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.
Showing posts with label General Sports. Show all posts
Showing posts with label General Sports. Show all posts
Saturday, April 02, 2011
Friday, July 09, 2010
Losing Lebron
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.
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.
Friday, August 04, 2006
Simple Pleasures
* One of my simplest pleasures - watching the Reds play - hasn't been all that much fun this week. They just got swept by the Dodgers in the first three games of a ten-game homestand, and the games weren't even good ones. The pitching staff, which has been overhauled so much lately, wasn't good in any phase of the game, and the offense, supposedly this team's strong point, just sucked. Inexplicably, manager Jerry Narron last night decided to rest Brandon Phillips, the one player who actually has been getting some hits lately. At any rate, I'm hoping the Reds just ran into a hot team and will right the ship shortly and aren't beginning a slide out of contention. It's been a lot of fun to pull for a team that's actually playing for something this long into the season for a change.
* Of course, if they are falling out of it, it isn't going to bother me for all that long. My absolute favorite time of year, the high school football season, begins exactly three weeks from today when my Troy Trojans play host to Dublin Coffman (the full schedule can be found in the right-hand column). From there it'll be a full-on descent into football madness for me. High school football is where it starts for me, but I love college and NFL as well. This season will include a trip to Cleveland Browns stadium for the first-ever Division I college game held there (my BGSU Falcons vs. the Wisconsin Badgers) as well as a trip to Cincinnati's Paul Brown Stadium for my first-ever NFL game (the Cincinnati Bengals vs. Michael Vick and the Atlanta Falcons).
* Brandi and I are planning on a nice, quiet weekend at home. With not much going on, I decided I'm going teach her how to play chess. It has been so long since I've played that a refresher was in order, so I checked Chess For Dummies out from the library. That wasn't a bad idea in any case, because all I really know about chess anyway is the very basics (i.e. how the board is set up and how the pieces move) and I'm interested in learning more about theory and strategy. Now, I love to read, but when it comes to non-fiction, I'm just like my friend Patrick - I can't get through it. This chess book has been different so far. I started looking through it last night, and even though I'm not terribly far into it, I've learned a lot already and I'm fascinated. So I'll probably be learning just as much this weekend as Brandi, who has never played chess at all and will be starting from scratch. I'm ready to break out my chess set (marble, and one of my prized possessions) and get to work.
* Speaking of Patrick and games, check out his new venture: Squid Games Studios. Patrick and I played games together a lot in our younger days - mainly video games, sure, but other types too. Solarquest is the board game that comes immediately to mind, and we also went through quite a period with the Star Wars Roleplaying Game (when it was published by West End Games as opposed to whatever company has taken it over and broken it in the meantime). I think the idea of Patrick designing new games is an awesome one. As a player, I'm sure he'll design games that are fun, and as an intellectual, I'm sure he'll design games that are challenging.
* For my own endeavors...I also requested from the library a book on Photoshop, Adobe Photoshop CS2 One-on-One. I've mentioned before that I have a basic knowledge of Photoshop, and just that basic knowledge lets me create some pretty cool stuff (click here for some examples) and have a lot of fun doing it. I know it can do a lot more, though, and I want to learn how. I want to do it mostly because I think it's fun, but I certainly wouldn't mind if I was able to perhaps go somewhere with it professionally. The Wood County library had to get the book from another library, but I hope it comes in today so I can start digging into it over the weekend.
* Once I tackle Photoshop a little bit, I think the next related hobby I'll dive into is digital photography. I'm fascinated by really good artistic photography, and it makes me want to take pictures like that myself. I do okay taking snapshots with my regular 5MP camera, which has a bunch of preset modes I play around with, but I would love to be able to adjust the settings myself and actually know what I was doing in order to achieve particular effects or whatever. If ever again I find myself with some discretionary income, a more powerful and sophisticated camera is pretty high on the wishlist.
* Of course, if they are falling out of it, it isn't going to bother me for all that long. My absolute favorite time of year, the high school football season, begins exactly three weeks from today when my Troy Trojans play host to Dublin Coffman (the full schedule can be found in the right-hand column). From there it'll be a full-on descent into football madness for me. High school football is where it starts for me, but I love college and NFL as well. This season will include a trip to Cleveland Browns stadium for the first-ever Division I college game held there (my BGSU Falcons vs. the Wisconsin Badgers) as well as a trip to Cincinnati's Paul Brown Stadium for my first-ever NFL game (the Cincinnati Bengals vs. Michael Vick and the Atlanta Falcons).
* Brandi and I are planning on a nice, quiet weekend at home. With not much going on, I decided I'm going teach her how to play chess. It has been so long since I've played that a refresher was in order, so I checked Chess For Dummies out from the library. That wasn't a bad idea in any case, because all I really know about chess anyway is the very basics (i.e. how the board is set up and how the pieces move) and I'm interested in learning more about theory and strategy. Now, I love to read, but when it comes to non-fiction, I'm just like my friend Patrick - I can't get through it. This chess book has been different so far. I started looking through it last night, and even though I'm not terribly far into it, I've learned a lot already and I'm fascinated. So I'll probably be learning just as much this weekend as Brandi, who has never played chess at all and will be starting from scratch. I'm ready to break out my chess set (marble, and one of my prized possessions) and get to work.
* Speaking of Patrick and games, check out his new venture: Squid Games Studios. Patrick and I played games together a lot in our younger days - mainly video games, sure, but other types too. Solarquest is the board game that comes immediately to mind, and we also went through quite a period with the Star Wars Roleplaying Game (when it was published by West End Games as opposed to whatever company has taken it over and broken it in the meantime). I think the idea of Patrick designing new games is an awesome one. As a player, I'm sure he'll design games that are fun, and as an intellectual, I'm sure he'll design games that are challenging.
* For my own endeavors...I also requested from the library a book on Photoshop, Adobe Photoshop CS2 One-on-One. I've mentioned before that I have a basic knowledge of Photoshop, and just that basic knowledge lets me create some pretty cool stuff (click here for some examples) and have a lot of fun doing it. I know it can do a lot more, though, and I want to learn how. I want to do it mostly because I think it's fun, but I certainly wouldn't mind if I was able to perhaps go somewhere with it professionally. The Wood County library had to get the book from another library, but I hope it comes in today so I can start digging into it over the weekend.
* Once I tackle Photoshop a little bit, I think the next related hobby I'll dive into is digital photography. I'm fascinated by really good artistic photography, and it makes me want to take pictures like that myself. I do okay taking snapshots with my regular 5MP camera, which has a bunch of preset modes I play around with, but I would love to be able to adjust the settings myself and actually know what I was doing in order to achieve particular effects or whatever. If ever again I find myself with some discretionary income, a more powerful and sophisticated camera is pretty high on the wishlist.
Thursday, May 04, 2006
The Tangled Webs We Weave
(a.k.a. "May the Fourth Be With You")
* Thinking about the wedding got me to thinking about the wedding party and exactly how screwed up the whole situation is. I'm marrying Brandi, obviously. I met Brandi after going out on a few dates with her best friend Cricket, who is Brandi's maid of honor. I met Cricket when she briefly dated my best friend Mike, who is my best man. I met Mike and became his roommate when I came to BGSU because he was dating my friend Jessica, whose husband Matt is one of my groomsmen. As if that weren't quite enough, another of Brandi's bridesmaids (Amy) is a girl I dated back in high school, and her husband (Doug) is another of my groomsmen. All of this should make for some interesting dinner conversation at the reception.
* So the original theatrical versions of the first Star Wars trilogy (episodes VI, V, and VI) are coming to DVD. I'm pretty torn about this. I've already purchased the DVD set, which contains only the special editions, which will be included with these new versions as well. I actually like the special editions, for the most part--I'm really glad, for instance, that they updated the hologram of Emperor Palpatine in The Empire Strikes Back to Ian McDiarmid (who played the role in all the other films) as opposed to Clive Revill. On the other hand, some of the things they changed are irreplaceable, like Han shooting first, Boba Fett's original voice, and "You're lucky you don't taste very good." There are also some changes that weren't made that should have been, like Boba Fett screaming as he goes to his death. What they really need to create are customizable versions that allow you to pick and choose what changes you want to keep or discard. At any rate, I'll probably end up shelling out for these new versions and finding something to do with the DVD set I already have.
* As of today, we are now required to wear nametags at work. I'm not sure exactly why, but this is really bothering me. I suppose I should be glad that my nametag actually has my name on it, though--the last time I had a job that required nametags, I worked there as a temp, meaning I had to wear a "Visitor" tag every day for six months. Anyway, I suppose it's something I'll just have to get used to. They were nice enough to give us two: a lanyard version that can be worn around the neck, and a clip-on version. I haven't yet decided which of them I hate less.
* Congratulations to former BGSU quarterback Omar Jacobs, who was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers this past weekend. I think this is a good situation for him. Since the Steelers already have Big Ben Roethlisberger, so Omar will be able to sit and learn without any pressure for a while. I think he'll develop into a pretty good NFL quarterback, but he needs time. He's raw right now. I somehow doubt that being drafted in the 5th round is what he had in mind when he left school early, but at least he got there. Congratulations also to former Falcons Steve Sharon (Jaguars), P.J. Pope (Bears), and Steve Sanders (Browns), who all signed free-agent deals with NFL teams as well.
* We've got a pretty busy weekend coming up, complete with a full-on auditory assault. On Friday night (Cinco de Mayo) we're going to see local '80s cover band Neon Black here in BG. That's always a good time. Brandi's bridal shower is on Saturday afternoon, and so we'll be in her hometown. I'll likely be entertaining the guys who drew the assignment of driving women to said shower, and I have no idea what that will entail. After the shower, though, Brandi and I are going to Cleveland to see Edwin McCain in concert at the House of Blues. I've lost count of how many times I've seen him live, but I think this will be the tenth. We'll be driving back to BG that night, and I plan to sleep all day on Sunday.
* Thinking about the wedding got me to thinking about the wedding party and exactly how screwed up the whole situation is. I'm marrying Brandi, obviously. I met Brandi after going out on a few dates with her best friend Cricket, who is Brandi's maid of honor. I met Cricket when she briefly dated my best friend Mike, who is my best man. I met Mike and became his roommate when I came to BGSU because he was dating my friend Jessica, whose husband Matt is one of my groomsmen. As if that weren't quite enough, another of Brandi's bridesmaids (Amy) is a girl I dated back in high school, and her husband (Doug) is another of my groomsmen. All of this should make for some interesting dinner conversation at the reception.
* So the original theatrical versions of the first Star Wars trilogy (episodes VI, V, and VI) are coming to DVD. I'm pretty torn about this. I've already purchased the DVD set, which contains only the special editions, which will be included with these new versions as well. I actually like the special editions, for the most part--I'm really glad, for instance, that they updated the hologram of Emperor Palpatine in The Empire Strikes Back to Ian McDiarmid (who played the role in all the other films) as opposed to Clive Revill. On the other hand, some of the things they changed are irreplaceable, like Han shooting first, Boba Fett's original voice, and "You're lucky you don't taste very good." There are also some changes that weren't made that should have been, like Boba Fett screaming as he goes to his death. What they really need to create are customizable versions that allow you to pick and choose what changes you want to keep or discard. At any rate, I'll probably end up shelling out for these new versions and finding something to do with the DVD set I already have.
* As of today, we are now required to wear nametags at work. I'm not sure exactly why, but this is really bothering me. I suppose I should be glad that my nametag actually has my name on it, though--the last time I had a job that required nametags, I worked there as a temp, meaning I had to wear a "Visitor" tag every day for six months. Anyway, I suppose it's something I'll just have to get used to. They were nice enough to give us two: a lanyard version that can be worn around the neck, and a clip-on version. I haven't yet decided which of them I hate less.
* Congratulations to former BGSU quarterback Omar Jacobs, who was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers this past weekend. I think this is a good situation for him. Since the Steelers already have Big Ben Roethlisberger, so Omar will be able to sit and learn without any pressure for a while. I think he'll develop into a pretty good NFL quarterback, but he needs time. He's raw right now. I somehow doubt that being drafted in the 5th round is what he had in mind when he left school early, but at least he got there. Congratulations also to former Falcons Steve Sharon (Jaguars), P.J. Pope (Bears), and Steve Sanders (Browns), who all signed free-agent deals with NFL teams as well.
* We've got a pretty busy weekend coming up, complete with a full-on auditory assault. On Friday night (Cinco de Mayo) we're going to see local '80s cover band Neon Black here in BG. That's always a good time. Brandi's bridal shower is on Saturday afternoon, and so we'll be in her hometown. I'll likely be entertaining the guys who drew the assignment of driving women to said shower, and I have no idea what that will entail. After the shower, though, Brandi and I are going to Cleveland to see Edwin McCain in concert at the House of Blues. I've lost count of how many times I've seen him live, but I think this will be the tenth. We'll be driving back to BG that night, and I plan to sleep all day on Sunday.
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Cleveland Rocks!
One of Brandi's Christmas presents to me last year was a pair of tickets to last Friday's NBA game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Washington Wizards at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. Instead of just going for the game and then driving back immediately afterwards, we decided to make a little trip out of it. I took the afternoon off work, and we reserved a room for the night at the Hilton Garden Inn downtown. Brandi's parents recommended it to us, and it was really close to the arena and pretty inexpensive, so we decided to give it a shot.
I was really excited to get out of town and do something fun for a while. As much disdain as I have for the NBA in general, going to the games in person is always an awesome time. They do a great job of making each game an event. Besides, seeing Lebron play is always worth the price of admission (especially when the tickets were a gift). This game had the added bonus of featuring Antonio Daniels, a backup guard for the Washington Wizards who played his collegiate basketball at Bowling Green.
We got into Cleveland shortly after 3:00 and went directly to our hotel. We're both pretty familiar with downtown Cleveland from being there so often, and it was right off the interstate anyway, so it was easy to find. We took a few minutes to settle in and explore our room, and then we started getting ready to hit the town. Neither of us had eaten lunch, so we planned to have an early dinner before going to the game.
The great thing about our hotel being where it was is that we had walking access to all of downtown and didn't have to worry about driving or finding alternate modes of transportation. It was also a pretty nice day outside. It was a little chilly, but definitely not as bad as it could have been considering it was February in Cleveland.
We walked from the hotel to the House of Blues for dinner. Since we got there well before the typical dinner time, we had no problem getting a table immediately. Actually, the place was nearly empty besides us, although it filled up quite a bit during the time we were there. Being that empty, we got great service, because our server really didn't have anything else to do. The food was great, and it was a nice trip down memory lane as well. Last April, Brandi and I had dinner there and caught a concert afterwards, and after the concert was when I asked her to marry me.
After dinner we walked over to another restaurant/bar closer to the arena to have a drink before the game. They had a nice big area upstairs that featured a lot of open area and a bar and was completely non-smoking. We thought that was pretty cool, so we decided to try to come back after the game.
From there we headed over to the arena. We got there about an hour before gametime, which is par for the course for me. It gave us a chance to wander around the concourse and check out everything that was going on. Brandi got to make a sign, which she had talked about doing beforehand but didn't, so she was pretty pleased. Unfortunately, it didn't get us on the jumbotron, despite the best efforts of the cameraman in our section.
Also unfortunately, the Cavs lost the game, 102-94. Lebron had an off night--granted, he almost had a triple-double (25 points, 9 assists, 7 rebounds) and made some awesome plays, but he also missed eleven free throws, and that made a huge difference. It was much the same for the rest of the team. On the bright side, Antonio Daniels did have a decent game. He scored ten points, most of them in crunch time, and he also had seven assists with no turnovers. We had a great vantage point for the game, as the seats Brandi bought were really good. We got some good pictures, too.
After the game, we headed back to the bar we visited beforehand. For some unknown reason, they had closed off their upstairs section, so we grabbed a couple of seats downstairs. The bartenders weren't particularly attentive even when they were only half full, and with the place filling up fast (being only a block away from the arena), we decided to leave after just one drink there.
We ended up at a place called Fat Fish Blue, a Southern-style restaurant we've visited a couple of times before. We found a couple of seats at the bar there, and with a good blues band playing, it was exactly the vibe we were looking for. We sat there for a few hours, getting good and liquored up. I was drinking Lynchburg lemonades; Brandi drank vodka martinis. I even got to keep my glass, as well as the shot glasses we used for our last drinks of the night.
We closed the place down, and then made our way back to the hotel. All of downtown was mostly closed up by then, but there was still a decent amount of traffic on the road. We were approached by a panhandler as we approached our destination: I gave him nine bucks, and he gave us a speech on politics. You just never know what you're going to get in the city. We rode the elevator up to our floor with a guy who was considerably drunker than we were--he was bearing a pizza, and complained about how badly he had to pee. Some other people on our floor apparently decided to hold their party out in the hallway, but it really didn't matter. By the time we got around to going to sleep, no amount of noise was going to keep us awake.
On Saturday we had to get up and make our way back to Bowling Green. We briefly considered extending our stay for another night, but there was some stuff we couldn't skip out on. It was a hell of a good time while it lasted, though. Even a short trip like that was a great chance to get away and cut loose a little bit, and it definitely helped to recharge my batteries.
I was really excited to get out of town and do something fun for a while. As much disdain as I have for the NBA in general, going to the games in person is always an awesome time. They do a great job of making each game an event. Besides, seeing Lebron play is always worth the price of admission (especially when the tickets were a gift). This game had the added bonus of featuring Antonio Daniels, a backup guard for the Washington Wizards who played his collegiate basketball at Bowling Green.
We got into Cleveland shortly after 3:00 and went directly to our hotel. We're both pretty familiar with downtown Cleveland from being there so often, and it was right off the interstate anyway, so it was easy to find. We took a few minutes to settle in and explore our room, and then we started getting ready to hit the town. Neither of us had eaten lunch, so we planned to have an early dinner before going to the game.
The great thing about our hotel being where it was is that we had walking access to all of downtown and didn't have to worry about driving or finding alternate modes of transportation. It was also a pretty nice day outside. It was a little chilly, but definitely not as bad as it could have been considering it was February in Cleveland.
We walked from the hotel to the House of Blues for dinner. Since we got there well before the typical dinner time, we had no problem getting a table immediately. Actually, the place was nearly empty besides us, although it filled up quite a bit during the time we were there. Being that empty, we got great service, because our server really didn't have anything else to do. The food was great, and it was a nice trip down memory lane as well. Last April, Brandi and I had dinner there and caught a concert afterwards, and after the concert was when I asked her to marry me.
After dinner we walked over to another restaurant/bar closer to the arena to have a drink before the game. They had a nice big area upstairs that featured a lot of open area and a bar and was completely non-smoking. We thought that was pretty cool, so we decided to try to come back after the game.
From there we headed over to the arena. We got there about an hour before gametime, which is par for the course for me. It gave us a chance to wander around the concourse and check out everything that was going on. Brandi got to make a sign, which she had talked about doing beforehand but didn't, so she was pretty pleased. Unfortunately, it didn't get us on the jumbotron, despite the best efforts of the cameraman in our section.
Also unfortunately, the Cavs lost the game, 102-94. Lebron had an off night--granted, he almost had a triple-double (25 points, 9 assists, 7 rebounds) and made some awesome plays, but he also missed eleven free throws, and that made a huge difference. It was much the same for the rest of the team. On the bright side, Antonio Daniels did have a decent game. He scored ten points, most of them in crunch time, and he also had seven assists with no turnovers. We had a great vantage point for the game, as the seats Brandi bought were really good. We got some good pictures, too.
After the game, we headed back to the bar we visited beforehand. For some unknown reason, they had closed off their upstairs section, so we grabbed a couple of seats downstairs. The bartenders weren't particularly attentive even when they were only half full, and with the place filling up fast (being only a block away from the arena), we decided to leave after just one drink there.
We ended up at a place called Fat Fish Blue, a Southern-style restaurant we've visited a couple of times before. We found a couple of seats at the bar there, and with a good blues band playing, it was exactly the vibe we were looking for. We sat there for a few hours, getting good and liquored up. I was drinking Lynchburg lemonades; Brandi drank vodka martinis. I even got to keep my glass, as well as the shot glasses we used for our last drinks of the night.
We closed the place down, and then made our way back to the hotel. All of downtown was mostly closed up by then, but there was still a decent amount of traffic on the road. We were approached by a panhandler as we approached our destination: I gave him nine bucks, and he gave us a speech on politics. You just never know what you're going to get in the city. We rode the elevator up to our floor with a guy who was considerably drunker than we were--he was bearing a pizza, and complained about how badly he had to pee. Some other people on our floor apparently decided to hold their party out in the hallway, but it really didn't matter. By the time we got around to going to sleep, no amount of noise was going to keep us awake.
On Saturday we had to get up and make our way back to Bowling Green. We briefly considered extending our stay for another night, but there was some stuff we couldn't skip out on. It was a hell of a good time while it lasted, though. Even a short trip like that was a great chance to get away and cut loose a little bit, and it definitely helped to recharge my batteries.
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
Oh, the Places You'll Go
A few days ago I ran across this blog, asking people to list all the different sports venues they've visited. I was intrigued and decided to participate, and here's the list I came up with for professional and college sports:
Major League Baseball
Riverfront Stadium/Cinergy Field
Great American Ball Park
Comiskey Park/U.S. Cellular Field
Shea Stadium
Jacobs Field
Comerica Park
NBA
Gund/Quicken Loans Arena
NHL
Joe Louis Arena
Minor League Baseball
Fifth Third Field (Toledo)
Fifth Third Field (Dayton)
College Football
Doyt Perry Stadium (BGSU)
Commonwealth Stadium (Kentucky)
Ohio Stadium (Ohio State)
Dix Stadium (Kent State)
Ford Field
College Basketball
Anderson Arena (BGSU)
Ervin J. Nutter Center (Wright State)
University of Dayton Arena
Gund/Quicken Loans Arena
The Palace at Auburn Hills
Savage Hall (Toledo)
M.A.C. Center (Kent State)
James A. Rhodes Arena (Akron)
Ohio University Convocation Center
Eastern Michigan University Convocation Center
Hinkle Fieldhouse (Butler)
Of all the places I've been as a visiting fan, my favorite by far has been Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. BG's basketball team played Butler there in the NIT a few years ago, and having heard what a great arena it is, I had to make the road trip. It was totally worth it, despite the fact that BG lost. It's a great college basketball arena with a great atmosphere. It's where they filmed the championship game for the movie Hoosiers. I'll definitely have to find an excuse to go back there sometime.
Another great experience was visiting Kentucky's Commonwealth Stadium. I took my friends Amy and Doug down there for a football game when Ryan Brewer, a guy from Troy (Amy's and my hometown), played there as a member of the South Carolina Gamecocks. Decked out in our Carolina gear, the three of us ended up in a section filled with Kentucky fans who could not have been more friendly. I bantered and joked all through the game with the guy next to me, who was interested to find out how we became Carolina fans in Ohio. When the game was over and the Gamecocks had won (with Brewer scoring the game-winning touchdown), quite a few people came over to shake our hands and congratulate us. I was totally blown away by how friendly everyone was and how welcome they made us feel, even though we were fans of the opposing team. I'd like to go to another game there sometime as well.
On the flip side of that is Ohio Stadium, home of the Buckeyes. Brandi and I went to Columbus for a game when Bowling Green played there in '04. There, as opposing fans, we were not treated so well. There was no outright hostility, other than plenty of overheard comments about how BG didn't belong on the same field as Ohio State, but it was fairly clear that we weren't exactly welcome there. The usher wouldn't even help us find our seats when he saw our road orange--he directed a bunch of people coming through ahead of us, but he turned the other direction when he saw us coming. Beyond that we were basically ignored, which was fine. The funny thing, though, is that we went back the following week as Ohio State fans for a game against Northwestern, and then everyone we came across was extremely friendly. It was just an interesting contrast.
I was a little surprised, when I finished making my list, by how small it is (relatively speaking, of course). I feel like I've been to more places than that, given how much I enjoy attending sporting events. I mostly go to home events, though, since travel costs (not to mention ticket prices at some venues) are often prohibitive. I suppose it's possible that I've missed one or two, but I've been racking my brain and can't come up with any more.
What I'm interested in doing now is listing all the venues I've visited for high school football and basketball. That list, I can assure you, will be quite long. The difficulty in that will lie mainly in remembering all the places I've been. It'll be fun, though, and just like this list did, it should bring back some good memories.
Major League Baseball
Riverfront Stadium/Cinergy Field
Great American Ball Park
Comiskey Park/U.S. Cellular Field
Shea Stadium
Jacobs Field
Comerica Park
NBA
Gund/Quicken Loans Arena
NHL
Joe Louis Arena
Minor League Baseball
Fifth Third Field (Toledo)
Fifth Third Field (Dayton)
College Football
Doyt Perry Stadium (BGSU)
Commonwealth Stadium (Kentucky)
Ohio Stadium (Ohio State)
Dix Stadium (Kent State)
Ford Field
College Basketball
Anderson Arena (BGSU)
Ervin J. Nutter Center (Wright State)
University of Dayton Arena
Gund/Quicken Loans Arena
The Palace at Auburn Hills
Savage Hall (Toledo)
M.A.C. Center (Kent State)
James A. Rhodes Arena (Akron)
Ohio University Convocation Center
Eastern Michigan University Convocation Center
Hinkle Fieldhouse (Butler)
Of all the places I've been as a visiting fan, my favorite by far has been Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. BG's basketball team played Butler there in the NIT a few years ago, and having heard what a great arena it is, I had to make the road trip. It was totally worth it, despite the fact that BG lost. It's a great college basketball arena with a great atmosphere. It's where they filmed the championship game for the movie Hoosiers. I'll definitely have to find an excuse to go back there sometime.
Another great experience was visiting Kentucky's Commonwealth Stadium. I took my friends Amy and Doug down there for a football game when Ryan Brewer, a guy from Troy (Amy's and my hometown), played there as a member of the South Carolina Gamecocks. Decked out in our Carolina gear, the three of us ended up in a section filled with Kentucky fans who could not have been more friendly. I bantered and joked all through the game with the guy next to me, who was interested to find out how we became Carolina fans in Ohio. When the game was over and the Gamecocks had won (with Brewer scoring the game-winning touchdown), quite a few people came over to shake our hands and congratulate us. I was totally blown away by how friendly everyone was and how welcome they made us feel, even though we were fans of the opposing team. I'd like to go to another game there sometime as well.
On the flip side of that is Ohio Stadium, home of the Buckeyes. Brandi and I went to Columbus for a game when Bowling Green played there in '04. There, as opposing fans, we were not treated so well. There was no outright hostility, other than plenty of overheard comments about how BG didn't belong on the same field as Ohio State, but it was fairly clear that we weren't exactly welcome there. The usher wouldn't even help us find our seats when he saw our road orange--he directed a bunch of people coming through ahead of us, but he turned the other direction when he saw us coming. Beyond that we were basically ignored, which was fine. The funny thing, though, is that we went back the following week as Ohio State fans for a game against Northwestern, and then everyone we came across was extremely friendly. It was just an interesting contrast.
I was a little surprised, when I finished making my list, by how small it is (relatively speaking, of course). I feel like I've been to more places than that, given how much I enjoy attending sporting events. I mostly go to home events, though, since travel costs (not to mention ticket prices at some venues) are often prohibitive. I suppose it's possible that I've missed one or two, but I've been racking my brain and can't come up with any more.
What I'm interested in doing now is listing all the venues I've visited for high school football and basketball. That list, I can assure you, will be quite long. The difficulty in that will lie mainly in remembering all the places I've been. It'll be fun, though, and just like this list did, it should bring back some good memories.
Monday, January 23, 2006
Two Sports Notes
* The sports media will spend the next week dropping to their collective knees in front of Kobe Bryant in celebration of his obscene 81-point game on Sunday night. Needless to say, I do not share in their enthusiasm. I think anyone scoring 81 points in one game is an utter abortion of sportsmanship. He took 46 shots to score those 81 points, and had only 2 assists. I was under the crazy impression that basketball was a team game, but the rest of the team combined only took 42 shots. If I had been one of Bryant's teammates, I would have stopped expending the energy running back down to the offensive end. Why bother? Obviously they weren't being included, and if the opposing team wasn't sending all five defenders at Bryant anyway, then they weren't paying attention.
This is one of the biggest reasons why the NBA can't hold college basketball's jock as far as I'm concerned. Win or lose, it's a total team effort, night in and night out. You rarely see one guy at the college level turn the spotlight on himself like that. Most guys are good about spreading the ball around and getting their teammates involved. Otherwise, the team isn't going to win. Sure, the NBA will give you more "wow" plays, due to the superior athleticism of the players (and let's be fair, NBA guys are probably the best athletes in the world), but college basketball is the way to go for fundamentals and actual five-on-five competition.
Granted, I'm a little biased because I don't like the Lakers or Bryant anyway (although I was pretty neutral toward him until he first showed his selfishness by forcing Shaquille O'Neal and Phil Jackson out of L.A.--I have a real problem with guys who think they're bigger than their team or sport; for further reference, see Manning, Eli), and I will give him credit for a) shooting a decent percentage, and b) the fact that his team won. I still think taking that many shots is inexcusable unless you're hitting on even a higher percentage than he was.
* Last week, ownership of the Cincinnati Reds changed hands, going from Carl Lindner to Bob Castellini. The new owner came in saying all the right things, promising to do everything it takes to bring championship baseball to Cincinnati. That sounds good, but I have to admit that I was skeptical after I heard that the payroll for this coming year would stay around where it was last year. The Reds annually have one of the lowest payrolls in baseball, which means they have a hard time competing with teams with higher payrolls and more talented players. So it just sounded to me like "meet the new boss, same as the old boss."
Now, though, it looks like Castellini really is going to shake things up. Whether that leads to championships remains to be seen, but at least he isn't going to be satisfied with the status quo. On Monday he fired general manager Dan O'Brien, who had been with the club for two full seasons. He also expressed an interest in bringing former manager Lou Piniella back to town. Piniella declined to take a job with the Reds organization, saying he wanted to take a year away from baseball, but I wouldn't feel too secure if I was Reds' manager Jerry Narron. While Narron did a decent job after taking over last season (after Dave Miley was fired), the jury is still very much out on him. We'll see what he does starting from a clean slate. Personally, I would love for Piniella to come back to Cincinnati, and I doubt there would be too many Reds fans who would disagree with me. Sweet Lou was the manager of the Reds the last time they went to and won the World Series, all the way back in 1990.
The Reds will look to get a new general manager in place by the time spring training begins, which happens on February 16. It'll be interesting to see who they bring in. I just hope the new GM's first move is to trade pitcher Dave Williams to Pittsburgh for first baseman Sean Casey. That's not going to happen, so I guess I'm really just saying that it would have been nice if O'Brien could have been fired before he traded Casey away in the first place.
This is one of the biggest reasons why the NBA can't hold college basketball's jock as far as I'm concerned. Win or lose, it's a total team effort, night in and night out. You rarely see one guy at the college level turn the spotlight on himself like that. Most guys are good about spreading the ball around and getting their teammates involved. Otherwise, the team isn't going to win. Sure, the NBA will give you more "wow" plays, due to the superior athleticism of the players (and let's be fair, NBA guys are probably the best athletes in the world), but college basketball is the way to go for fundamentals and actual five-on-five competition.
Granted, I'm a little biased because I don't like the Lakers or Bryant anyway (although I was pretty neutral toward him until he first showed his selfishness by forcing Shaquille O'Neal and Phil Jackson out of L.A.--I have a real problem with guys who think they're bigger than their team or sport; for further reference, see Manning, Eli), and I will give him credit for a) shooting a decent percentage, and b) the fact that his team won. I still think taking that many shots is inexcusable unless you're hitting on even a higher percentage than he was.
* Last week, ownership of the Cincinnati Reds changed hands, going from Carl Lindner to Bob Castellini. The new owner came in saying all the right things, promising to do everything it takes to bring championship baseball to Cincinnati. That sounds good, but I have to admit that I was skeptical after I heard that the payroll for this coming year would stay around where it was last year. The Reds annually have one of the lowest payrolls in baseball, which means they have a hard time competing with teams with higher payrolls and more talented players. So it just sounded to me like "meet the new boss, same as the old boss."
Now, though, it looks like Castellini really is going to shake things up. Whether that leads to championships remains to be seen, but at least he isn't going to be satisfied with the status quo. On Monday he fired general manager Dan O'Brien, who had been with the club for two full seasons. He also expressed an interest in bringing former manager Lou Piniella back to town. Piniella declined to take a job with the Reds organization, saying he wanted to take a year away from baseball, but I wouldn't feel too secure if I was Reds' manager Jerry Narron. While Narron did a decent job after taking over last season (after Dave Miley was fired), the jury is still very much out on him. We'll see what he does starting from a clean slate. Personally, I would love for Piniella to come back to Cincinnati, and I doubt there would be too many Reds fans who would disagree with me. Sweet Lou was the manager of the Reds the last time they went to and won the World Series, all the way back in 1990.
The Reds will look to get a new general manager in place by the time spring training begins, which happens on February 16. It'll be interesting to see who they bring in. I just hope the new GM's first move is to trade pitcher Dave Williams to Pittsburgh for first baseman Sean Casey. That's not going to happen, so I guess I'm really just saying that it would have been nice if O'Brien could have been fired before he traded Casey away in the first place.
Friday, January 13, 2006
A Few Things
I'm happy to report that this week has indeed been better than last week. Here are a few things that have happened or been on my mind since then.
* I don't think I've mentioned this before, but I did finally get my iPod back in working condition. Returning it to the store was absolutely no help in this regard. When it was taken back for the third time and a new iPod was requested, they said their policy was that an item had to be returned for repair four times before a replacement would be provided. Well, each time it's sent out for repair it's gone for about a month, so that really wasn't acceptable. Instead, we sent it back to Apple, which Brandi had great luck with when her iPod broke down. I was highly discouraged when I got it back with a report that they could find nothing wrong with it and no work had been performed, but it has worked like a charm since then anyway. I'm not complaining, but I do wish I knew what in hell was wrong with it in the first place. At any rate, I'm extremely glad to have it back and in working order. I just hope it stays that way for a while.
* Something cool I found this week is a website called Library Thing. It's a site you sign up for that lets you catalog a list of books however you like. I'm on the free trial right now, and I've been adding some books that I own, just because I think it would be really cool to have a listing of at least most of them (and if it's online, so much the better). There's a lot of stuff you can do with it. You can look at other users' lists, and it will also give recommendations based on your own library. If you love books (like I do), I highly recommend at least checking it out. I'll probably end up shelling out the $25 for a lifetime membership--the free trial only lets you add 200 books, and I've got way more than that. I'd like to use it to keep track of books I want to read as well as books I own, and also to log some basic thoughts on books as I read them.
* Anytime I get to go to Anderson Arena for a BGSU men's basketball game, it makes the week better. Wednesday's game didn't do as much for me as it usually does, though, mainly because I was irritated by the crowd. For one thing, over the past few seasons I've witnessed the watering down of a formerly incredible student section that created a nearly unbeatable home-court advantage. At the very least, though, it used to be a foregone conclusion that the entire student section would stand for the whole game. Not so on Wednesday night, when only a couple of scattered groups were standing. I've been sitting in the same spot since I first started coming to games, but I think for the next home game (on Sunday) I may relocate to where people are actually standing. It seems that all the irritating people have been congregating in my general vicinity anyway. I understand that not everyone knows a whole lot about basketball, but it drives me crazy when people talk about it, loudly, as if they do. Look, it's cool that one of the players is from your hometown or in one of your classes or whatever, and that you're there to support him, but that does not mean that he's open for the ball every time down the court. I also got really tired of the guy behind me digging his knees into my back. Of course, that wouldn't have been a problem if everyone would have been standing up.
* While I'm at it, a note to MAC basketball officials: just because the clock is winding down to the end of the game, you are not absolved from calling fouls. Steven Wright's off-balanced three-point shot attempt just before the buzzer of a 75-74 loss may not have gone down anyway, but I'm sure it would have had a better chance if his defender didn't have a handful of his jersey while he was shooting. I'm definitely not going to say that the officials cost the Falcons the game, given that they had a fifteen-point lead they couldn't hold, but I do think Steven deserved a trip to the line with a chance to tie or win the game.
* Of course, I can't really complain too much about NCAA basketball officiating, because it could definitely could be worse. It could be NBA officiating. Wow, is it bad. It's really to the point where it makes a mockery of the game, in my opinion. They don't control traveling or carrying the ball, and they have a very hard time differentiating between offensive and defensive fouls. I don't see how anyone who cares about the game of basketball itself could prefer the NBA over college hoops. I like watching the NBA--well, I like watching the Cavaliers, at any rate--but I see it more as "entertainment" than "sport." It's just hard for me to have much respect for a game that's so arbitrarily officiated. Beyond that, I just think college players have a lot more pride and passion than NBA players (at least as far as the game is concerned), and I know the fans do. You can't beat college basketball for atmosphere.
* I don't think I've mentioned this before, but I did finally get my iPod back in working condition. Returning it to the store was absolutely no help in this regard. When it was taken back for the third time and a new iPod was requested, they said their policy was that an item had to be returned for repair four times before a replacement would be provided. Well, each time it's sent out for repair it's gone for about a month, so that really wasn't acceptable. Instead, we sent it back to Apple, which Brandi had great luck with when her iPod broke down. I was highly discouraged when I got it back with a report that they could find nothing wrong with it and no work had been performed, but it has worked like a charm since then anyway. I'm not complaining, but I do wish I knew what in hell was wrong with it in the first place. At any rate, I'm extremely glad to have it back and in working order. I just hope it stays that way for a while.
* Something cool I found this week is a website called Library Thing. It's a site you sign up for that lets you catalog a list of books however you like. I'm on the free trial right now, and I've been adding some books that I own, just because I think it would be really cool to have a listing of at least most of them (and if it's online, so much the better). There's a lot of stuff you can do with it. You can look at other users' lists, and it will also give recommendations based on your own library. If you love books (like I do), I highly recommend at least checking it out. I'll probably end up shelling out the $25 for a lifetime membership--the free trial only lets you add 200 books, and I've got way more than that. I'd like to use it to keep track of books I want to read as well as books I own, and also to log some basic thoughts on books as I read them.
* Anytime I get to go to Anderson Arena for a BGSU men's basketball game, it makes the week better. Wednesday's game didn't do as much for me as it usually does, though, mainly because I was irritated by the crowd. For one thing, over the past few seasons I've witnessed the watering down of a formerly incredible student section that created a nearly unbeatable home-court advantage. At the very least, though, it used to be a foregone conclusion that the entire student section would stand for the whole game. Not so on Wednesday night, when only a couple of scattered groups were standing. I've been sitting in the same spot since I first started coming to games, but I think for the next home game (on Sunday) I may relocate to where people are actually standing. It seems that all the irritating people have been congregating in my general vicinity anyway. I understand that not everyone knows a whole lot about basketball, but it drives me crazy when people talk about it, loudly, as if they do. Look, it's cool that one of the players is from your hometown or in one of your classes or whatever, and that you're there to support him, but that does not mean that he's open for the ball every time down the court. I also got really tired of the guy behind me digging his knees into my back. Of course, that wouldn't have been a problem if everyone would have been standing up.
* While I'm at it, a note to MAC basketball officials: just because the clock is winding down to the end of the game, you are not absolved from calling fouls. Steven Wright's off-balanced three-point shot attempt just before the buzzer of a 75-74 loss may not have gone down anyway, but I'm sure it would have had a better chance if his defender didn't have a handful of his jersey while he was shooting. I'm definitely not going to say that the officials cost the Falcons the game, given that they had a fifteen-point lead they couldn't hold, but I do think Steven deserved a trip to the line with a chance to tie or win the game.
* Of course, I can't really complain too much about NCAA basketball officiating, because it could definitely could be worse. It could be NBA officiating. Wow, is it bad. It's really to the point where it makes a mockery of the game, in my opinion. They don't control traveling or carrying the ball, and they have a very hard time differentiating between offensive and defensive fouls. I don't see how anyone who cares about the game of basketball itself could prefer the NBA over college hoops. I like watching the NBA--well, I like watching the Cavaliers, at any rate--but I see it more as "entertainment" than "sport." It's just hard for me to have much respect for a game that's so arbitrarily officiated. Beyond that, I just think college players have a lot more pride and passion than NBA players (at least as far as the game is concerned), and I know the fans do. You can't beat college basketball for atmosphere.
Thursday, December 01, 2005
A Little of This, a Little of That
Okay. After so long away, I'm not totally sure I'll get to everything I'd like to tonight, but we'll see what happens.
* First off, the chicken pox episode is almost entirely over. I've been back to normal in terms of how I feel for nearly two full weeks now. Unfortunately, I'm still waiting for the last of my rash to clear up. My arms and legs only have a couple of spots left, but my chest and back still have quite a few. My face has probably cleared up the best, but the ones that are left are pretty deep. I'm ready for them all to be gone. There's still some occasional mild itching, but it isn't too hard to ignore. I missed a grand total of six days of work at a bad (busy) time, but they kept everything up for me so that I've been able to get caught up with little trouble since I've been back.
* Earlier this evening I watched the MAC Championship football game between the Akron Zips and the Northern Illinois Huskies, played at a neutral site at Ford Field in Detroit. It was a hell of a game. I honestly didn't think Akron would be able to stay in this game, but they came out and got an early lead. NIU came back and took a fairly decent lead, though, and held it until nearly the end of the game. Then Akron came back and put themselves back in the game, then scored again with only ten seconds left to take the lead and win the game. They're going to a bowl game (the Motor City Bowl, also at Ford Field) for the first time in their history, and I say good for them. Seeing the game on television, though, I think they have to move the MAC Championship game back to campus sites. Go back to the old system, where they rotated the game from year to year from the stadium of the East Division and West Division winner. Either that or play the game on a Saturday. Having a weeknight game at a neutral site virtually assures that the crowd will be small, as it was tonight. A great game like that deserves a great crowd. At least if it was at one of the teams' home stadiums, the students and home fans could have been there, or if it was on a Saturday, the fans would be more likely to travel. Some teams (say, BG and Toledo) would have drawn better due to their proximity to Detroit, but that matchup didn't quite happen.
* Speaking of football, BG's season ended with a 44-41 2OT loss to archrival Toledo, and they finished the year 6-5. That record likely would have been better had QB Omar Jacobs not missed almost three full games with an injury, and had the record been better, BG would have been in the MAC Championship game over Akron. As nice as that would have been, I don't really believe that this year's team was championship caliber. The offense was very good (when Jacobs was healthy), but the defense and special teams were suspect...and that's being kind. It'll be interesting to see where the Falcons go from here. The defense should get better with more time under the new defensive coordinator, and the special teams just can't get any worse. The offense will be in transition, losing their two top receivers and tailbacks. Jacobs may opt to leave early for the NFL as well. Hopefully he'll be back, because the team needs him and I think he needs another year before going pro. One way or another, it'll be interesting to watch next season's Falcons take on a killer schedule--including a "home" game in Cleveland against Wisconsin, a home game against Boise State, and a roadie at Ohio State.
* As one season ends, another begins. On Wednesday night I made my first visit to Anderson Arena to get my first look at the BGSU men's basketball team. This will be an interesting year for them as well. There are a ton of newcomers to the team, most of which are freshmen. I think there's some talent there, but they have a long way to go before they're a good team. They played hard and looked good in the first half, but faded in the second and lost 76-66 to Oakland. I'm hoping they can develop as the season progresses to a point where they're dangerous as the postseason approaches, but I think they might be a year away. As long as they keep playing hard, though, they'll at least be fun to watch.
* The iPod saga continues. I returned it for service on November 3, and I don't have it back yet. Needless to say, I'm getting pretty irritated at this point. Brandi called the store this week to see if she could find out its status for me, but they said they couldn't help her without the order number on the paperwork. Of course, somehow the paperwork has been misplaced, so we couldn't get any information. I'm giving it until early next week. If the iPod hasn't shown up at my door by then, the people at Best Buy are going to have to deal with me in person. I want my iPod, and I want it to work. I've been without it for nearly two full months now, and that's unacceptable.
* Sometimes I think I would be willing to trade my other talents (which are numerous) for the ability to sing well. Of course, if I could do that, I have a feeling I would be insufferable. I think I would probably sing everything I had to say.
* Last week Brandi and I went to see Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. It was pretty decent, but I feel like it could have been done better. I understand that they have to cut some stuff in order to adapt such a long book into a two-hour movie, but I always feel like they cut the wrong things. The one thing that bothered me most about this one was the removal, at the very end, of a minor incident that turns out to be a major plot point. It's vital to setting up the story for the next one, and I'm very interested to see how they deal with it. The last movie also removed a major plot point, and it has diminished, in my eyes, two otherwise very good movies. Neither would have taken much time, so the decision to leave them out utterly mystifies me.
* While there, we saw the trailer for the upcoming King Kong film. In general, I'm totally uninterested in King Kong. Still, I have a great deal of respect for Peter Jackson (of Lord of the Rings fame), and the trailer looked awesome. I may have to see this movie.
* Earlier this week, I finished reading Star Wars: The Unifying Force. It's the conclusion to the New Jedi Order series and the story arc that deals with a new alien species, the Yuuzhan Vong, invading the galaxy. I liked the series in general, but I'm not sure I liked this book. It attempted to almost totally re-define the Force, and it just seemed forced (no pun intended) and lame. I'm glad I've finally finished the series, though. There are a bunch of Star Wars books I haven't read (both post-NJO and prequel-era), and now I can move on to those.
* My goal for this month is to finish all the books I'm currently working on by New Year's, before I start on anything else. I don't think it'll be too much trouble if I can maintain my focus, but it's sort of contrary to my nature to finish something without immediately opening something else. I just want to start the new year with a clean slate.
* First off, the chicken pox episode is almost entirely over. I've been back to normal in terms of how I feel for nearly two full weeks now. Unfortunately, I'm still waiting for the last of my rash to clear up. My arms and legs only have a couple of spots left, but my chest and back still have quite a few. My face has probably cleared up the best, but the ones that are left are pretty deep. I'm ready for them all to be gone. There's still some occasional mild itching, but it isn't too hard to ignore. I missed a grand total of six days of work at a bad (busy) time, but they kept everything up for me so that I've been able to get caught up with little trouble since I've been back.
* Earlier this evening I watched the MAC Championship football game between the Akron Zips and the Northern Illinois Huskies, played at a neutral site at Ford Field in Detroit. It was a hell of a game. I honestly didn't think Akron would be able to stay in this game, but they came out and got an early lead. NIU came back and took a fairly decent lead, though, and held it until nearly the end of the game. Then Akron came back and put themselves back in the game, then scored again with only ten seconds left to take the lead and win the game. They're going to a bowl game (the Motor City Bowl, also at Ford Field) for the first time in their history, and I say good for them. Seeing the game on television, though, I think they have to move the MAC Championship game back to campus sites. Go back to the old system, where they rotated the game from year to year from the stadium of the East Division and West Division winner. Either that or play the game on a Saturday. Having a weeknight game at a neutral site virtually assures that the crowd will be small, as it was tonight. A great game like that deserves a great crowd. At least if it was at one of the teams' home stadiums, the students and home fans could have been there, or if it was on a Saturday, the fans would be more likely to travel. Some teams (say, BG and Toledo) would have drawn better due to their proximity to Detroit, but that matchup didn't quite happen.
* Speaking of football, BG's season ended with a 44-41 2OT loss to archrival Toledo, and they finished the year 6-5. That record likely would have been better had QB Omar Jacobs not missed almost three full games with an injury, and had the record been better, BG would have been in the MAC Championship game over Akron. As nice as that would have been, I don't really believe that this year's team was championship caliber. The offense was very good (when Jacobs was healthy), but the defense and special teams were suspect...and that's being kind. It'll be interesting to see where the Falcons go from here. The defense should get better with more time under the new defensive coordinator, and the special teams just can't get any worse. The offense will be in transition, losing their two top receivers and tailbacks. Jacobs may opt to leave early for the NFL as well. Hopefully he'll be back, because the team needs him and I think he needs another year before going pro. One way or another, it'll be interesting to watch next season's Falcons take on a killer schedule--including a "home" game in Cleveland against Wisconsin, a home game against Boise State, and a roadie at Ohio State.
* As one season ends, another begins. On Wednesday night I made my first visit to Anderson Arena to get my first look at the BGSU men's basketball team. This will be an interesting year for them as well. There are a ton of newcomers to the team, most of which are freshmen. I think there's some talent there, but they have a long way to go before they're a good team. They played hard and looked good in the first half, but faded in the second and lost 76-66 to Oakland. I'm hoping they can develop as the season progresses to a point where they're dangerous as the postseason approaches, but I think they might be a year away. As long as they keep playing hard, though, they'll at least be fun to watch.
* The iPod saga continues. I returned it for service on November 3, and I don't have it back yet. Needless to say, I'm getting pretty irritated at this point. Brandi called the store this week to see if she could find out its status for me, but they said they couldn't help her without the order number on the paperwork. Of course, somehow the paperwork has been misplaced, so we couldn't get any information. I'm giving it until early next week. If the iPod hasn't shown up at my door by then, the people at Best Buy are going to have to deal with me in person. I want my iPod, and I want it to work. I've been without it for nearly two full months now, and that's unacceptable.
* Sometimes I think I would be willing to trade my other talents (which are numerous) for the ability to sing well. Of course, if I could do that, I have a feeling I would be insufferable. I think I would probably sing everything I had to say.
* Last week Brandi and I went to see Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. It was pretty decent, but I feel like it could have been done better. I understand that they have to cut some stuff in order to adapt such a long book into a two-hour movie, but I always feel like they cut the wrong things. The one thing that bothered me most about this one was the removal, at the very end, of a minor incident that turns out to be a major plot point. It's vital to setting up the story for the next one, and I'm very interested to see how they deal with it. The last movie also removed a major plot point, and it has diminished, in my eyes, two otherwise very good movies. Neither would have taken much time, so the decision to leave them out utterly mystifies me.
* While there, we saw the trailer for the upcoming King Kong film. In general, I'm totally uninterested in King Kong. Still, I have a great deal of respect for Peter Jackson (of Lord of the Rings fame), and the trailer looked awesome. I may have to see this movie.
* Earlier this week, I finished reading Star Wars: The Unifying Force. It's the conclusion to the New Jedi Order series and the story arc that deals with a new alien species, the Yuuzhan Vong, invading the galaxy. I liked the series in general, but I'm not sure I liked this book. It attempted to almost totally re-define the Force, and it just seemed forced (no pun intended) and lame. I'm glad I've finally finished the series, though. There are a bunch of Star Wars books I haven't read (both post-NJO and prequel-era), and now I can move on to those.
* My goal for this month is to finish all the books I'm currently working on by New Year's, before I start on anything else. I don't think it'll be too much trouble if I can maintain my focus, but it's sort of contrary to my nature to finish something without immediately opening something else. I just want to start the new year with a clean slate.
Friday, August 12, 2005
Review and Preview
A look at some things that have been on my mind in the last eight days, and some things which are yet to come...in no particular order, of course.
First, and probably most importantly, I'm very nearly at my wit's end with my car. I had it in the shop a couple of weeks ago to get the stalling problem ironed out, and it was running fine when I got it back. That lasted until Tuesday of this week. Then it started stalling again. Then it stopped. Then it started again. Then the "Check Engine" light came on. Then it went off. Then it came back on. Sometimes it runs fine, sometimes it has issues. It's making me insane, because I need to have a dependable car. Driving season is coming up. I can't afford a new one right now, but neither can I afford to sink a bunch of money into keeping this one running. Something is going to have to happen soon.
Also on Tuesday, the day my car resumed its stalling problems, I came home to find the Internet down again. Whatever I carried in with me was thrown against the wall in frustration at that point. Fortunately, the Internet came back up of its own accords after a scant few hours of downtime. I'm prepared to be highly irritated and hard to deal with if it should go down again for an extended period of time.
I have to get something off my chest. I have a certain amount of confusion about the insistence (and I'm not excluding myself) upon calling portable computers "laptops," when in fact they quickly grow far too hot to actually be used upon the lap. That is, at least, if you insist on using said "laptop" while wearing nothing but a pair of boxers, as I seem to do.
In other computer frustration news, I'm still irritated by iTunes. It's working fine with my iPod again, so that's good. Still, I use iTunes to listen to music on the computer while I do other things, and even for that I think it's a terrible piece of software. It will often take an inordinate amount of time to perform the simple task of skipping a song. Other times, it will decide to skip a song on its own, right in the middle of playing it. Sometimes it loses songs from my library for no apparent reason. I do like that it keeps a play count for each song and lets you rate them all, but it's almost not worth it.
I think I just have a problem with Apple products in general. Admittedly, I'm a PC person, so I have a certain amount of bias built in, but I try to keep an open mind. I use a Mac for the graphics portion of my job, and it drives me crazy. I will say that it runs Photoshop nearly flawlessly, which is a significant feat given the memory-intensive nature of the program and the files we use. That's the only nice thing I have to say about it, though. Doing anything across the network takes absolutely forever, and forget about asking it to multitask. It's not going to happen. I ended up staying nearly ten minutes past quitting time today because I was trying to rename a file on our server, a task which I started about five minutes before quitting time.
I watched part of a preseason football game last night featuring the Green Bay Packers and the San Diego Chargers. Anytime I watch the Packers, I do so with trepidation, knowing the announcers will be slurping all over Brett Favre (the most overrated human being on Earth). I just wish they could limit it to when he's actually on the field. Come on, guys...when the other team's offense is on the field, or when (since it's the preseason) Favre gets replaced, could you please talk about something else?
During halftime of last night's game, Chris Berman chatted with Terrell Owens and his agent. I have a ton of respect and admiration for T.O. as a football player. He's an incredible athlete and a great receiver, and I know he works his ass off to be as good as he is. Given that, I even like some of the antics he pulls on the field, generally after scoring--it brings some fun to the game. Still, all this crap with his contract dispute has caused me to lose a ton of respect for him. Hey, I of all people understand the idea of wanting to be better compensated for going above and beyond the call of duty. I can't understand anyone begrudging him the right to ask for a contract renegotiation. It's the way the system works. The way he has gone about it, though, just isn't right. He's being completely unprofessional about it. Personally, I'm planning to ask my own workplace for a raise next week. If they say no, you know what I'll do? I'll go back to work and keep doing exactly what I do now. Sure, I'll be disappointed, and sure, I'll keep looking for work elsewhere, but that's not going to stop me from carrying on exactly as I have been. It's counter-productive to do otherwise. If I stop cooperating and start badmouthing my co-workers, I'm going to get fired. I'll be really surprised at this point if T.O. actually plays for the Eagles this season. I just don't see how this rift can be healed. Hopefully they can trade him for another decent receiver, but it's unlikely another team will be willing to take on such a pain in the ass.
Earlier this evening I had to go get my hair cut. I hate this. The only redeeming thing about getting a haircut is that my salon of choice is at the BG mall, which affords me the opportunity to visit Waldenbooks. I love book stores. I wish more of them carried at least a few various literary journals, but whatever. Tonight, the gracious cashier allowed me to use two savings certificates along with my Preferred Reader card, meaning that I got a book with a cover price of $18.95 for less than $5. Score! The book in question is the Ultimate Edition of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams. I've not read it before, and I'm excited to do so. I've heard good things about it, plus the movie that recently came out (and will shortly be available on DVD). I read the introduction to the book, and I already like Adams's writing style and humor very much.
Of course, the reason I was at the mall getting a haircut in the first place is because tomorrow I will be attending a ten-year reunion for my high school class ('95 Rules!). I'm really looking forward to it, both for the chance to see some old friends and as an opportunity for sociological observation. I'm sure I'll have plenty to say about it next week, and hopefully I'll be taking plenty of pictures as well.
Catch you all on the flip side.
I think I just have a problem with Apple products in general. Admittedly, I'm a PC person, so I have a certain amount of bias built in, but I try to keep an open mind. I use a Mac for the graphics portion of my job, and it drives me crazy. I will say that it runs Photoshop nearly flawlessly, which is a significant feat given the memory-intensive nature of the program and the files we use. That's the only nice thing I have to say about it, though. Doing anything across the network takes absolutely forever, and forget about asking it to multitask. It's not going to happen. I ended up staying nearly ten minutes past quitting time today because I was trying to rename a file on our server, a task which I started about five minutes before quitting time.
Catch you all on the flip side.
Friday, May 06, 2005
Fox in the Henhouse
Brandi has been in Texas since Tuesday, and will be there until next Tuesday. Since she's getting a week's vacation, I decided I wanted to do something fun myself this weekend. I knew I had to keep my sights lower than hopping a plane to somewhere cool for a couple of days, so instead I bought myself a ticket and went tonight to a Toledo Mud Hens baseball game.
In terms of sports, baseball was my first love. It was the gateway drug that led to the incredible passion (some may go so far as to call it an obsession) I now have for football and basketball. Still, although other sports may have taken the primary position, I've lost none of the fondness I had originally for baseball. It's just a totally different experience from the other sports I love.
The game was set to start at 7:00, and I got off work at 5:00. I work just outside of Toledo, so it would have been silly for me to come back home to Bowling Green and then head back out for the game. Had I done that, I essentially would have had to leave almost as soon as I got here. Instead, I took my time getting out of work and then went to Best Buy to kill some time. I'm a big fan of just about everything they sell there (CDs, DVDs, electronics), but I managed to spend about forty-five minutes in there without buying anything.
From there I headed downtown to the stadium. Fifth Third Field (a.k.a. "The Henhouse") is a beautiful facility, an absolute jewel for downtown Toledo, but the area in which it is set leaves a lot to be desired. There are a couple of restaurants and bars in the area, but there are also quite a few run-down and abandoned buildings. The immediate area has a lot of foot traffic during baseball season on game days, but otherwise it's a virtual ghost town. There is some talk of building a new hockey/basketball arena in that area, which I think would be a great idea. It would be another attraction to put the area in use year-round, and would really help the economy for the entire area. As slowly as Toledo seems to move on items like this, though, I would be surprised to see any moves made anytime in the near future. That's a shame, too. I think the area has potential to explode if someone would be willing to sink the time and money into it.
At any rate, I got there about an hour before gametime. There was no problem killing the time, walking around the stadium and browsing in the gift shop. I like being there that early, in order to soak up the atmosphere. Baseball has an atmosphere that the other sports can't quite match. It has as much to do with the sounds and smells of the stadium as with anything else. It brings back a lot of memories. I took my seat shortly before the game started and settled in to relax and watch the game.
Watching the game was sort of an interesting experience. The Mud Hens (the triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers) played the Louisville River Bats, the triple-A club of the Cincinnati Reds. I've been a Reds fan practically as long as I've been alive. On the other hand, I've been to several Mud Hens games over the past three years, and I've become at least a casual fan. I wanted them to win the game, but I also wanted to see all of Louisville's players do well. It almost felt like I was rooting for both teams, to a certain extent, which is a strange feeling. Since baseball is such a laid-back sport, though, it wasn't too much of a problem.
It was a great night to be out for a game. The weather was perfect--it was a clear night, and it just barely got chilly enough that I needed to put on my sweatshirt for the later innings. The seat I was ticketed for was underneath an overhang, about halfway down the third-base line. In the fifth inning, I gave up that seat and went further down the line to sit in the open air in left field. It was a good choice. The seat in the infield was a little closer to the action, but there's not a bad seat in the whole place. Being in the open air allowed me to see a lot more of what was going on, and I just enjoyed the whole experience more out there.
The Mud Hens won the game 3-0. Shortly after the last out was recorded, there was a post-game fireworks show. The fireworks shows are extremely popular, to the point where I think they do them after each Friday and Saturday game. Let me tell you, the Mud Hens know how to put on a fireworks show. I'm a big fireworks fan, and the shows I've seen at Fifth Third Field are probably the best I've seen anywhere. Just when you think you've seen the grand finale, they allow for a dramatic pause, and then come back bigger and better than before. It was a good way to finish off a good night at the ballpark.
In terms of sports, baseball was my first love. It was the gateway drug that led to the incredible passion (some may go so far as to call it an obsession) I now have for football and basketball. Still, although other sports may have taken the primary position, I've lost none of the fondness I had originally for baseball. It's just a totally different experience from the other sports I love.
The game was set to start at 7:00, and I got off work at 5:00. I work just outside of Toledo, so it would have been silly for me to come back home to Bowling Green and then head back out for the game. Had I done that, I essentially would have had to leave almost as soon as I got here. Instead, I took my time getting out of work and then went to Best Buy to kill some time. I'm a big fan of just about everything they sell there (CDs, DVDs, electronics), but I managed to spend about forty-five minutes in there without buying anything.
From there I headed downtown to the stadium. Fifth Third Field (a.k.a. "The Henhouse") is a beautiful facility, an absolute jewel for downtown Toledo, but the area in which it is set leaves a lot to be desired. There are a couple of restaurants and bars in the area, but there are also quite a few run-down and abandoned buildings. The immediate area has a lot of foot traffic during baseball season on game days, but otherwise it's a virtual ghost town. There is some talk of building a new hockey/basketball arena in that area, which I think would be a great idea. It would be another attraction to put the area in use year-round, and would really help the economy for the entire area. As slowly as Toledo seems to move on items like this, though, I would be surprised to see any moves made anytime in the near future. That's a shame, too. I think the area has potential to explode if someone would be willing to sink the time and money into it.
At any rate, I got there about an hour before gametime. There was no problem killing the time, walking around the stadium and browsing in the gift shop. I like being there that early, in order to soak up the atmosphere. Baseball has an atmosphere that the other sports can't quite match. It has as much to do with the sounds and smells of the stadium as with anything else. It brings back a lot of memories. I took my seat shortly before the game started and settled in to relax and watch the game.
Watching the game was sort of an interesting experience. The Mud Hens (the triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers) played the Louisville River Bats, the triple-A club of the Cincinnati Reds. I've been a Reds fan practically as long as I've been alive. On the other hand, I've been to several Mud Hens games over the past three years, and I've become at least a casual fan. I wanted them to win the game, but I also wanted to see all of Louisville's players do well. It almost felt like I was rooting for both teams, to a certain extent, which is a strange feeling. Since baseball is such a laid-back sport, though, it wasn't too much of a problem.
It was a great night to be out for a game. The weather was perfect--it was a clear night, and it just barely got chilly enough that I needed to put on my sweatshirt for the later innings. The seat I was ticketed for was underneath an overhang, about halfway down the third-base line. In the fifth inning, I gave up that seat and went further down the line to sit in the open air in left field. It was a good choice. The seat in the infield was a little closer to the action, but there's not a bad seat in the whole place. Being in the open air allowed me to see a lot more of what was going on, and I just enjoyed the whole experience more out there.
The Mud Hens won the game 3-0. Shortly after the last out was recorded, there was a post-game fireworks show. The fireworks shows are extremely popular, to the point where I think they do them after each Friday and Saturday game. Let me tell you, the Mud Hens know how to put on a fireworks show. I'm a big fireworks fan, and the shows I've seen at Fifth Third Field are probably the best I've seen anywhere. Just when you think you've seen the grand finale, they allow for a dramatic pause, and then come back bigger and better than before. It was a good way to finish off a good night at the ballpark.
Tuesday, April 26, 2005
Thursday, February 03, 2005
A Few Notes on Sports
Friday, January 21, 2005
A Few Notes
Tuesday, January 18, 2005
On Becoming a Commodore
From the Troy Daily News:
Troy's Custer commits to Vanderbilt
by David Fong, TDN Sports Editor
The wait was well worth it for Ryan Custer.
Less than three weeks before national signing day, the Troy football standout has made a verbal commitment to attend school and play football for Vanderbilt University.
By doing so, the 6-foot-4, 290-pound Custer becomes the final piece of the Troy recruiting puzzle. Defensive tackle Todd Denlinger committed to The Ohio State University last summer, while free safety Shane Carter committed to Wisconsin last month.
“It feels good to have it over with,” Custer said. “It was really hard — there are so many things that go on, with other kids taking spots.”
Custer committed to the Commodores while on an official visit this past weekend.
He arrived in Nashville, Tenn. with his family Friday and was taken out to dinner that evening. He was taken out Friday night by a playerhost (offensive lineman Elliott Hood). Saturday morning, Custer met with academic advisors. That afternoon he attended the Vanderbilt basketball team’s 82-65 loss to Florida. That evening, he again was taken out by his player-host.
By Sunday morning, Custer’s mind was made up and he committed to the Vanderbilt coaching staff.
“They seemed pleased,” Custer said. Custer — a relative newcomer to the sport — opened plenty of recruiters’ eyes with a stellar senior season at Troy. Playing defensive tackle, he finished his senior campaign with 53 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, one fumble recovery and 11 passes forced/broken up.
More than likely, however, Custer will play offensive tackle at Vanderbilt — a position he played sparingly at Troy. He’s not worried about the transition, however.
“It shouldn’t be a problem,” Custer said. “I mean, they project me as an offensive tackle — there’s got to be a reason for that.”
Custer could get the chance to have an immediate impact on a football program that has been struggling. The Commodores went 2-9 (1-7 in the Southeastern Conference) last season. They were 2-10 (1-7) in 2003 and 2-10 (0-8) in 2002.
In the end, Vanderbilt’s academic reputation — it was ranked 18th (tied with Notre Dame) in this year’s U.S. News and World Report college rankings — may have had as much influence on Custer as anything else. Custer, who has a 3.8 grade point average — plans on majoring in mechanical engineering.
“Academics were important to me,” he said.
Troy's Custer commits to Vanderbilt
by David Fong, TDN Sports Editor
The wait was well worth it for Ryan Custer.
Less than three weeks before national signing day, the Troy football standout has made a verbal commitment to attend school and play football for Vanderbilt University.
By doing so, the 6-foot-4, 290-pound Custer becomes the final piece of the Troy recruiting puzzle. Defensive tackle Todd Denlinger committed to The Ohio State University last summer, while free safety Shane Carter committed to Wisconsin last month.
“It feels good to have it over with,” Custer said. “It was really hard — there are so many things that go on, with other kids taking spots.”
Custer committed to the Commodores while on an official visit this past weekend.
He arrived in Nashville, Tenn. with his family Friday and was taken out to dinner that evening. He was taken out Friday night by a playerhost (offensive lineman Elliott Hood). Saturday morning, Custer met with academic advisors. That afternoon he attended the Vanderbilt basketball team’s 82-65 loss to Florida. That evening, he again was taken out by his player-host.
By Sunday morning, Custer’s mind was made up and he committed to the Vanderbilt coaching staff.
“They seemed pleased,” Custer said. Custer — a relative newcomer to the sport — opened plenty of recruiters’ eyes with a stellar senior season at Troy. Playing defensive tackle, he finished his senior campaign with 53 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, one fumble recovery and 11 passes forced/broken up.
More than likely, however, Custer will play offensive tackle at Vanderbilt — a position he played sparingly at Troy. He’s not worried about the transition, however.
“It shouldn’t be a problem,” Custer said. “I mean, they project me as an offensive tackle — there’s got to be a reason for that.”
Custer could get the chance to have an immediate impact on a football program that has been struggling. The Commodores went 2-9 (1-7 in the Southeastern Conference) last season. They were 2-10 (1-7) in 2003 and 2-10 (0-8) in 2002.
In the end, Vanderbilt’s academic reputation — it was ranked 18th (tied with Notre Dame) in this year’s U.S. News and World Report college rankings — may have had as much influence on Custer as anything else. Custer, who has a 3.8 grade point average — plans on majoring in mechanical engineering.
“Academics were important to me,” he said.
Thursday, December 30, 2004
Football Picks, NFL Week 17
They say that all good things must come to an end, and that saying seems to have been coined for this week. It's the last week of the regular season in the NFL. Fear not, though, as the playoffs will run all through the month of January. I took last week's picks competition once again, going 18-9 to Brandi's 16-11, in what was something of a strange week in the NFL. That continues this week, as playoff-bound teams rest their starters and give lesser teams a chance to knock them off. That notwithstanding, here are this week's picks:
(10-5) NY Jets @ St. Louis (7-8)
(2-13) San Francisco @ New England (13-2)
(7-8) Cincinnati @ Philadelphia (13-2)
(8-7) Minnesota @ Washington (5-10)
(7-8) New Orleans @ Carolina (7-8)
(4-11) Miami @ Baltimore (8-7)
(3-12) Cleveland @ Houston (7-8)
(14-1) Pittsburgh @ Buffalo (9-6)
(9-6) Green Bay @ Chicago (5-10)
(6-9) Detroit @ Tennessee (4-11)
(11-4) Atlanta @ Seattle (8-7)
(5-10) Tampa Bay @ Arizona (5-10)
(7-8) Kansas City @ San Diego (11-4)
(12-3) Indianapolis @ Denver (9-6)
(8-7) Jacksonville @ Oakland (5-10)
(6-9) Dallas @ NY Giants (5-10)
All of those games are on Sunday, as the NFL avoids conflict with all the college bowl games on Saturday (New Year's Day) and Monday. Speaking of those bowls, this is the end of the line for college football. USC and Oklahome play in the Orange Bowl on Tuesday for "all the marbles," whatever that means in the current college football atmosphere. I'll have more to say on that topic in the coming days. In the meantime, here are my last college football picks for the year:
(6-5) Alabama vs. Minnesota (6-5) - Music City Bowl
(8-3) Arizona State vs. Purdue (7-4) - Sun Bowl
(11-0) Boise State vs. Louisville (10-1) - Liberty Bowl
(8-3) Miami (FL) vs. Florida (7-4) - Peach Bowl
(9-2) Georgia vs. Wisconsin (9-2) - Outback Bowl
(9-3) Tennessee vs. Texas A&M (7-4) - Cotton Bowl
(8-3) Florida State vs. West Virginia (8-3) - Gator Bowl
(9-2) LSU vs. Iowa (9-2) - Capital One Bowl
(9-2) Michigan vs. Texas (10-1) - Rose Bowl
(8-3) Pittsburgh vs. Utah (11-0) - Fiesta Bowl
(10-2) Virginia Tech vs. Auburn (12-0) - Sugar Bowl
(12-0) USC vs. Oklahoma (12-0) - Orange Bowl
(10-5) NY Jets @ St. Louis (7-8)
(2-13) San Francisco @ New England (13-2)
(7-8) Cincinnati @ Philadelphia (13-2)
(8-7) Minnesota @ Washington (5-10)
(7-8) New Orleans @ Carolina (7-8)
(4-11) Miami @ Baltimore (8-7)
(3-12) Cleveland @ Houston (7-8)
(14-1) Pittsburgh @ Buffalo (9-6)
(9-6) Green Bay @ Chicago (5-10)
(6-9) Detroit @ Tennessee (4-11)
(11-4) Atlanta @ Seattle (8-7)
(5-10) Tampa Bay @ Arizona (5-10)
(7-8) Kansas City @ San Diego (11-4)
(12-3) Indianapolis @ Denver (9-6)
(8-7) Jacksonville @ Oakland (5-10)
(6-9) Dallas @ NY Giants (5-10)
All of those games are on Sunday, as the NFL avoids conflict with all the college bowl games on Saturday (New Year's Day) and Monday. Speaking of those bowls, this is the end of the line for college football. USC and Oklahome play in the Orange Bowl on Tuesday for "all the marbles," whatever that means in the current college football atmosphere. I'll have more to say on that topic in the coming days. In the meantime, here are my last college football picks for the year:
(6-5) Alabama vs. Minnesota (6-5) - Music City Bowl
(8-3) Arizona State vs. Purdue (7-4) - Sun Bowl
(11-0) Boise State vs. Louisville (10-1) - Liberty Bowl
(8-3) Miami (FL) vs. Florida (7-4) - Peach Bowl
(9-2) Georgia vs. Wisconsin (9-2) - Outback Bowl
(9-3) Tennessee vs. Texas A&M (7-4) - Cotton Bowl
(8-3) Florida State vs. West Virginia (8-3) - Gator Bowl
(9-2) LSU vs. Iowa (9-2) - Capital One Bowl
(9-2) Michigan vs. Texas (10-1) - Rose Bowl
(8-3) Pittsburgh vs. Utah (11-0) - Fiesta Bowl
(10-2) Virginia Tech vs. Auburn (12-0) - Sugar Bowl
(12-0) USC vs. Oklahoma (12-0) - Orange Bowl
Wednesday, December 22, 2004
Football Picks, NFL Week 16
Last week's games aren't totally finished yet, but due to some games on Friday of this week, the next round of picks is upon us. Despite the fact that all the games aren't over, it's already a known fact that I was victorious over Brandi once again. That makes a bunch of weeks in a row, which is nice. Here are this week's games:
(8-6) Green Bay @ Minnesota (8-6) - Friday
(5-9) Oakland @ Kansas City (6-8) - Saturday
(8-6) Denver @ Tennessee (4-10) - Saturday
(11-3) San Diego @ Indianapolis (11-3)
(6-8) Houston @ Jacksonville (8-6)
(5-9) NY Giants @ Cincinnati (6-8)
(5-9) Chicago @ Detroit (5-9)
(11-3) Atlanta @ New Orleans (6-8)
(8-6) Baltimore @ Pittsburgh (13-1)
(8-6) Buffalo @ San Francisco (2-12)
(12-2) New England @ NY Jets (10-4)
(5-9) Arizona @ Seattle (7-7)
(6-8) Carolina @ Tampa Bay (5-9)
(5-9) Washington @ Dallas (5-9)
(3-11) Cleveland @ Miami (3-11) - Sunday night
(13-1) Philadelphia @ St. Louis (6-8) - Monday Night Football
I'll be glad when the NFL institutes its flexible scheduling policy so we can avoid games like Cleveland at Miami being the nationally televised game on Sunday night. It'll probably be a decent game, but only because both teams suck about equally. I think that San Diego-Indianapolis game would have a much greater draw.
College bowl season really gets into full swing this week, which is always fun. I love bowl games. I pretty much love all football, but still. At any rate, here are this week's games:
(7-4) UAB @ Hawai'i (7-5) - Hawai'i Bowl, Friday
(8-3) Virginia vs. Fresno State (8-3) - MPC Computers Bowl, Monday
(9-3) Toledo vs. Connecticut (7-4) - Motor City Bowl, Monday
(8-4) Miami OH vs. Iowa State (6-5) - Independence Bowl, Tuesday
(6-5) Notre Dame vs. Oregon State (6-5) - Insight Bowl, Tuesday
(7-5) Colorado vs. Texas-El Paso (8-3) - Houston Bowl, Wednesday
(7-4) Oklahoma State vs. Ohio State (7-4) - Alamo Bowl, Wednesday
(8-3) Boston College vs. North Carolina (6-5) - Continental Tire Bowl, Thursday
(7-4) New Mexico vs. Navy (9-2) - Emerald Bowl, Thursday
(7-4) Texas Tech vs. California (10-1) - Holiday Bowl, Thursday
(7-4) Troy vs. Northern Illinois (8-3) - Silicon Valley Bowl, Thursday
With all of the outstanding football on the horizon, this truly is the most wonderful time of the year. Except for high school football season, of course.
(8-6) Green Bay @ Minnesota (8-6) - Friday
(5-9) Oakland @ Kansas City (6-8) - Saturday
(8-6) Denver @ Tennessee (4-10) - Saturday
(11-3) San Diego @ Indianapolis (11-3)
(6-8) Houston @ Jacksonville (8-6)
(5-9) NY Giants @ Cincinnati (6-8)
(5-9) Chicago @ Detroit (5-9)
(11-3) Atlanta @ New Orleans (6-8)
(8-6) Baltimore @ Pittsburgh (13-1)
(8-6) Buffalo @ San Francisco (2-12)
(12-2) New England @ NY Jets (10-4)
(5-9) Arizona @ Seattle (7-7)
(6-8) Carolina @ Tampa Bay (5-9)
(5-9) Washington @ Dallas (5-9)
(3-11) Cleveland @ Miami (3-11) - Sunday night
(13-1) Philadelphia @ St. Louis (6-8) - Monday Night Football
I'll be glad when the NFL institutes its flexible scheduling policy so we can avoid games like Cleveland at Miami being the nationally televised game on Sunday night. It'll probably be a decent game, but only because both teams suck about equally. I think that San Diego-Indianapolis game would have a much greater draw.
College bowl season really gets into full swing this week, which is always fun. I love bowl games. I pretty much love all football, but still. At any rate, here are this week's games:
(7-4) UAB @ Hawai'i (7-5) - Hawai'i Bowl, Friday
(8-3) Virginia vs. Fresno State (8-3) - MPC Computers Bowl, Monday
(9-3) Toledo vs. Connecticut (7-4) - Motor City Bowl, Monday
(8-4) Miami OH vs. Iowa State (6-5) - Independence Bowl, Tuesday
(6-5) Notre Dame vs. Oregon State (6-5) - Insight Bowl, Tuesday
(7-5) Colorado vs. Texas-El Paso (8-3) - Houston Bowl, Wednesday
(7-4) Oklahoma State vs. Ohio State (7-4) - Alamo Bowl, Wednesday
(8-3) Boston College vs. North Carolina (6-5) - Continental Tire Bowl, Thursday
(7-4) New Mexico vs. Navy (9-2) - Emerald Bowl, Thursday
(7-4) Texas Tech vs. California (10-1) - Holiday Bowl, Thursday
(7-4) Troy vs. Northern Illinois (8-3) - Silicon Valley Bowl, Thursday
With all of the outstanding football on the horizon, this truly is the most wonderful time of the year. Except for high school football season, of course.
Thursday, December 16, 2004
From a Trojan to a Badger
Troy's Carter Commits to Wisconsin
I have no idea how long that link will be valid, so here's the article in full:
Troy's Carter Commits to Wisconsin
by David Fong, Sports Editor
Getting in on the ground floor of the Shane Carter recruiting project paid off for the University of Wisconsin.
Carter, a senior at Troy High School, has made a verbal commitment to play football at Wisconsin next year his coach, Steve Nolan, confirmed Wednesday night.
Carter won't officially become a Badger until he signs a national letter of intent in early February.
"They were really the first ones to come around," Nolan said. "They've been following him all along."
Congratulations and good luck to Shane. It would have been nice to see him in orange and brown, but I don't even know if the Falcons recruited him. At any rate, I think he'll do well at Wisconsin, and it'll be great to be able to watch him continue his football career.
I have no idea how long that link will be valid, so here's the article in full:
Troy's Carter Commits to Wisconsin
by David Fong, Sports Editor
Getting in on the ground floor of the Shane Carter recruiting project paid off for the University of Wisconsin.
Carter, a senior at Troy High School, has made a verbal commitment to play football at Wisconsin next year his coach, Steve Nolan, confirmed Wednesday night.
Carter won't officially become a Badger until he signs a national letter of intent in early February.
"They were really the first ones to come around," Nolan said. "They've been following him all along."
Congratulations and good luck to Shane. It would have been nice to see him in orange and brown, but I don't even know if the Falcons recruited him. At any rate, I think he'll do well at Wisconsin, and it'll be great to be able to watch him continue his football career.
Football Picks, NFL Week 15
With college football mostly out of the way, the NFL has spread itself out to include three games on Saturday this week. I think that's awesome, as it offers me a chance to see more games. McComas is a big Steelers fan, so I'll probably have him over for their game in the afternoon, and in the evening I'm looking forward to a chance to watch Michael Vick and the Atlanta Falcons play.
Here are this week's NFL picks:
(12-1) Pittsburgh @ NY Giants (5-8) - Saturday
(4-9) Washington @ San Francisco (2-11) - Saturday
(6-7) Carolina @ Atlanta (10-3) - Saturday
(5-8) Houston @ Chicago (5-8)
(7-6) Buffalo @ Cincinnati (6-7)
(10-3) San Diego @ Cleveland (3-10)
(7-6) Minnesota @ Detroit (5-8)
(7-6) Seattle @ NY Jets (9-4)
(5-8) Dallas @ Philadelphia (12-1)
(8-5) Denver @ Kansas City (5-8)
(5-8) New Orleans @ Tampa Bay (5-8)
(6-7) St. Louis @ Arizona (4-9)
(7-6) Jacksonville @ Green Bay (8-5)
(4-9) Tennessee @ Oakland (4-9)
(8-5) Baltimore @ Indianapolis (10-3)
(12-1) New England @ Miami (2-11)
Speaking of college football, the bowl season really starts to get into full swing this week. I love the bowls, and I will watch as many of them as possible. Of course, I'll be glued to the television on Wednesday night for Bowling Green's matchup with Memphis in the GMAC Bowl. I think that will be a great game. Here are this week's bowl games:
(6-5) Georgia Tech vs. Syracuse (6-5) - Champs Sports Bowl
(8-3) Bowling Green vs. Memphis (8-3) - GMAC Bowl
(6-5) Marshall @ Cincinnati (6-5) - Fort Worth Bowl
(6-5) Wyoming @ UCLA (6-5) - Las Vegas Bowl
As a sidenote, the fact that Marshall got a bowl game over Akron is nothing less than a travesty, and a sign of what is wrong with college football. Akron is the only bowl-eligible team to not be awarded a bowl game (except, of course, for South Carolina and Clemson), and they beat Marshall on the field during the regular season. It would have been nice for them to be rewarded and for Marshall to sit out following their final season in the MAC.
Here are this week's NFL picks:
(12-1) Pittsburgh @ NY Giants (5-8) - Saturday
(4-9) Washington @ San Francisco (2-11) - Saturday
(6-7) Carolina @ Atlanta (10-3) - Saturday
(5-8) Houston @ Chicago (5-8)
(7-6) Buffalo @ Cincinnati (6-7)
(10-3) San Diego @ Cleveland (3-10)
(7-6) Minnesota @ Detroit (5-8)
(7-6) Seattle @ NY Jets (9-4)
(5-8) Dallas @ Philadelphia (12-1)
(8-5) Denver @ Kansas City (5-8)
(5-8) New Orleans @ Tampa Bay (5-8)
(6-7) St. Louis @ Arizona (4-9)
(7-6) Jacksonville @ Green Bay (8-5)
(4-9) Tennessee @ Oakland (4-9)
(8-5) Baltimore @ Indianapolis (10-3)
(12-1) New England @ Miami (2-11)
Speaking of college football, the bowl season really starts to get into full swing this week. I love the bowls, and I will watch as many of them as possible. Of course, I'll be glued to the television on Wednesday night for Bowling Green's matchup with Memphis in the GMAC Bowl. I think that will be a great game. Here are this week's bowl games:
(6-5) Georgia Tech vs. Syracuse (6-5) - Champs Sports Bowl
(8-3) Bowling Green vs. Memphis (8-3) - GMAC Bowl
(6-5) Marshall @ Cincinnati (6-5) - Fort Worth Bowl
(6-5) Wyoming @ UCLA (6-5) - Las Vegas Bowl
As a sidenote, the fact that Marshall got a bowl game over Akron is nothing less than a travesty, and a sign of what is wrong with college football. Akron is the only bowl-eligible team to not be awarded a bowl game (except, of course, for South Carolina and Clemson), and they beat Marshall on the field during the regular season. It would have been nice for them to be rewarded and for Marshall to sit out following their final season in the MAC.
Tuesday, December 14, 2004
The Perfect Pizza (and So Forth)
The photograph simply doesn't do this pizza justice, but rest assured that it looked even better in real life than it does above, where it still looks pretty damned good. I took a leftover slice to work with me today for my lunch, and a couple of people in the lunchroom commented on how good it looked.
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