did you watch the Winter Olympics?

Come Sunday, the Winter Games will end.  They were televised by NBC and on their cable channels.  Going into the games, NBC pre-announced that they would lose about $250M before the game even STARTED!  Given that, did you watch any of the games?  If so, what stoked your interest?  What did you try to watch and just couldn't? Was there something you just took some time to view and found it interesting and it hooked you? Was there an event that you wanted to watch but couldn't 'cause of the way NBC programmed it?  Is there a winter sport not in the Olympics that should be in?  Are you more interested in the Summer Games or the Winter Games?  Who was your favorite Winter Olympian?  Will it ever stop snowing in areas that don't need the snow that Vancover really needed?  Just a few thoughts for the weekend that we all will be snowed in due to the SNOW!!!!

are you waiting for the answers for other post?

In a past post published previously (nice alliteration!) a couple of colors had to be chosen as favorites.  Well here are the CORRECT answers:

Blue v. Red A:  Red

Black v. Brown A: Brown

Yellow v. Grey A: Grey

Gold v. Orange A: Orange

The results are the colors Red(Scarlet Red)/Grey OSU (loser, Michigan); and,
                                           Brown/Orange Browns (loser Steelers)

:+))      

who will win in MLB?

Predict the winners in each MLB division, with one catch.  You cannot pick your home team or favorite team to win the division.  Then add one wild card team in each league, again not being able to use your favorite.  

I'll start:
AL East-NYY
AL West-Seattle
AL Central-Twins
WC-LAA

NL East-Phi
NL West-LAD
NL Central-StL
WC-NYM

Playoffs picks at playoff time.

is OSU v U of Michigan the best rivalry?

That is one of many great rivalries, but in your opinion(s) what are yours?  I have one more, and you all know it, or should from a previous post- Browns v. Steelers.  So, add in...

do you have a line...

that takes you to no-man's land whenever you hear it?

Mine:  Herb Score-"Bottom of the 9th, Jose Mesa on the mound for the Tribe"!

To this day have not watched a replay of that game, and won't.

What's yours?

are these...

....blogs too long; too short; or, just right!

do you remember these?

With the Oscars soon upon us, it is time for the all important category that never gets the golden statute, "Movie Quotes of All Time".  So put on your thinking cap and guess the movie based on these famous quotes.

"IT’S IN THE HOLE! IT’S IN THE HOLE!"

"Listen, Lupus, you didn't come into this life just to sit around on a dugout bench, did ya? Now get your ass out there and do the best you can."

''HOLY SHIT! HOLY SHIT! HOLY SHIT!''

"Goldberg, you're the goalie, it's supposed to hit you!"

"Request permission to relieve bladder sir!"

"Sex and golf are two things you can enjoy even if you're not at them."

"Remember, fans, Tuesday is Die Hard Night. Free admission for anyone who was actually alive the last time the Indians won the pennant."

"Okay, well candlesticks always make a nice gift, and a maybe find out where she is registered...maybe a place setting or a silverware pattern is good, Okay, let's get two, Here we go!"


"Badges?  We don't need no stinkin' badges!"


"That's the fact, Jack!"


"This is the damndest season I've ever seen. The Bulls can't lose and I can't get laid!"

"Are you crying? There's no crying in baseball! There's no crying in baseball!"


And finally, the classic line from the classic picture:

'Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life, son.'

They may not be Academy Award winners, but they always brought a smile; a laugh; a chuckle when every you saw them over and over, or when someone just mentioned the title.  Oh yeah, I do have the titles but that will be for another day.

why am I doing this?

I never gave this "blogging" thing much thought when first suggested to me.  Some people have ALWAYS said I have far too much to say on all the unimportant things in life, than the important things in life.  I have given that some thought and I respectfully disagree-maybe.  Here's why. 

Everyday, we get bombarded with the so-called important things in life, some of which I agree are important, and some I do not agree are important.  But unless we change the channel; turn the dial; or change papers, where do we vent?  You can vent to your significant other, but the real issues are what should be discussed, not the mindless scribbles of a mindless person on a mindless person's palm.  What are we leaving as our legacy to our kids and their kids?  Are we really concerned or are we just responding to bothersome drivel from the beltway, whose residents are so out of touch they need Chris Columbus to guide them past I-295. Have you ever sent an email to the "leaders" within the beltway?  Did you get a response?  Did it real like a response, or a manufactured response?  Did it take as long to write the response as it took to write the question or note?  My guess is, probably not.  Point proven.


What I or you may think are important, may not be important to others, hence the dialogue between different views, in hopes of resolution (notice I said HOPES, since no real resolution has come my way for quite awhile).  Sometimes this discourse is real, but most times it seems disingenuous.  So, that brings more frustration to an already frustrated mass.  The solution then is....blogs!  Hence the reason for this one.


As I said early on, my delivery vehicle will cover a lot and maybe sports, and all kinds of sports (those without guns tho) to sometimes show humor in what we see; hear; think; or say.  Opps forgot feel (now I have all the senses covered).  And what better vehicle than games.  I find it very amusing when the Boss men (owners) call it a business and the players (employees) call it a game, only when it meets their issues.  But in reality isn't just games anyway?  You may have played the game in your youth, and didn't think of it more than just that, a game.  You then moved on in life and found your niche and still enjoyed the game.  Some ventured into the game and thought it was still a game, when in fact it was not. But the one single point in all of this, sports has always given everyone, and I mean everyone, a piece of the playing field one could call their own, no holds barred.  You can be good at bowling, but couldn't put a ball in a basket if you were standing over it.  Your hand-eye coordination is so great people gasp at moonshots over the fence, but you could never master the footwork of a soccer player (except for one Omar Vizquel).  You could stand the rush of a 6'6'', 325 lbs player in your face for four to five seconds, but would have a hard time going from first to third on a hit behind the runner to right field.  Sports has allowed everyone to find a place, no matter what your skills; beliefs; attitudes; principles; are. The moment may be relatively brief, but it a moment that will be remembered by you and others forever.  Said to say that doesn't seem to be the fact on the really important issues in life in 2010.

So, to bring this post to a closing on a high note, I am pleased to say, Spring Training has now begun and my beloved Papooses are tied for the division lead!  Just don't know how long the tie will last!!! 

did you believe him!

Okay, I'll jump in, like everyone else.  I first saw the "mea culpa" setting and it looked like an address before an audience that was there to hear the memorial to a dead person.  Well, maybe the  old Tiger "I can get what I want, when I want it, and with whoever I want" Woods, has indeed died.  But then again, maybe the old Tiger Woods, the one who controlled everything about and around him (remember no camera shutter clicks during my back-swing) was and is still in charge.  Was a bit hard to judge.  Many may say, heck I could read a written statement, how genuine is that?  Could you?  Could you stand before the present day electronic media and make all the statements about yourself that had to be stated, under probably the rehab environment?  Could you look your own Mother in the eye and admitted to the facts about your own behavior that are now out for everyone's (including mine) comments?  Could you clearly state what you did; are in therapy for it; are not doing the one thing you love above all; and, state you need help?  I will go on a limb and say, probably not.   Have I had to do something similar as Tiger?  Yes, but NO WAY NEAR the level he did.  Was I proud of what I did? Hell no!  Was I sorry?  Sorrier than one may think.  Did I ask for forgiveness?  Still am.  Will I go past it?  Darn right.  Why?  Because when one hits the mess head on as Tiger has, then and only then can one move on.  If Tiger had continued to avoid the issues, ever so public now, he could never get back to where he really is comfortable (and maybe he may never get back to the same place) and grab control when he now has none.  There is a fable every one knows, "People who live in glass houses, should always dress in the basement" (okay not really accurate, but a little humor always goes a long way in bringing a point home), but is does fit here also.  Put yourself in Tiger's shoes now and then, and think before answering...Would you do now what he did, because of what you did then just like he did? Take out the riches; the fame; the sponsors; everything else and just focus on a Man and Woman; Husband and Wife; Father and Son; and give your answer.  Mine is I accept his "mea culpa" and will allow him to repair all his personal problems and then when he is ready to return to golf, I will see him as what he will then really be, a golfer who has real life personal problems to deal with, just like all of us.

which would you choose answers are

....to be revealed....next week!!  Come on, this is easy!! Any good sports fan should find them; identify them and solve the puzzle with little or no intelligence, which includes those living east of Ohio and west of the Atlantic.

which would you choose, part deux!

So far no guesses, so I'll give you a clue.  Think outside of the box! :=))

Do you have a "all-something" team?

Recently, I had the opportunity to chat with the new frontier, otherwise known as today's college grads-to-be (hear that all you STUDENTS!) and got into a discussion of best teams.  What started this all was the recent addition to the Cavs of Jamison, for next to nothing (sorry Z, but see you soon after your brief vacation-I hope) and the NFB (new frontier boys) thought the Cavs would be an all-time team here in championship deprived C'Town.  (Forget yourselves Chi Town-Beantown-and every other city, you hold no candle to this city's drought)  This got me thinking (no not hard, but a little thought went into this)  What are your favorite "all-something" teams.  No limits, no category excluded, just in your mind an all-something team.  So, here goes mine.

All-Championship Team:  1964 NFL Browns: at the game, sat in centerfield bleachers (before known as Dawg Pound) and paid...$7.00 for the ticket!!  Favored Colts manhandled all day. 

All-Almost Championship Team: 1995 MLB Indians:  In strike shortened season when on to an absolute dominating season; last inning comebacks; no opponent lead to big; anyone in lineup from 1-9 could go deep; solid pitching and bullpen; and back to World Series after 41 years.  Faced a Hall-of-Fame Pitching staff for Braves, but still lost due to Eric Greg behind the plate.  His strike zone matched his waist line which was Thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiisssssssssss wide.

All-Sports Illustrated Jinx Team:  Talk about the SI jinx.  '86 Baseball special had Joe Carter and Cory Snyder on cover and picked the Tribe to win it all.  Not only did they not win it all, they finished 5th.  Ugh!

All-Gotta Watch THIS Team:  Any NY Mets team managed by Casey Stengle!  What a sight and his post game sound bites were out of this world.  He WAS not a "manage by the stats" kind of guy.

All-Worse Dressed Team:  This is a tie. Houston Astro's; San Diego Padres and Cleveland Indians.  Astros had those multi-horizontal striped uniforms; Padres had those Brown and Orange uniforms (only one team can pull off Brown and Orange, but I digress) and the Indians in the all red double-knits.  This is when Boog Powell was with Tribe and you had to see him in that dress playing 1B!!!

All-Best NBA Team:  Sorry, NFB, but you had to see the, gulp, Celtics from the '60s to really see a dynasty team.  No 3 point shot and they still ran wild for multiple championships.  Yes, there were fewer teams, but with fewer teams, each team had a deeper roster.  First Bulls 3-peats are close, but gotta give it to Bahstan!

All-Why am I watching this team:  This is easy, any Inidians team in the 60's-70's.  Absolutely the worse baseball played.  Yes, I did follow them, why?  Who the h**l knows!!

All-Hated Opponent Team:  "I hate the Yankees...always have...always will"  Need I say more.

All-Hated Opponent Team's Fans:  No second place finisher here, only the Bahstan fans.  I will gulp hard and say I could watch a game with a Yankee fan, but not, never, nada, zip, zero with a Bahstan fan.  Accent; annoying, thinks world stated in 2004; feel they get screwed all the time.  I may even watch a game in Mini-sota in the open in April then with them in the shrine-Fenway Park.

All-Time NCAA BB Team:  Sorry AC, but it has to be the great UCLA teams.  Think about it, no freshman played, team changed every year due to graduation and they still won, what 6-7-8-9? in a row!  Powerfull and actually fun to watch.

All-Memorable Team:  1967 Dayton Flyers.  Got hooked at UD and saw an incredible run in the NCAA and lost in finals to Lew Alcindor led UCLA.  Got me also hooked into what is now known as "March Madness".  Next year UD went to NIT (at that time still a big time event) in New York's Madison Square Garden.  Saw everygame IN PERSON at the Garden and viewed Flyers winning it over St. Patricks Day in New York!  That, my friends is a subject for another day, my of my! (PS NFB:  Due to strategic scheduling of classes and the tournament schedule, stayed with classmate on Long Island for 10 days and missed ONE, yes ONE class!!  Now that is how to cut classes, but you didn't hear that from me, a father of a college student, RIGHT!!!!!)

Those are some of mine....give me yours.       

did you find the code???

Yesterday's post was more than a blog post.  It was almost like a Dan Brown novel.  Okay, no where near a Brown novel, but a guy can dream can't he?  Anyway, I digress.  Buried in the blog are clues that the reader, with any degree of intelligence, should be able to find.  Then all you have to do is put the clues together and find the answer, or possibly, answers.  The answer, or answers, do not have to be sports related, since this is not a "sports-only" blog.  The basis for this blog was to get ideas flowing from me to my three readers, and I started using sports as the vehicle to get things going.  I could have used politics, but my friends on the Right and my friends on the Left would feel slighted at times.  (wait, that gives me an idea for another post, not now but real soon!)

I could have set it as gals v. guys; married v. single; tall v. short; weight-challenged v. those who can eat all day and not look it; shirts v. skins (had to throw that one in!), or any other foundation, but since I have been know to have my brain overload on non-essential items (like remembering license plates-why? I still don't know) including sports minutia, I figured why not sports.  Maybe soon I will get into real discussions that will cause my four readers to have to think, create factual responses and then we can get into the importance of TV weather broadcasting, but again, that's another day.

So, see if you can find the clues and solve the encrypted puzzle from yesterday.  Good luck and try not to lose too much sleep over the solution-some of my five readers may!!

which would you choose?

Color Blue or Red?
Pepsi or Coke (the drink-fools!!!)?
Grand Slam or Inside the park HR?
Fumble recovery for TD or INT for TD?
Blonde or Brunette? (I know the answer!)
Color Black or Brown?
Dome or no Dome?
Cold milk and Chocolate Chip Cookies or Soda and Chips?
Hot dogs or Burgers?
Beer or Light Beer? (now this is easy!!)
Directions or No Directions?
After you wake up or before you fall asleep? (:=))
Color Yellow or Grey?

Logo on helmet or no logo on helmet?

Roses?

Golfing or Bowling?

Playoffs or BCS?

March Madness or BCS

Lemonade or Iced Tea?

Black Jack or Hold 'em?

Long kisses or short kisses?

Color Gold or Orange?
Pete Franklin or Mike Trivizzano?
iPod?
Highway or Backroads?
Star Wars or Star Trek?
John Madden or Frank Calindo? (no spell check please!)
Red Sox or Yankees?
Dodgers or Giants?
Steak or Lobster?
Best viewing part of the ladies?
Best viewing part of the guys?
Shorts or mini-skirts?
NASCAR or INDY?
Deep sea fishing or fly fishing?
Caribbean or South Sea Island Vacations?
NFC or AFC?
Super Bowl or World Series?
Summer Olympics or Winter Olympics?
Oprah or Dr. Phil?
FOX or MNSBC or CNN?
Rap or Country?
Current Rock-n-Roll or Classic Rock-n-Roll?
Pro Football HOF or Baseball HOF or Rock-n-Roll HOF?
This Blog or another?
 

one week down, who knows how many more?!?!?!?

I didn't know if I could blabber on for so many days, but I guess my wife is right (like all the time!!) and here I am, back for week #2 of who knows how many more.  So as they say, let the games begin.

Past weekend had a variety of things to view on the boob tube.  (BTW-Why have we for years referred to a TV with a poignant part of a female's anatomy?  Could it be that's where all the eyes of men go when viewing/talking with their better half?  I know we shouldn't but let's face it, we are all pigs-right ladies!)  But back to serious issues. Did you take in the NBA-All Money...oops, Star game from that edifice in Texas?  Was it worth it? Well for me the answer is a simple NO!  First off, basketball is known for being played in an intimate (love that word) arena.  Remember the original Madison Square Garden; the old Chicago Stadium; ARCO arena in Sac-Town; old Bahstan Garden; and the Richfield Coliseum?  Now those were places where the crowds were just that, crowds.  Yesterday's event was nothing more than Jerry (another nip-n-tuck there) Jones' statement look at me.  Football-OK in a dome like that, maybe even baseball (I said maybe!), but basketball.  Count me out!  I remember the first game like that in the Astrodome in '69.  Lew Alcindor (AKA Kareem Abdul Jabar) v. Elvin Hayes.  Old black-n-white TV showing a game that seemed out of place at 2nd base.  No real back ground for court awareness, but it drew a huge crowd, but nothing else.  So, yesterday's event did nothing more than promote the hanging island (the video display); site-lines that needed a Trip-Tik from the Auto Club; and I am afraid to venture a guess-the cost of a drink of water.  (OK-little dig at the Cavs and missing drinking fountains).  But there was more to view and I did a little.

Followed some Olympic action.  Watched something called the combined.  I'm told that there is ski jumping from a normal hill (is there an abnormal hill too?) in the morning and then some kind of cross country skiing in the afternoon.  Didn't see the whole event (I may be a couch sweet potato but not that big of one) just caught the last 20 minutes or so.  OK, an American was leading and that got the old patriotic juices flowing and I was hooked.  Ultimately, the guy faded, but another U-S-A teammate came on and took Silver!  First time a medal was ever won!  Then I saw the reason why I don't do this.  Every finisher fell flat on their face from exhaustion!  And they were the finishers!  As Dick Endberg would say, "My oh my!",  I will say, "Why oh why?"

There was Woman's hockey, US v.China.  Now come on..first women playing hockey and now the Chinese are too?  Even with local talent on the team, 20 seconds was enough.  Let me know when the Canadians and the Americans hook up and I may be interested in a short view.

NASCAR's Daytona 500 was on and with a delay for a chuck-hole, the race reached a crawl, then a pit stop, then a halt.  It is bad enough I dodge chuck-holes all over NE Ohio, but now I have to dodge them on TV?  Nope, changed the channel!

Next, something called the PGA. You know, since Texting Wildwoods is not out of sex rehab (isn't that an oxymoron) yet and back on the tour, the PGA has legally rebranded itself as  Professional Golfers Anonymous!  Quite fitting don't you think?

So in closing I did what every warm bodied male does when the "Boob Tube" is boring, I turned to ESPN Sprotscenter and watch what I didn't want to watch live.  Now that was more like it!!

PS: Spring Training is just around the corner!!  My Lil' Injuns are just about to get ready and I know I am!!

are guys really different than gals?

...we cry just like women...but only over spilled beer and things called names such as "the drive"; "Bucky Frickin' Dent"; "the shot"; "wide right"; etc. 

...we have our soft side too, like when we watch Mean Joe Green toss a jersey to some little kid for a soft drink (I'm a Pepsi man, so I can't use the real name") 

...we watch figure skating; couples skating; and ice dancing too (those falls on the ice really have to hurt) 

...we can cook...so long as the device has buttons and a timer

...we can shop...and I can name the places-Best Buy; Dick's; Lowe's/Home Depot; lottery store; beverage store; any place chips can be bought....see!

...we can be creative too.  Do you know how many empty beer cans are needed for that shelf?

...we can follow any one's directions, as long as they are not in the car with us

...we can enjoy soccer...(okay I got carried away)

...we can be tender with our young children, as long as they turn out of  the way, the right way on a high and tight inside pitch

...we can enjoy going to the movies with an all gals cast, as long as we get to hear Tom Hanks proclaim, "There's no crying in Baseball!!"

...we can put colors together in a creative fashion.  I'm hear to tell you Black and Gold together really...really...STINK!!!

...we can get out of bead early on a weekend.  Not often are 6:30 AM tee times available before the gals flock to the courses

...we can always share the couch with you, as long as we can have our fingers on the remote

...So in closing, I firmly believe that guys are not much different than gals, it is just in the eyes of the beholder and I have great pair of eyes for a certain person called Linda!  Thanks Dear!!

are you watching the Winter Olympics too?

It is the opening night of the Vancover Olympic games, and with everything else going on in the world of sports, I am here, in front of my HDTV watching the opening ceremonies.  Why?  Good question.  

Let me see if I can answer that.  Years ago, okay, decades ago, I tried ice skating.  WHAT A JOKE!! I couldn't stand on skates, I did the splits and for a guy...ouch!!  So figure skating was out; ice dancing out too, since it is common knowledge I have two left feet!  Pairs? Yeah right, I can't stand up, how the heck do I hold up my partner?  Hockey?  Hey I may not grace the cover of GQ, but I always wanted my full mouth of teeth, so scratch hockey.  So, anything on ice is out.  Hmmmm, isn't everything related to winter ice-based?  Including Canadian Club and Soda!!!  Okay, back  to the seriousness.

Skiing!  Now that I have done and have enjoyed it.  Maybe not the ski lift when you don't get off and then return back to the beginning as the only one on the lift going down, and watching all the others going UP THE LIFT and you don't have to hear them to know what they are saying between the laughter and tears as they point you out.  Finally, after getting to the top successfully, the trip down was exhilarating and breath-taking.  The chatter of the ski edges over the ice-covered slopes; the swooosh sound as you traverse the slope; and now the finale, stopping!  Did I say STOP!!! That was one part of the activity I could not muster.  I was taught the skater's stop, you know when you cut your skis into the slope and send out a huge spray of snow?  I did it...almost.  Edge got caught and instead of stopping I stuck and flipped into the bales of hay protecting the beginner slop.  Yes, the slope where 4 and 5 year old insults to us adults, take the slopes like ducks to water, and with NO FEAR!!!  Maybe because they have only inches to fall, where we old farts don't!  So, I guess, skiing is out of the questions.

Luge...now that may be something, but that doesn't even remotely remind me of sled riding.  And on your back! And with someone laying on top of you?  Unless they have mixed couples luge, count me out!!!

Bob sledding, maybe, but I would need three other teammates who could fit in the sled, and after seeing "Cool Running" the Jamacians could and did do better than I could ever imagine, so, cross out Bob sledding.

Speed skating---see ice skating above only faster!!

Ski jumping...yeah right!!

Biathalon.  Now let me get this straight.  Ski and shoot a rifle?!?!?! I can see me shooting either myself or a judge after trying to catch my breath from skiing, so another one down.

Cross Country skiing!  C'om...too much like work, so how  can that be a sport.

So, I think I have covered all the competition and....wait...missed  one.  CURLING! Now let's take a close look at this one.  First, it is played on ice, but indoors without skates, so that is an improvement.  You have brooms to sweep the ice.  Not much different from sweeping the kitchen floor after trying to make breakfast, lunch or dinner, so add this as a positive.  They push an item called a stone.  Don't throw, but push it on the ice toward a target, almost like shuffle board played in a bar.  (Not that I know that, but have been told that!)  Keep score via innings...innings?  like baseball?  Kinda liking this even more!  Finally, no special clothes or equipment, and everyone looks like they are having....FUN!! So, that's the sport I will be looking for..Curling.  Indoors..safe..no special expensive equipment..fun..and has segments of baseball.  What more could you ask for?

Finally, isn't part of the Winter Olympics that gave us a sport that is etched in our minds, whenever we see the promo of ABC's Wide World of Sports and you hear the phrase, "...and the agony of defeat.."  But every competitor in any event has taken years of dedication; years of training; years of sacrifice; and years of focus for that one special moment when standing on the stand, they see their country flag being raised to the rafters and their national anthem is being played and it now sinks in...it was all worth it and that is what I am really going to watch and enjoy...the competition between dedicated people who are there and I am not.  Good Luck to all athletes.

do you remember?

...your first visit to a MLB game?
...your first visit to a NFL game and where you sat?
...your first NBA game?
...your first ballgame played on a field with grass in the infield, not just dirt?
...your first night out drinking with the guys?
...your first hangover?
...your first driving ticket and your age?
...your first rock-n-roll concert and the venue?
...your first face to face meeting with a professional athlete?
...your first in person autograph?
...your first baseball glove, not one handed down?
...your first home run/touchdown/game winning basket?
...your first soccer or hockey goal?
...your first night camping out for hard to get tickets?
...your first car?
...your first detention and did you tell your parents?
...your first grade of "A" and in what class?
...your first argument over a call during any game you played in and did you get tossed?
...your first sports injury?
...your first kiss from a female other than a relative?
...your first hangout place with the guys?
...your first hiding place with a girl?
...your first website visit your shouldn't have been visiting?
...your first time you beat your dad in a sporting event when he wasn't letting you win?
...your first time you left your parent speechless by your play during a game?
...your first championship win and how it felt?
...your first championship loss and how it felt?
...your first time posting your picture on the 'net for all to see?
...your first time saying I'll never do (your subject) again?
...your first time you saw your dad do something that you had to hold the laughs but couldn't?
and
...your first time your dad knew he had not only a son, but a best buddy to hang with?

It's snowing in the snow belt in February, so what else is new....

...when the snow falls and falls and falls, doesn't it seem to you that no one can handle this?  Here in the snow belt we are used to it, but if you view the old tube each snow fall in NY-'Bahston'-D.C. is the "blizzard of the century".  Those towns creep to a halt; nothing can be done; government shuts down; schools close all over the place; etc.  But two things stand out.  1) all Firefighters and Police Officers always seem to make it through such snow and are there when we need them; and 2) the games continue to be played.  People can make it to the games, but can't get to work?  Come to think of it, the players (workers) show up for the team (employer) and perform their duties (play the game) for the fans (those who cannot go to work; school; etc,) and no one seems to care about the "storm of the century".  Seems kinda silly eh! (that's a little Canadian for a good loyal friend who lives in the great state of Minni-so-ta (remember "Trading Places"?) and he has no problem getting to work...I think)  Anyway, this bring me to a story from long ago...yes in the '70's.  

To those who follow the NBA back then, the Portland Trailblazers had a won the title in '77 with the key players being Bill Walton and Maurice Lucas.  Powerful team and great to watch.  The strength of Lucas with the deft passing and shooting of Walton. Balance scoring, strong rebounding and shut down defense, leading them to the title over the Dr. J-led 76ers.  The Trailblazers were making their only trip into C'Town to play the Cavaliers at the Coliseum in Richfield OH.  Tickets were purchased long in advance and it is now game day.  But wait...it is snowing...and snowing...and snowing!  No problem, leave early and take your time, the game is still on and we have out ducats!  (tickets for those under 30!) The four of us load in the van and off we go.  To say the road were snow covered is and was an understatement, but we forged on.  We tune into the radio-WWWE and Joe Tait to listen to the pre-game show.  Lo and behold what do we hear from Joe....the following.."Folks if you haven't been out and are planning to attend the game, don't!"  WHAT! The immortal Joe Tait, voice of the Cavs, is telling everyone to stay home! This cannot be true!  But we forge on.  As we approach the expansion bridge over the Cuyahoga Valley, traffic stops.  I mean STOPS!  We are parked and right on the bridge!  Wind blowing and rocking the van.  We can see the lights from the Coliseum but that is it.  Again, Tait says, do not try to get to the arena, too dangerous.  Too dangerous my butt...we are within arms reach, just let us move for the last 1 mile!  Game starts, and Tait says there are about 4500 fans in attendance for a sold out game. We sit and wait and listen.  1st quarter ends; then it is half time, and we have not moved one lousy inch!  2nd half starts-but nothing starts on the bridge.  3rd quarter ends and in the rear distance we see yellow flashing lights.  That could only mean, yes, snow plows!!! But what could they do.  Both lanes are dead stopped.  Well, the plows slowly move through the middle of the two lanes, which was opened very slightly by the cars moving to the side.  Cavs are now making a game of it and it happens!!!! Traffic is now moving.  Okay, crawling.  We make it to the exit and just as we turn off 271, the horn sounds on the radio, Trailblazers win!  We pull into the arena parking lot, drive to the parking lot exit, turn back on to 271 and head north, also known as homeward bound.  Never saw the inside of the area; never saw Walton in person; didn't see the Cavs failed comeback; but still cannot forget the moment.

So whenever we get these "Blizzards of the Centuries" (which seem to be a yearly occurrence), and everything comes to a halt, I remember four die-hard fans who put everything behind them to take in a basketball game, which we never saw.  Looking back, what a memory!  How about yours?

PS:  There is another ending to tell.  The snow keep falling, and everything in Greater Cleveland shut down the next day.  Schools closed; businesses opened but closed early; colleges canceled classes, but the four of us did what we had to do the next day.  Left for work early and got to the fire station on time for our next schedule 24 hour shift, and went to work.  No big deal, it was what we were paid and trained to do.  Kudos to Mike; Jim; and Phil for their dedication.  Still snowing, but the fire is burning safe in the fireplace and I'm done!!!

A little dis....a lotta dat...

...the Super Bowl is a great one-day event, isn't March Madness better?

...if Spring training doesn't start in Spring, why is it called that?

...isn't baseball is the only sport that your are on offense without the ball?

...what sport always has a player out-of-bounds and it is legal?

...didn't you REALLY want the Colts to score for a tie and go to overtime in the SB?

...how did hockey goalies survive without face masks back when?

...doesn't the Seniors Tour of the PGA look better than the regular PGA?

... have you noticed that horses run "counter-clockwise" in the US, but "clockwise" in England and for why?

...isn't "grunting" on each stroke in Woman's Tennis, like really annoying?

...baseball has no game clock, but they try to "speed" up the game?

...don't you want to know what happened to "the agony of defeat" guy on ABC's Wide World of Sports?

...don't you miss Emmett Ashword as a MLB umpire?

...shouldn't the next kid to announce his college choice not be in a grade higher than kindergarten?

...isn't this enough?!?!?!?!?!?

This has to be a Dallas moment!!!

It's now almost 24 hrs after the SB and I wake up (get the title take) and the Saints have in fact won SB 44!! It is not a dream!  My oh my, what will the long-suffering Browns' fans do if (and a BIG IF) the Browns first, have a winning season; second get into the playoffs; third win playoff games; fourth make it to the SB and finally, fifth, win the whole enchilada!!!  One can only dream and that is all we can do for now. 

Is it only me, but...does it seem as if the Cavs are getting into another gear, all with Delonte and Mo out with injuries?  Tell me you didn't think there would be a toe-stub with those two riding the pines!  Does Shaq look more in tuned with the team rotation now?  Do the Celtics look reaaaaaalllllllly old, or is it only me?

Can this be the y.....got to stop, do not want to jinx anything.  So, SI if you are reading this...no covers until the NBA season is over...No specials for the NBA playoffs featuring you know who...and no CAVS merchandise sales before the right time (are you listening Mike Greenburg and all you J-E-T-S jets jets jets fans!!!)

So for now, bunker down for more snow and it is only 13 days till the pitchers and catchers report!!!

When in C'Town...

IS IT ONLY ME, BUT...Now that the Saints (can't call them the 'Aints no more) have a Super Bowl Trophy, who will be next for their first one?  The Browns or the NLF's next expansion team?