telling the audience to ignore the "ground noise and static." Yep, pretty funny. Pretty telling, too, that a dissenter is automatically labeled as "static." Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying he should have convened a committee meeting to discuss the concerns of one disruptive attention hound - there's a time and place for dissent, and this wasn't it - I just thought the manner of dismissal was highly interesting.

Also, I found it interesting that McCain wound down his speech by encouraging citizens to get involved in their communities. Hey, why not? Volunteer in your community, try to make a difference by reaching out to people, and maybe tomorrow you too can be ridiculed by Mr. McCain's vice-presidential nominee!

For all the talk of McCain vs. Obama being a contrast of substance and style, I thought Mr. Obama's speech was much higher in details than Mr. McCain's. The only thing I really got from the senator's speech last night is that he already has his sights set on a couple more rogue nations as targets for military action once we get done doing whatever the hell it is we're doing in Iraq. Oh, and that Obama = higher taxes and McCain = lower taxes. Actually, I was reading yesterday that Obama's plan would raise most taxes around 5%, while McCain would only raise them 3%.

Which brings me to my next point: in politics, I don't believe there are any fiscal conservatives. No matter which party they're from, anyone who gets into office is going to try to fleece you out of as much of your money as they think you'll put up with. Therefore, if someone is referred to as a "conservative," I can only assume that they're a "social conservative," aka the Department of Shit That's None of the Government's Business. That's why, although I do not identify myself as a Democrat, I would have a really, really hard time ever voting for a Republican candidate for high office. You can say Democrats will take more of your money, and you might have an argument; but I feel like Republicans will take (or keep) more of your freedoms. Which is worse?

And a note to all political candidates, regardless of party or which office you're running for: we get it! Your opponent is a total douchebag who hates America and Americans, and he may even be a criminal or a terrorist. That's a given. But let's assume for a second that your ads actually convince someone NOT to vote for that person. Does that mean they're automatically going to vote for you? How about, instead of telling the world why the other guy is such a terrible choice, you actually try to make a case for yourself as a good choice? Oh, right, you can't do that, because it turns out you're not such a hot choice yourself. Duly noted.

I have no particular qualms with John McCain personally. To the contrary, I actually have a ton of respect for him. I know he's been through stuff I can't even imagine, and to come out of it determined to continue serving his country speaks to his character. I have no doubt that he really does care about the regular citizens he mentioned in his speech and that he wants to help them. On the off chance he's actually elected, I hope he succeeds in loosening special interests' and lobbyists' hold on the government, turning around the economy, improving education, etc., etc., and leaving people free to choose their own paths in their personal lives. I worry about the last one, which is the big one for me, but as far as the rest of it, hey, he'd have a shot.

Listening to Senator Obama speak, though, I get the sense that he has his eyes on a bigger prize. I think Senator McCain wants to bring America "up to code," so to speak: he wants to put the country in a position to do the things we should be doing already. That's an admirable enough goal. But I honestly believe that Mr. Obama wants more than that - not just to fix things for today, but to lead us into the future, going above and beyond anything we've done, or perhaps even imagined, previously. And I think he's the type of person and leader who can do that. I think he can make America into a leader of the world in fact as well as in name, a nation who leads by example instead of by force. That's the type of place I want to live.

Troy 56 Xenia 21

2008-08-29T23:47:00.000-04:00

OK so, um...wow.

Look, I'm in the running for the title of "World's Biggest Trojan Fan (Non-Parent Division)," and I will generally use any excuse at this point of the season to be wildly and unreasonably optimistic, but even I didn't see this performance coming.

The opening kickoff was delayed for an hour by lightning in the area. When the officials gave the go-ahead to get started, they apparently didn't realize that the lightning had not, in fact, left the area; it simply materialized itself in the guise of the Trojan offense. Justin Bunch returned the opening kickoff to midfield; QB Tyler Wright ran the ball about halfway to the endzone on the first play from scrimmage; and HB Matt Allen took it to the house on the next play. Xenia fumbled the ensuing kickoff, the Trojans recovered and shortly put another TD on the board, and the rout was on from there.

Game previews emphasized the difference in size between the Trojan and Buccaneer squads, and that was right on the money--some of Xenia's skill players looked to be bigger than Troy's linemen. For all of that, the Trojans had no trouble whatsoever pushing Xenia's defense around. They rushed for 231 yards (184 by Matt Allen) just in the first half en route to a 42-0 lead. The defense was just as impressive, holding Xenia without a score until the opening drive of the second half.

Troy's starters played just one series in the second half, just long enough to answer Xenia's TD with one of their own, which I think was a good move. If the Buccaneers had any thoughts of a momentum shift and possibly making a run at getting back into the game, that TD--making it 49-7--dispatched them with extreme prejudice. From that point on, the Trojans gave their backups a chance to get their uniforms dirty.

I'm a fan of Troy's tradition of being a yardage-chewing ground-game monster when they have the personnel to run that type of offense, but I am loving this new-look diversified offense. Tyler Wright has really impressed me so far. At one point in this game, he was scrambling behind the line of scrimmage, and it looked like he was going to tuck and run; but he kept his eyes downfield and, at the last second, spotted an open receiver and got him the ball. That type of presence of mind is really rare in high school quarterbacks, from what I've seen. He passed the ball well against Xenia, going 7 of 8 for 130 yards and 2 TDs, and the running game and passing game really complemented each other well.

Another thing I want to note is that, for all their size concerns, the Trojan defense has some dudes that can deliver a blow. I lost count of how many times I found myself yelling "Nice hit!" after, well, a nice hit. And even when they aren't laying licks, they're playing well fundamentally--wrapping up and tackling, or getting a hand on someone and holding on until the rest of the swarm arrives. Two weeks in, these guys are just fun to watch.

The Trojans, now 2-0 on the season, look to keep the streak alive next week as they return home to Troy Memorial Stadium to take on the Fairborn Skyhawks (1-1).

This Is What a President Looks Like

2008-08-29T11:28:00.002-04:00

I watched Senator Obama's DNC nomination acceptance speech live last night, and it strongly affirmed my belief that he is the right man to lead this country into the future. This, my friends, is a true statesman.

Troy 17 Chaminade-Julienne 14

2008-08-22T23:14:00.002-04:00

Ah, the opening of the high school football season: the time of year when this young man's fancy turns, finally, from thoughts of the hapless Cincinnati Reds to another group of athletes clad in red. Settling down in my familiar seat at Troy Memorial Stadium has a way of clearing everything else out of my mind for at least ten weeks.

It would be tempting to say that the Trojans were lucky to win this game, but I'm not going to say that. Instead I'll point out that they did very well to take advantage of the opportunities that CJ presented to them in the form of penalties and turnovers. Having seen plenty of games in which it was the Trojans making those kinds of mistakes, it was nice to be on the other side for once. In fact, one of the most pleasant aspects of this game was how few penalties the Trojans committed--only three, and I don't think any of them were false starts or illegal motion penalties. That's pretty impressive for any point of the season, but especially for the first game.

In all, Troy played well in all three phases of the game, which is, I suppose, what it takes to put away a good team like CJ. The offense was really clicking in the first half, controlling the clock with long drives, mixing the run and the pass, and putting up a 14-0 halftime lead. They had some trouble in the second half when the Eagles loaded up to stop the run, but they were able to extend some drives when it counted in the 4th quarter, and that was enough to lock up the game. The offense was something of a question mark coming into this season, with halfback Corey Brown taking his considerable talents to Eastern Michigan, but QB Tyler Wright, HB Matt Allen, FB Chris Basil, and a solid corps of receivers should do their share of damage.

That halftime lead forced CJ to essentially abandon their running game and put the game in the hands of their outstanding QB, Kurt Hess. Hess was impressive, mostly keeping his cool under pressure and finding open receivers or pulling the ball down and running with it himself. A lot of credit goes to the Troy defense for making him move around to avoid pressure, getting a couple of sacks, and laying some licks in the secondary. CJ had some athletes on offense, and I can't stress enough what a job the Trojans did in containing them. They'll have to keep scrapping like that as Troy advances through the brutal schedule they'll face this season.

Next Friday the Trojans face their first road test of the season as they travel to take on the Xenia Buccaneers, who were also victorious in Week 1.

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

2008-08-15T11:29:00.002-04:00

Today is a big day.

If you read this blog with any regularity at all, you know that one of my great loves in life is for Troy football. Well, this evening will bring my first visit of the year to Troy Memorial Stadium, and my first look at this year's edition of the Trojans. It's just a scrimmage, but the season starts for real next week, meaning that tonight and my next ten Fridays in a row are booked solid. Nice. I look forward to this time of year practically from the time each season ends, so it'll be awesome to get out to the stadium and sit under the lights while I see how the guys look for this year. Especially since the weather is already in midseason form - forecast temperature for tonight is around 70°. Nothing beats a nice evening in the stands at Troy Memorial.

After that, Brandi and I are going to go see Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which opens today. I've seen all the prequels on opening day, and I can't let this one be an exception. I'm a little disappointed that I didn't get to see a midnight showing, as I did for each of Episodes I-III, but only one theater in the area was hosting one, and...well, it just wasn't in the cards. (By contrast, at this time on the day The Phantom Menace opened, I was already on my way to see it a second time.) So we'll see it tonight, and that'll be fine. I'm really interested to see how Star Wars translates to full-on computer animation, and what the reaction to it will be. I'm sure it won't be nearly the spectacle of the regular films, but as long as it's entertaining and tells a good story, that's all I really care about.

With football season starting and a new Star Wars movie opening on the same day, I feel like a kid on Christmas morning. It'll be a chore to get through the rest of the work day, I'm sure.

The Breeding Properties of M&Ms

2008-08-08T11:40:00.002-04:00

This is the funniest thing I've read in quite some time; I felt it my duty to share it with the world.

The breeding properties of M&Ms

Midsummer Musings

2008-08-03T20:11:00.005-04:00

When you're a kid, summer seems like the best, most important time of the year. At least, it always seemed that way to me. You got a couple of months off from school, the weather allowed you to get out of the house (if you wanted to, which I didn't always), and it seemed like there was always an adventure waiting to happen. Now that I'm an adult and working for a living, on the other hand, I'm barely aware that summer even exists. It's just like every other time of year. The work schedule keeps plugging along, there's rarely time or the means to get away from the house, and there's nary an adventure to be found. It's sad, really. It's a nice time of year, especially as the sun goes down and the heat dissipates.

So, to that end, I'm hereby resolving to spend more time outside for the rest of the summer (and by "summer," I guess I really mean "as long as it's nice"). On one hand that won't be too hard, with football season getting ready to start, I'll soon be spending a few hours outside every Friday and on some Saturdays, whether the weather is nice or not. But even beyond that, I'd just like to get out of the house a little more often to appreciate the season, even if it's nothing more than sitting in a chair outside my door and writing (as I'm doing now), reading, or listening to some tunes on my iPod.

To that end, I'd like to thank the Cincinnati Reds for giving me back my evenings. Admittedly, I'm something of a slave to watching the Reds on TV, something I can't do from outside with no cable outlet out here. But watching them lately has been an exercise in frustration, and now that they've traded Griffey and his climb up the all-time home run leaderboard to Chicago, there's no compelling reason to continue the self-flagellation. Oh, I'm sure I'll continue to catch the games fairly often, but hopefully I can at least break the habit of scheduling my evenings around them. I mean, hey, if I need a fix, I can always bring a radio out here with me.

As far as outdoor space goes...where Brandi and I live is just weird, man. There's another house directly behind our place, it's not situated in the other direction (their front door faces our back door), and it's pretty close - I'm out on my back patio right now, and it feels almost like I'm hanging out in someone else's front yard. Bizarre. I could sit out front, but it's a little more public out there, and when I'm doing something like this, I really don't want people to stop and chat if they happen to see me outside. I mean, people I know would be fine, I guess, but this is a friendly neighborhood, and having strangers pop over, I'm fairly certain, would not be an uncommon occurrence. That's not a bad thing in and of itself; if I was just outside to relax and ponder the mysteries of the universe, I'd be all for it, but if I'm reading, writing, or otherwise working, I would not. And therein, I suppose, is my answer - work in the back, chill in the front.

Brandi has been in California all weekend, and I have to admit that I'm a little jealous. I've not been to Cali myself, and it's someplace I've always been interested in checking out. She's been out there for a fitness conference, and she says she's been having a lot of fun and learning a lot, so that's cool. I'll be picking her up at the airport later tonight. As for me, I've been just chilling out by myself (aside from the cat) for a few days. And really, having a few days to do my own thing (which mostly involves a couch and a PS3) really isn't a bad consolation prize.

I miss the days when you could actually go to the gate when you were dropping someone off or picking someone up at the airport. I know those days are long gone and never coming back, but for me, a trip to the airport was always a lot more interesting when I could go back and watch planes land and take off - I'd always get there early just for that.

I've also been continuing on with P90X, the workout routine Brandi and I started a few weeks ago (you've seen the infomercial, I'm sure). Tuesday will be the end of the third week, actually, meaning that it's almost time for our "recovery week" and the end of Phase 1. I have kind of mixed feelings about the workouts. I'm glad I'm doing something, at least, and this is definitely pretty intense. I just hate how long each workout is. Each day is at least an hour and usually closer to an hour and a half. Working out for that long, in itself, doesn't present a problem; it's just a pain to fit it into my schedule, particularly when I'm trying to eat in such a way that I have enough fuel for each workout but not so close (chronologically speaking) to the workout that it makes it difficult to go through. But hey, I've committed to it and I'll see it through, and hopefully the results will be worth it.

On that note, I think it's time to go inside and get something to eat and relax for a little bit before I set out for the airport.

Time Capsule Additions

2008-07-23T17:35:00.001-04:00

Some things I've thought of since my last post that I'd include in my time capsule circa 1989-1991:

A folder or binder full of the pathetic drawings and fiction I was creating at the time

My first pair of glasses (in all their gigantic glory)

My first pair of Reebok Pumps

A lock of hair from my mullet

Postcards depicting places I'd been on family vacations

My autographed photo of the band Firehouse

My Def Leppard t-shirt

A videotape full of music videos recorded back when MTV actually showed them

Calvin and Hobbes comics clipped from the newspaper

A Dean R. Koontz novel...possibly Lightning (although, given my propensity even then to re-read books I like, it would have been easier to part with The Mask or The Face of Fear)

I'm still interested in hearing what other people would put into a time capsule if they and a friend were creating it around 12-13 years of age, so, again, please leave a comment below or shoot me an email - barbaricyawp(at)woh.rr.com. I do have a quasi-serious reason for asking, beyond just being a fairly interesting topic for conversation, so even if you only have one or two things in mind off the top of your head, I'd love to hear about it.

Time Capsule

2008-07-20T14:46:00.002-04:00

A hypothetical situation: let's say, when you were 12-13 years old, you and your best friend decided to make a time capsule to open in twenty years. What would you have put into your time capsule?

I'm really interested in responses from anyone and everyone who happens to come across this blog, whether you read it on a consistent basis or not. Feel free to leave a response via the comment form below, or you can email me at barbaricyawp(at)woh.rr.com.

For the record, my own would contain: pictures (definitely school photos, probably some snapshots as well); baseball cards (heavy on the Reds and Mets); action figures (probably GI Joes when I was that age, but maybe some Star Wars guys too for old times' sake); some cassettes (Def Leppard, Poison, Warrant); and, if I could bear to part with them, maybe a Nintendo game or two - I'm thinking something like Excitebike or Fester's Quest.

House Update and Notes

2008-07-08T08:17:00.000-04:00

After all that, Brandi and I did NOT end up going to look at that house last night. Not for a lack of intent, however. The agent was running behind after a previous appointment, so when she called, we opted not to meet her. It was starting to get dark, which would have made it hard to look at an empty house, and we really didn't want to waste her time - we found out they already have an offer on the house, and we're not in any position to make one ourselves.

Still, I think we have decided to get serious about moving toward buying a house, which means doing things in the correct order. We may start checking out open houses, but no more appointments until we're much further along in the process.

Last Friday was July 4, Independence Day, and it also happened to be my 31st birthday. Number aside (and 31 isn't bad, it just seems weird), it was a good time. Brandi and I went to Cincy for a Reds game on Thursday night - the Reds won, and we saw a pretty sweet fireworks display after the game. Friday was the annual family cookout, and it was good (as always) to see everyone. My cousin Mike and his wife Lisa came over for a few drinks after the fireworks, which was a lot of fun.

Yesterday I received this as a semi-late birthday present (it was late only because we weren't here when UPS came on Thursday) from my wife. It's really heavy, and totally awesome. Bill Watterson is a genius. Thirteen years later, I still carry around a little bit of ache that Calvin and Hobbes ended when it did, but now at least I have all the strips that were published that I can revisit whenever I want. I plan to go through it slowly on my initial read-through to savor all of them, particularly the ones I haven't seen in years (or maybe at all)...we'll see if I'm able to stick to that, or whether I devour them in mass quantities.

Speaking of genius, I've spent the past few days revisiting the work of the late George Carlin through his three books and the comedy specials that have been playing on HBO. It seems to me that a fair portion of his material wasn't comedy per se, but his own genuine thoughts and feelings that happened to be funny mostly due to their reflection of the absurdity of life. I suppose that's what most comedians strive for, but George was on another level. I discovered his comedy when I was in junior high or maybe early high school, and he had a pretty profound impact (in terms of clarification, at least) on what I believe, and on my willingness to be out of step with the mainstream. And someone who puts so much focus on the English language has always been okay by me.

I wasn't at all crazy about the camoflage jerseys (?) and blue caps (!) the Reds wore this past weekend. Honoring the nation and the troops is all fine and good, but I think there was probably a way they could have done it without such a horrific mutilation of their uniforms. I think the stars and stripes design in the wishbone-C of the blue caps was nice, but let the caps themselves stay red. I mean, seriously...blue?

The Dance Begins Again

2008-07-07T08:15:00.000-04:00

Tonight Brandi and I have an appointment to go look at a house.

We do something like this every few months or so, and I'm aware that we're doing it ass-backwards. What we should be doing, I'm sure, is deciding whether or not we're serious about it, determining what we can afford (probably nothing, ha ha) and how we're going to secure financing, and then searching out houses in that range with a plan in mind for questions we need to ask, how much to offer, etc. Instead what generally happens is that we happen to see a house for sale that looks vaguely interesting from the outside, we get the details online, find out it's in a price range that seems reasonable, talk and think about it for a while, get our hopes up a little bit, then realize it's out of the question for one reason or another.

That's what's going on again this time. I noticed this particular house on my way home from somewhere the other day, mentioned it to Brandi, and drove her past it at some point, leading to the point we're at now. Now, this is the first time we've gone so far as to make an appointment with a realty agent to actually tour a place rather than just peering through windows (for houses that are already vacated, obviously), and I asked my parents to go along as well so there's someone with house-buying experience along to ask pertinent questions that Brandi and I may or may not think of. For all of that, I'm keeping in mind that we're just going through the motions, because there's almost no way we're going to be able to do this without going through all those other steps first.

Not to mention the fact that our lease on this place runs for another full year.

As I've written before, when Brandi and I decided to look at houses prior to our move from Bowling Green to Troy, I have mixed feelings about buying a house vs. renting. My feelings haven't really changed all that much - I still have no real desire to suddenly be responsible for repairs, renovations, maintenance, lawn care, property tax, etc. - but I am starting to see more merit in the idea.

As much as I like the place we live in now, it's definitely quirky. There's one window that won't stay open, there are areas the air conditioner doesn't seem to cool as well as it should, the garage door opener is temperamental, the shower in the master bathroom squeals when it's running, I don't like the way the light switches control the electrical outlets, the refrigerator is missing its door shelves, and so on. None of these things is that big of a deal, and we could probably get the landlord to take care of at least some of them if we felt like hassling him (he said a few months ago, for instance, that he'd try to find door shelves for our fridge; we haven't spoken to him since), but Brandi's too busy and I don't really deal with people. If this were our place and our appliances, and I could take care of these things without going through a middleman, I would. So it's a double-edged sword: renting, I wouldn't have to pay to have these things fixed, but I can't just do them without going through channels.

So that's where owning our own house would be nice. I have no problem letting little stuff like that go in a place we don't own, but I have a feeling I'd be pretty picky in a place of our own. Which might suck, because I know we wouldn't be able to do everything right away; it would have to be a process. But who knows, maybe that could be fun - I say I don't want to get into performing maintenance and upgrades, but hey, maybe I'd dig it once I got into it.

(See, that's me talking myself into this. Even though I know - I know - it's not going to happen for a while.)

I suppose that's what I have to keep in mind when/if we do start to think seriously about buying a place - sure, there will be some stuff that sucks, but there's a trade-off. Yes, maintenance will be our responsibility, but we can do it without discussing it in committee. Yes, there will be lawn care, but we'll have an actual yard, and we can do what we want with it. Yes, we'll have to pay property taxes, but we should be able to get a monthly payment lower than what we pay now in rent. Pros and cons, but in the end it probably balances out. That's what I'm telling myself now, at least. Time will tell if we ever get a chance to find out firsthand.

So we'll go look at this place tonight and get a feel for what we're looking at and looking for, and I guess we'll go from there. And if looking really gives us a jones to buy a place, we'll just have to figure out exactly what we need to do to make it happen, even if not on this place in particular. It feels a little weird to be taking this concept seriously all of a sudden, but I guess it has to happen sometime if it's going to happen at all.