Well, here we go again. The one sport where I take a little time and actually try to make some preseason picks that, normally, look pretty stupid when we finally get to mid-January.
But, hey, it's all in fun, right? So, here we go....
NOTE: I went through all 17 weeks and predicted winners of every game to come up with these forecasts...
NFC EAST:
1) Philadelphia (11-5): Just too many weapons offensively, especially with Sproles in the mix. They won't miss Jackson like many think they will, with Sproles available to help McCoy breathe (and leave something in the tank for the postseason). Nick Foles will likely be in the top 5 in passing categories, but, unlike a guy like Matthew Stafford, the stats will mean something.
2) Washington (7-9): It's the porridge season of "just quite not right" for the Redskins as they can't make the playoffs, but don't collapse under the weight of a knee brace. They lose a couple they shouldn't, then go build on this for 2015, if they can hear each other due to the hue and cry for a nickname change, which, IMO, will happen in the next one to two years.
3) New York Giants (6-10): We're a year away, if history is an indication, from another Eli December to February ultimate comeback to lead his team to the promised land, though I think that window has long since closed (and I'm a Giants fan! Wait 'till you see what I do with my Raiders!!). Victor Cruz always has some sort of physical problem. Randle isn't a #1 receiver. Loved the Rashad Jennings pickup, though, much to my chagrin on my Raider side. The defense doesn't wow me, either.
4) Dallas (3-13): Their worst season since Troy Aikman's rookie year. Romo to Bryant won't be enough, Murray won't stay healthy. They'll have to put up Madden '15 type offensive numbers because the defense will just....be....terrible.
NFC NORTH:
1) Green Bay (13-3): Imagine a healthy Aaron Rodgers last year. He's back, Eddie Lacy has had an off-season to improve. Lacy will improve Rodgers, as Rodgers won't have to throw for 350 plus a game for victory. Time of possession, too. They'll miss BJ Raji, but they're okay defensively. I like the Packers.
2) Chicago (10-6): And it could've been better than this, but the Bears, in typical recent Bear fashion, will stink up the joint a time or two when they'll be favored to win. This is ALL predicated on a healthy Jay Cutler. That's all we'll say about that.
3) Detroit (7-9): New coach, same result. Lots of yards for Stafford that mean little; Johnson gets triple teamed, still catches balls, but no running game, and holes in the defense put the Lions in, again, the middle of the pack.
4) Minnesota (7-9): Mike Zimmer is a good coach; very good hire for the Vikings. He'll bring discipline and better defensive performance. Now if they had a decent quarterback to throw to Patterson and Rudolph so that AP didn't think he has to save the day every Sunday....
NFC SOUTH:
1) New Orleans (11-5): Many analysts with much higher profiles than mine, reading their Super Bowl picks, think the Saints go to the Super Bowl if they can ever clinch home-field advantage. I'm not sold on that. But if Drew Brees can develop one more receiver to go with Colston and Graham (that offense has always needed that third option to keep the best of defenses on their toes), the Saints could go to a place like Lambeau in January with a shot to win. Whatever happened to Mark Ingram?
2) Atlanta (8-8): They upset the Saints to start the year, but never find a groove. No big winning or losing streaks, and Matt Ryan and company finish 8-8. Jackson is again, Rodgers may not be the RB answer, and there are big questions defensively. But at least, for the sake of the franchise, they bounce back from '13.
3) Carolina (8-8): I see a SLOW start for Carolina, so much so that some will throw in the towel after Week 8 or 9. But Newton will heal, Kelvin Benjamin will have a monster second half of the season to run away with the Rookie of the Year awards (sorry, Johnny!), and they'll go 6-2, 5-3 down the stretch to get ready for '15. Carolina needs to find an Alfred Morris-type RB in the draft, say goodbye to their current group (save Tolbert, the bruiser). Give Cam a 1,500 yard durable back with that defense, and we're talking Carolina in the mix for home-field advantage instead of 8-8.
4) Tampa Bay (5-11): Little Known Fact: No quarterback named McCown has ever won a Super Bowl. Sorry, Lovie.
NFC WEST:
1) Seattle (10-6): As do most "defensive Super Bowl Champions", the Seahawks return to the pack this year. It's only a hot December that gives them the division crown. So the road to the Super Bowl won't go through the 12th Man this year, and the 2014 Seahawks will have happen to them what happened to the 1986 Bears, 2001 Ravens, and 1976 Steelers. Credit to the 1975 Steelers, though, for bucking this trend. It won't be duplicated this year.
2) San Francisco (10-6): This is being generous to the 49ers. Their defense is falling apart due to needing...defense...attorneys. Harbaugh's ability to keep a disciplined team together is in question (and rightfully so), but that's just what ol' Jim will use, the "us against the world, next man up" mentality to nurse the team through a rough season with key late wins to make the playoffs with the final wild card spot. It's time for Colin Kaepernick to start throwing for 35 touchdowns, though, as Frank Gore's "Best By" date quickly approaches....oh, can't wait to see Marcus Lattimore finally get a chance. I hope he's healthy enough to do so.
3) St. Louis (8-8): Yes, 8-8. Shaun Hill is miles ahead of the plethora of backups the Rams had to play last year. If they can get ANY semblance of a running game so Hill could really use Tavon Austin with the full playbook....and their defense is maybe the best in the league. They'd better keep games in the teens, though. The Rams will be the team you won't see on the big screens at Buffalo Wild Wings unless they play glamour opponents (or you live in St. Louis), because the average fan doesn't go nuts for a 13-10 defensive war. I love those games. I'm in the minority.
4) Arizona (6-10): Washington gone, Dansby gone, age a factor, and Carson Palmer can't possibly play like that two straight years, right? Or be healthy, right? Last year had to be a case of everything going right, and they STILL missed the post-season (and I felt bad for them, they played some good ball last year). Fitzgerald and Peterson can't do it alone.
NFC EAST: Philadelphia
NFC NORTH: Green Bay
NFC SOUTH: New Orleans
NFC WEST: Seattle
NFC WILD CARDS: Chicago, San Francisco
AFC EAST:
1) New England (12-4): No one comes close. They sweep the division to win by four games and are a threat, yet again, to reach February 1st. What else can you say? Brady will play like Brady until the one opponent he can't defeat, Father Time, catches up to him. Remember, this is his 15th season, 13th as an active starter.
2) Miami (8-8): The first of two division teams that have decent seasons even with quarterback doubts. Charles Clay emerges as one of the best all-around tight ends this year that people DO know, and the Dolphins are in the wild card mix to the end, joining....
3) Buffalo (8-8): Yes, it's finally the year that Manuel, Spiller, Jackson ALL stay healthy. Decent receiving by committee while Watkins gets going keeps them afloat. It's the defense that will need to improve to allow this .500 record to become a reality. On a side note, for the sake of keeping the Bills in Buffalo, Western New York fans NEED to still be in the playoff chase going into Weeks 16 and 17. I'd hate to see the Buffalo Bills become the Los Angeles Whatevers...
4) New York Jets (5-11): The bubble bursts. Geno is a bust, Vick gets hurt, and by Week 14, the Jets are starting Who Knows What at quarterback. Chris Johnson is spent, Eric Decker wonders what he was thinking during free agency, and there's not much defense, either. Time to clean house.
AFC NORTH:
1) Pittsburgh (10-6): A bounce-back season in a tight, tough division. Roethlisberger and OC Todd Haley finally get along. That counts for half off the offensive success of any team. They finally started the youth movement on defense (a year too late, IMO), and in this division, ten wins can get you the title.
2) Cincinnati (9-7): A tough out at home, but poor road performances and a rough first-place schedule (at New England, at New Orleans....) hurt my baby girl's Bengals. On top of that, you cannot underestimate the loss of both coordinators to head coaching positions. Gruden and Zimmer had more to do with recent success, IMO, than Marvin Lewis did. Having said all that, Dalton and A.J. squeeze the 6th and final playoff spot.
3) Baltimore (7-9): Something's just not right here. The talent is there, but, for whatever reason, the Ravens go much the way of last season, not being able to win the big games that they did late in 2012 to start the Super Bowl run. One reason? Even though they struggled down the stretch that year, they'd already played well enough to be in the January tournament. That won't be the case this season. The NFL's enigma resides in Baltimore.
4) Cleveland (6-10): Browns fans dying for Johnny Football won't like this final mark. It isn't because Manziel comes in mid-season and goes 4-4. It's because Hoyer does just enough every week to keep America's Post-Curfew Darling on the bench. It's the perfect combination to drive Browns fans crazy: Hoyer does enough, the defense is really the reason they win six, but Pettine can't find it in his heart to pull the trigger. Let the off-season of angst begi....no, wait. Browns fans have Lebron to cheer for again, so they're good into spring. They'll get riled up by Draft Day. :)
AFC SOUTH:
1) Indianapolis (12-4): When you don't have a quarterback....quick, who else is starting in this division after Andrew Luck? The Colts have another great season from #12, run through most of the division, but won't be a huge threat come playoff time, even though they'll earn the #1 seed thanks to regular season wins over both Denver and New England. They'll be perceived by some as an overrated top seed.
2) Houston (7-9): There's too much talent on this defense not to have Houston turn it around to an extent. Arian Foster stays healthy, too. But the quarterback position.....oh, boy.....
3) Jacksonville (7-9): My surprise team of 2014, and I didn't even know until I did the game-by-game predictions! The Jaguars have a favorable schedule, and I think Bortles will see the field and do okay. Not Andrew Luck rookie season okay, but okay. No one will take them seriously, and a few teams, after playing them, will wish they had.
4) Tennessee (6-10): I like Ken Whisenhunt, but what does he have in the cupboard to work with? Jake Locker? Quick: name a healthy wide receiving threat? One reason why all these teams get to six wins is that they'll beat up on each other. Even the Colts will lose one inside the division.
AFC WEST:
1) Denver (12-4): It won't look like last year; no one romps with such precision as the 2013 edition of the Broncos, but they'll get it done, including an early November win at New England to clinch the #2 seed. Defense improves, slightly (big names aren't the answer, a cohesive unit is), but losing Decker, and now Welker for four games, and having Wes a hit away from the IR makes this run more difficult.
2) Kansas City (10-6): I just can't bet against Andy Reid. Such a consistent coach and with Smith, Charles, Bowe, etc, they'll be good again. Not quite as good as last year, as again I see an NFL with 30 of 32 teams closer to each in parity this year, but good enough for a playoff berth.
3) San Diego (7-9): They return to earth after their late run last year. They should sign Ryan Succop to a minimum deal just to say thank you for helping them get that post-season berth. I expect Mathews to return to his fumble-prone, injury-riddled self, and Danny Woodhead can't do everything....
4) Oakland (1-15): Oh, my Raiders. I normally say "4-12" by default, but not this year. Our best RB is gone, we have no receivers, so Derek Carr has no one to throw to. We didn't draft a Matthews for left tackle, so protection is still a concern. Justin Tuck and Lamaar Woodley....remember when the Raiders got so many retreads and got good years out of them? One of the reasons Al Davis was successful doing it was he could tell which players still had tread on the tires and which did not. Jim Plunkett struggled with injuries and didn't play for a few years, so, once he was healthy and serving as Dan Pastorini's backup, he was healthy with gas in the tank. Dan breaks his leg, Jim takes the Raiders to the first of two Super Bowl titles. We don't judge those decisions that way any longer. Al didn't do it in his final decade, Mark ain't doing it either.
So maybe a #1 pick can help rebuild the future for my Silver and Black. Because they're on track to get it.
AFC EAST: New England
AFC NORTH: Pittsburgh
AFC SOUTH: Indianapolis
AFC WEST: Denver
AFC WILD CARDS: Kansas City and Cincinnati
PLAYOFFS:
AFC:
WILD CARD: New England over Cincinnati, Pittsburgh over Kansas City
DIVISIONALS: New England over Denver, Pittsburgh over Indianapolis
AFC CHAMPIONSHIP: New England over Pittsburgh
NFC:
WILD CARD: San Francisco over Philadelphia, Seattle over Chicago
DIVISIONALS: Green Bay over San Francisco, New Orleans over Seattle
NFC CHAMPIONSHIP: Green Bay over New Orleans
SUPER BOWL XLIX: Green Bay 31, New England 27
Enjoy the season!!!
Wednesday, September 03, 2014
Tuesday, February 04, 2014
I'm On Thumbtack--UPDATED: LINK WORKS! :)
No, no, not physically ON a Thumbtack..... :)
It's Thumbtack.com! A place where those in need of professionals in specialty areas look for help!
If couples are in need of a wedding officiant, or someone is in search of a photographer for some work, I am available!
I just began there last week, so working on building the ol' client base, but in the meantime, to view my page and see if there's something there I can help you, a friend, or colleague with, JUST CLICK HERE!
And thanks!
It's Thumbtack.com! A place where those in need of professionals in specialty areas look for help!
If couples are in need of a wedding officiant, or someone is in search of a photographer for some work, I am available!
I just began there last week, so working on building the ol' client base, but in the meantime, to view my page and see if there's something there I can help you, a friend, or colleague with, JUST CLICK HERE!
And thanks!
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
2013: Wow!
Way too many superlatives to consider using in a year with such spectacular highs, unfortunate lows and everything between.....
So, how do we go through the year? If you know me, you know that means a stream of typing consciousness.....so away we go!
1) 25 Years: In January, Bonnie and I determined we would actually celebrate our wedding anniversary this year, being that this was, according to tradition, the Silver Anniversary. So off we flew to Las Vegas for her second trip, and my first. Never figured myself to be a "Vegas" guy, and I was right, except......
...I could live in that suite a long time! Love the lights at night, and nothing about the rest of the nightlife. Menopause: The Musical? HIGHLY recommend it if you've never seen it. :)
(The Monte Carlo was our home for four nights, and yes, we stopped by CVS...)
2) The Wait Is Over: After nearly three long years of nothing but seasonal work, my awesome son, Robbie, who turned legal (21) in April, FINALLY found full-time work in late March. He enjoys his work at Southeast Frozen Foods, where he's known as "Snowball", auditing orders on the night shift, making sure YOU can find your favorite pseudo-half gallon of ice cream or frozen pizza at your local Food Lion or Dollar Tree. The pay isn't enough to allow him to break out on his own (as is the case for millions of Millennials right now), but IS enough for him to FINALLY begin the road to his dream.
He began training with GXW Wrestling in early November. He's in the ring twice a week for four hours in the afternoon before heading to work at night, learning to fall (or "bump" as is the industry jargon), how to armdrag, wrist lock, and soon, suplex and more. He's gone through a few trainers as, sadly, his first lost his Dad and had to move home in Maryland to care for his surviving mom, then, he was being schooled by the head trainer of GXW, Johnny Ringo. Johnny, VERY sadly, passed on December 19th just days before his 57th birthday. He spent his entire life wrestling, up to the very end, and was excited to start getting Robbie into the deeper things of the squared circle. But, as of today, Robbie has another wonderful trainer, and I'm sure 2014 will bring him his first match, though it may be late in the year. It takes a year (or more for some) for trainees to finally become ready. I'm looking forward to that night!
3) LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION: It was another year on the stage for Miss Rachel, who turned "Sweet Sixteen" in late February, then dove straight on into "West Side Story". She was in the ensemble, but also captured the role of the "Somewhere Girl", who stood on a very high platform singing the signature song from the classic musical during a wonderfully-choreographed scene from our incredible Drama Director J. Harvey Stone. She made an impression, being named "Most Improved Actress" in June at the year-end awards for Jaguar Drama 2012-13.
Over the summer, we learned there would be TWO musicals this year, the first being "Disney's Beauty & The Beast". Rachel hoped to become Mrs. Potts, but her best friend won that part (and deservingly so! Lainie's performance brought yours truly to tears...) so my baby took on anything Mr. Stone needed her to do, and the cast put on a show for the ages. What they do in theatre at the high school level now as opposed to what we did in high school 30 years ago? NO comparison.
In between, Rachel spent her summer with friends, going to cardiac rehab with me, and spending an impressive number of evenings with me at various events doing photography as part of her two-year internship with the Hanover Herald-Progress. She also took an impromptu tour of the campus of Randolph-Macon College over the summer (and REALLY wants to go), and when she actually WAS home, she loved up on Harry J., who turned 10 back on December 12th, practiced piano (8th year with recital in June), spent a week in Virginia Beach with a friend, and starts 2014 Saturday with an audition for the Summer Governor's School for the Dramatic Arts at Radford University. If she gets it, it'll be exactly 30 years since yours truly did the same thing at then Mary Washington College.
4) ON THE GRIND: Bonnie spent the year, literally, working. Working all day, every day at Virginia Credit Union inside the DMV Building on Broad Street, which meant, yes, she had to deal with the 166,000 people who showed up across the street over the summer for Washington Redskins Training Camp! When she wasn't working, she went to lots of Tuesday night movies with her work buddy Margaret at BowTie, and read 5,643 books on her Kindle. Well, maybe I'm exaggerating just a little..... :)
5) DOWN SOUTH: We had three celebrations with our North Carolina family this year, two of which you'd expect to be called such, while one was unorthodox, but the perfect tribute to a pretty incredible guy.
A) I was deeply, deeply honored to be able to participate in the long, long overdue Ordination Service for my brother on March 3rd! He is now pastoring a wonderful church in the community of Cove City, NC, not far west from his home in New Bern.
B) We returned to Cove City as my niece got married to start our Memorial Day Weekend! It was the first time the 3 Witham kids were all together in just over 10 years, which was very cool. And, it meant time with adorable Cora Jane (who came up to see Rachel in Beauty & The Beast in December!), so that's always a plus.
C) But then, in early August, we discovered my Dad had a brain tumor, an offshoot of his brain aneurysm from 29 years earlier. He's been ready to go for years now, and the treatment options both would deeply accelerate his dementia. After watching my Mom age 15 years in 2 months thanks to chemo back in 2002, I wanted no part of that. Our family was in 100 percent agreement to let nature take its course and God would take him when He was ready.
We made four trips to N.C. in two months, the third was the final time we saw him, a few days before he passed away early on the morning of October 2nd at age 81. We returned the next weekend for the funeral, which was filled with celebration, great remembrances, a sermon (mandatory for my Dad!), and an 80 degree fall day FILLED with gnats in the Eastern Carolina air at graveside. So I now move on parentless, which is a completely new, and very weird, feeling.
(Dad at his final Christmas one year ago...)
So....I guess that leaves me. :)
Everything changed on April 8th at 1:50pm ET when I awoke from a nap to intense pressure in my chest, and, a few minutes later, pain radiating down both arms down to the elbow. It was, so I'm told, 70 minutes from the time I called 911 to the time they inserted the stent into the area entering the aorta, which was 100 percent blocked. By 5:30, I was woozy in my hospital room, picking on a turkey sandwich.
Poor Robbie had just started his new job, poor Bonnie had to fly out of work, then had to go to Glen Allen High and get Mr. Stone to help break the news to Rachel, 10 days out from West Side Story.
Here's how amazing medical technology has changed. In 1975, when my Dad had his first heart attack, he was in the hospital 3 1/2 weeks and was prescribed extreme amounts of rest once finally home.
I left the hospital less than 45 hours after my heart attack, stopped by the school to say hi to Rachel, give her two thumbs up, then come home. 16 days later, I began rigorous cardiac rehabilitation. 36 sessions that took me through the summer, and I enjoyed it so much, it helped so much, I returned on my own December 2nd. I need a group session. Why go to the gym when they have all the equipment I need, all the nurses know my history, they can slap a heart monitor on me whenever they want and I bring down the median age of the rehab session by 15 years? It's the least I can do....
So a BIG THANK YOU to my doctors, all the nurses at Bon Secours Memorial Regional Medical Center Cardiac Rehabilitation (Junior, Ginny, Susan, Suzi, Stephanie, Bonnie, Rita, and I know I'm missing some names!) for your help this year.
OH, and a huge goodbye to 20 pounds, and to soda. Haven't had one since April 8th. :)
Otherwise? 2013 was focusing on getting better, as my second blockage is inside the heart at 50 percent, but they didn't stent it (they used to, but realized stents inside the heart are much riskier, so now they'd rather you treat with diet, exercise and meds, so I am.) as well as improving on the diabetes and sleep issues so I can, after many years, hopefully one day in the not-too-distant future be, once again, 100 percent healthy. :)
Other highlights of 2013:
---Walking 5K at the Richmond Heartwalk September 28th through the streets and bridges of Richmond
---Raising nearly $1,000 for the American Heart Association thanks to Rachel and the team she assembled
---Not breaking the cameras at CBS6 when I was interviewed there to promote the HeartWalk
---52 weeks of articles printed in Section B of the Hanover Herald-Progress (yes, I even wrote and filed an article IN my hospital bed the day after my heart attack...)
---Over 5,000 followers on Twitter as we expanded to three feeds: @hanoversports, @henricosports, and @cfieldsports. As of tonight, 1,637 Henrico followers in under 8 months, 573 followers in just 4 months with little push down in Chesterfield.
---HCS Media Network expanding rapidly! It's officially an LLC, owned by Bonnie (she's the business brains here, not me!), with the Twitter feeds, two live and one developing web sites, a YouTube channel and a growing online radio presence of live events, and TONS of plans for 2014.
---Getting my new moniker, known as "The Hanover Sports Guy". :)
---All the student-athletes I covered this year around the #RVA.
---All the Athletic Directors from high schools and Randolph-Macon
College, the University of Richmond, VCU, etc.
---Rachel getting her learner's permit
---Robbie's 49ers almost making the comeback win in Super Bowl XLVII
---Robbie finally seeing his wrestling idol, Sting, LIVE when we went to TNA in Norfolk in August
---Being at the Bon Secours Washington Redskins Training Center for building, dedication, and finally, to cover Redskins camp
---Getting to personally thank to head of Bon Secours at an event on May 20th, just six weeks after his people saved my life.
---The super-mini thunderstorm of doom that cost us 13 hours of power on August 10th.
---The best year of high school football coverage on WHAN Radio yet, complete with a new partnership with the sports department at NBC12 (Marc and Matt rock, as does their news director, Frank Jones!)
---Seriously paring down my sports card collection to make room for other things. Funny how priorities change after a little thing like a heart attack....
---My Road Trips to see sports teams...
1) Atlee softball in state quarterfinal action in Chesapeake
2) Hanover baseball the same day in the state quarters in Norfolk
3) American Legion Post 175 in State Tournament play in Williamsburg
4) September 21st, going to see Sam Rogers' 2nd home game for Virginia Tech against Marshall, then dropping by Charlottesville that night to watch Karlie Suber play volleyball for UVA!
5) Multiple trips to the Siegel Center, none better than November 23rd as Atlee girls volleyball WON the State Title.
6) And a Sunday in Stafford to watch Rockville Softball win Babe Ruth state titles (yep, more than one!)
So, we enter 2014 with Rachel acting, Robbie working (and training for wrestling on the holiday tomorrow!), Bonnie resting, and me wishing YOU and YOURS a WONDERFUL New Year!
Enjoy every moment. You never know when everything will change. :)
So, how do we go through the year? If you know me, you know that means a stream of typing consciousness.....so away we go!
1) 25 Years: In January, Bonnie and I determined we would actually celebrate our wedding anniversary this year, being that this was, according to tradition, the Silver Anniversary. So off we flew to Las Vegas for her second trip, and my first. Never figured myself to be a "Vegas" guy, and I was right, except......
...I could live in that suite a long time! Love the lights at night, and nothing about the rest of the nightlife. Menopause: The Musical? HIGHLY recommend it if you've never seen it. :)
2) The Wait Is Over: After nearly three long years of nothing but seasonal work, my awesome son, Robbie, who turned legal (21) in April, FINALLY found full-time work in late March. He enjoys his work at Southeast Frozen Foods, where he's known as "Snowball", auditing orders on the night shift, making sure YOU can find your favorite pseudo-half gallon of ice cream or frozen pizza at your local Food Lion or Dollar Tree. The pay isn't enough to allow him to break out on his own (as is the case for millions of Millennials right now), but IS enough for him to FINALLY begin the road to his dream.
He began training with GXW Wrestling in early November. He's in the ring twice a week for four hours in the afternoon before heading to work at night, learning to fall (or "bump" as is the industry jargon), how to armdrag, wrist lock, and soon, suplex and more. He's gone through a few trainers as, sadly, his first lost his Dad and had to move home in Maryland to care for his surviving mom, then, he was being schooled by the head trainer of GXW, Johnny Ringo. Johnny, VERY sadly, passed on December 19th just days before his 57th birthday. He spent his entire life wrestling, up to the very end, and was excited to start getting Robbie into the deeper things of the squared circle. But, as of today, Robbie has another wonderful trainer, and I'm sure 2014 will bring him his first match, though it may be late in the year. It takes a year (or more for some) for trainees to finally become ready. I'm looking forward to that night!
3) LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION: It was another year on the stage for Miss Rachel, who turned "Sweet Sixteen" in late February, then dove straight on into "West Side Story". She was in the ensemble, but also captured the role of the "Somewhere Girl", who stood on a very high platform singing the signature song from the classic musical during a wonderfully-choreographed scene from our incredible Drama Director J. Harvey Stone. She made an impression, being named "Most Improved Actress" in June at the year-end awards for Jaguar Drama 2012-13.
Over the summer, we learned there would be TWO musicals this year, the first being "Disney's Beauty & The Beast". Rachel hoped to become Mrs. Potts, but her best friend won that part (and deservingly so! Lainie's performance brought yours truly to tears...) so my baby took on anything Mr. Stone needed her to do, and the cast put on a show for the ages. What they do in theatre at the high school level now as opposed to what we did in high school 30 years ago? NO comparison.
In between, Rachel spent her summer with friends, going to cardiac rehab with me, and spending an impressive number of evenings with me at various events doing photography as part of her two-year internship with the Hanover Herald-Progress. She also took an impromptu tour of the campus of Randolph-Macon College over the summer (and REALLY wants to go), and when she actually WAS home, she loved up on Harry J., who turned 10 back on December 12th, practiced piano (8th year with recital in June), spent a week in Virginia Beach with a friend, and starts 2014 Saturday with an audition for the Summer Governor's School for the Dramatic Arts at Radford University. If she gets it, it'll be exactly 30 years since yours truly did the same thing at then Mary Washington College.
4) ON THE GRIND: Bonnie spent the year, literally, working. Working all day, every day at Virginia Credit Union inside the DMV Building on Broad Street, which meant, yes, she had to deal with the 166,000 people who showed up across the street over the summer for Washington Redskins Training Camp! When she wasn't working, she went to lots of Tuesday night movies with her work buddy Margaret at BowTie, and read 5,643 books on her Kindle. Well, maybe I'm exaggerating just a little..... :)
5) DOWN SOUTH: We had three celebrations with our North Carolina family this year, two of which you'd expect to be called such, while one was unorthodox, but the perfect tribute to a pretty incredible guy.
A) I was deeply, deeply honored to be able to participate in the long, long overdue Ordination Service for my brother on March 3rd! He is now pastoring a wonderful church in the community of Cove City, NC, not far west from his home in New Bern.
B) We returned to Cove City as my niece got married to start our Memorial Day Weekend! It was the first time the 3 Witham kids were all together in just over 10 years, which was very cool. And, it meant time with adorable Cora Jane (who came up to see Rachel in Beauty & The Beast in December!), so that's always a plus.
C) But then, in early August, we discovered my Dad had a brain tumor, an offshoot of his brain aneurysm from 29 years earlier. He's been ready to go for years now, and the treatment options both would deeply accelerate his dementia. After watching my Mom age 15 years in 2 months thanks to chemo back in 2002, I wanted no part of that. Our family was in 100 percent agreement to let nature take its course and God would take him when He was ready.
We made four trips to N.C. in two months, the third was the final time we saw him, a few days before he passed away early on the morning of October 2nd at age 81. We returned the next weekend for the funeral, which was filled with celebration, great remembrances, a sermon (mandatory for my Dad!), and an 80 degree fall day FILLED with gnats in the Eastern Carolina air at graveside. So I now move on parentless, which is a completely new, and very weird, feeling.
So....I guess that leaves me. :)
Everything changed on April 8th at 1:50pm ET when I awoke from a nap to intense pressure in my chest, and, a few minutes later, pain radiating down both arms down to the elbow. It was, so I'm told, 70 minutes from the time I called 911 to the time they inserted the stent into the area entering the aorta, which was 100 percent blocked. By 5:30, I was woozy in my hospital room, picking on a turkey sandwich.
Poor Robbie had just started his new job, poor Bonnie had to fly out of work, then had to go to Glen Allen High and get Mr. Stone to help break the news to Rachel, 10 days out from West Side Story.
Here's how amazing medical technology has changed. In 1975, when my Dad had his first heart attack, he was in the hospital 3 1/2 weeks and was prescribed extreme amounts of rest once finally home.
I left the hospital less than 45 hours after my heart attack, stopped by the school to say hi to Rachel, give her two thumbs up, then come home. 16 days later, I began rigorous cardiac rehabilitation. 36 sessions that took me through the summer, and I enjoyed it so much, it helped so much, I returned on my own December 2nd. I need a group session. Why go to the gym when they have all the equipment I need, all the nurses know my history, they can slap a heart monitor on me whenever they want and I bring down the median age of the rehab session by 15 years? It's the least I can do....
So a BIG THANK YOU to my doctors, all the nurses at Bon Secours Memorial Regional Medical Center Cardiac Rehabilitation (Junior, Ginny, Susan, Suzi, Stephanie, Bonnie, Rita, and I know I'm missing some names!) for your help this year.
OH, and a huge goodbye to 20 pounds, and to soda. Haven't had one since April 8th. :)
Otherwise? 2013 was focusing on getting better, as my second blockage is inside the heart at 50 percent, but they didn't stent it (they used to, but realized stents inside the heart are much riskier, so now they'd rather you treat with diet, exercise and meds, so I am.) as well as improving on the diabetes and sleep issues so I can, after many years, hopefully one day in the not-too-distant future be, once again, 100 percent healthy. :)
Other highlights of 2013:
---Walking 5K at the Richmond Heartwalk September 28th through the streets and bridges of Richmond
---Raising nearly $1,000 for the American Heart Association thanks to Rachel and the team she assembled
---Not breaking the cameras at CBS6 when I was interviewed there to promote the HeartWalk
---52 weeks of articles printed in Section B of the Hanover Herald-Progress (yes, I even wrote and filed an article IN my hospital bed the day after my heart attack...)
---Over 5,000 followers on Twitter as we expanded to three feeds: @hanoversports, @henricosports, and @cfieldsports. As of tonight, 1,637 Henrico followers in under 8 months, 573 followers in just 4 months with little push down in Chesterfield.
---HCS Media Network expanding rapidly! It's officially an LLC, owned by Bonnie (she's the business brains here, not me!), with the Twitter feeds, two live and one developing web sites, a YouTube channel and a growing online radio presence of live events, and TONS of plans for 2014.
---Getting my new moniker, known as "The Hanover Sports Guy". :)
---All the student-athletes I covered this year around the #RVA.
---All the Athletic Directors from high schools and Randolph-Macon
College, the University of Richmond, VCU, etc.
---Rachel getting her learner's permit
---Robbie's 49ers almost making the comeback win in Super Bowl XLVII
---Robbie finally seeing his wrestling idol, Sting, LIVE when we went to TNA in Norfolk in August
---Being at the Bon Secours Washington Redskins Training Center for building, dedication, and finally, to cover Redskins camp
---Getting to personally thank to head of Bon Secours at an event on May 20th, just six weeks after his people saved my life.
---The super-mini thunderstorm of doom that cost us 13 hours of power on August 10th.
---The best year of high school football coverage on WHAN Radio yet, complete with a new partnership with the sports department at NBC12 (Marc and Matt rock, as does their news director, Frank Jones!)
---Seriously paring down my sports card collection to make room for other things. Funny how priorities change after a little thing like a heart attack....
---My Road Trips to see sports teams...
1) Atlee softball in state quarterfinal action in Chesapeake
2) Hanover baseball the same day in the state quarters in Norfolk
3) American Legion Post 175 in State Tournament play in Williamsburg
4) September 21st, going to see Sam Rogers' 2nd home game for Virginia Tech against Marshall, then dropping by Charlottesville that night to watch Karlie Suber play volleyball for UVA!
5) Multiple trips to the Siegel Center, none better than November 23rd as Atlee girls volleyball WON the State Title.
6) And a Sunday in Stafford to watch Rockville Softball win Babe Ruth state titles (yep, more than one!)
So, we enter 2014 with Rachel acting, Robbie working (and training for wrestling on the holiday tomorrow!), Bonnie resting, and me wishing YOU and YOURS a WONDERFUL New Year!
Enjoy every moment. You never know when everything will change. :)
Thursday, September 05, 2013
Rob's Fearless Annual 2013 NFL Predictions!
I sense a rematch....from a long time ago.....
NFC EAST:
1) Washington Redskins: Even if RGIII has a hiccup or two, Kirk Cousins is good enough to start for half the league. If Alfred Morris even approaches his output of last year, the 'Skins will be just fine.
2) Dallas Cowboys: No doubt this is it for Jason Garrett. Dez Bryant isn't a championship receiver, but he's darn good. He and Romo will put up numbers. But DeMarco Murray cannot stay healthy and their defense is....eh. This is a one-team playoff division. Dallas won't be that team.
3) New York Giants: My G-Men are in for a down season. They'll miss Osi up front defensively, and it's past time for Eli to have a down year. He has them, and this will be one.
4) Philadelphia Eagles: Really excited to watch Eagles' offensive lineman's tongues drag on the turf...in the second quarter. Already down Maclin, they are certain to lose Vick at some point, then who runs the cardboard offense, Nick Foles? No, thanks.
NFC NORTH:
1) Green Bay Packers: This pick is almost by default as the other three teams having talent, but glaring issues. The Packers' issues are more minor. A good year running by Lacy or Franklin unleashes Rodgers to throw to Nelson, Jones, et al. Their defense needs to keep opponents under 20 points. If they can, the Packers make the playoffs with an inflated record.
2) Detroit Lions: One of my sleeper picks. Too much talent on this team for them to pull another clunker season. If they had a legitimate #2 wide receiver, they'd be VERY dangerous. But they don't. So triple team Megatron and force Brandon Pettigrew to win games. That's what I'd do.
3) Minnesota Vikings: No, Adrian Peterson won't run for 2,500 yards. He may not run for 1,500 yards, as history dictates years after a 2,000 yard season aren't nearly as successful on average. And I'm not sold still on Christian Ponder. Blair Walsh's leg may win a game or two, flipping the Vikins and Lions final positions in the division.
4) Chicago Bears: The CFL comes to Chicago! The only problem is, Jay Cutler is still there. Urlacher's presence is gone (it will prove to be a bigger loss than anyone is speaking of right now). Can you say 6-10?
NFC SOUTH:
1) New Orleans Saints: I just can't see Drew Brees going any longer without winning the division. Plenty of interchangeable parts on offense. In a scary similar scenario as the Packers, their defense much hold opponents to under 20 points. I'm not as secure in this unit doing this, but I think they'll have enough to hold off...
2) Atlanta Falcons: Last year is as close to the Super Bowl as Matt Ryan will get. He and Matt Schaub, to me, and two classic quarterbacks in the mold of those I've seen in my lifetime like Dan Pastorini, Neil Lomax, Warren Moon, Bert Jones and Brian Sipe. Very good quarterbacks that simply couldn't get to the Big Game. Julio and Roddy will score TD's, Stephen Jackson is a big question mark (health). They'll stub their toe a couple of times and get swept by New Orleans, but they'll make the playoffs.
3) Carolina Panthers: Don't you think it's about time Cam Newton reminded everybody who he is and what he does? Of course, it doesn't seem like the Panthers know what the whole world does, they desperately need a #2 receiver to line up beside 52-year old Steve Smith. If Newton finishes another 6-10 season, you think he'll be itching for his rookie contract to expire?
4) Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The coaching hire last year is slowly proving to be a disaster. It all falls apart this year. Doug Martin will get yards, but Josh Freeman won't, and we'll realize once and for all he was really a psuedo-one year wonder. A top five 2014 draft pick is possible here.
NFC WEST: (By the way, the best division in football. Imagine saying that 4 years ago....)
1) San Francisco 49ers: A full season of Kapernick, the addition of Anquan Boldin, which stifles the loss of Michael Crabtree until his return. Then there's that Vernon Davis guy, and Frank Gore's got about two seasons left in him. LaMichael James brings a nice change of pace. Then there's that Kapernick guy....and the defense is ferocious. One possible achilles heel: why replace one breaking down kicker in David Akers with another aging kicker who could unwind at any moment in Phil Dawson?
2) Seattle Seahawks: I love, love, love Russell Wilson. What character, what a rookie season to end, finally, all the naysayers who have been in his ear since he graduated Collegiate School here in Richmond. Add Skittles guy in the backfield and a monster defense, and I think by season's end people will be saying, "Wasn't this team supposed to have Percy Harvin?" The two 49ers/Seahawks games should be the roughest, and best, of the regular season schedule. Move over Steelers/Ravens....
3) St. Louis Rams: In any other division, this team would fight for the title. They're just not good enough offensively to hang with the above two. Tavon Austin excites me. And their defense can hang with about anyone.
4) Arizona Cardinals: Bruce Arians steps in hoping to find the magic he had last year when subbing for Chuck Pagano in Indy. He won't find it. This franchise is ruining Larry Fitzgerald's career. It's painful to watch run 20-25 routes a game knowing there's no way that ball comes close to him due to bad snaps, bad offensive line play, and, of course, the lack of a quarterback. As a Raiders fan I can testify, Carson Palmer is NOT the answer. Long season in the desert.
NFC SEEDINGS: 1) Green Bay 2) San Francisco 3) New Orleans 4) Washington 5) Seattle 6) Atlanta
WILD CARDS: Atlanta gets revenge for sweep by Saints in regular season and wins in Big Easy, and in rematch of the game where RGIII went down, Seattle will send him to the offseason a 2nd straight year.
DIVISIONALS: Atlanta goes to Green Bay and Aaron Rodgers tears them apart in a track meet. The Seattle/San Francisco game goes overtime, and the 49ers win.
NFC CHAMPIONSHIP: San Francisco 30, Green Bay 27
******************************
AFC EAST:
1) New England Patriots: The winner...by default. Who in the world else could possibly knock them off? Tom Brady could throw to ME and win the division. That's all I need to say. :)
2) Buffalo Bills: If this team could stay healthy, they could be interesting. And EJ Manuel will be the best of the rookie QB's, though this season's crop are minor league imposters compared to Luck, RGIII and Wilson. I hope CJ Spiller can play the full 16. He could get closer to 2,000 yards than AP. Spiller loves breaking off long, long runs.....
3) Miami Dolphins: When I think of Ryan Tannehill, I think of Jay Fiedler, and Chad Pennington, and Daunte Culpepper....and whoever else has played QB there since Marino left in the sprinkler playoff game. I'd add David Woodley for old-schoolers but he at least made a Super Bowl. The closest Tannehill gets is when he plays at the Jets at the site of Super Bowl XLVIII.
4) New York Jets: The collapse, and end, of the Ryan Administration draws near. And to think, Mark Sanchez made back-to-back AFC Championship games. Good luck, Geno. Good luck. For 2014, a new coach and a top 3 draft pick will be in order.
AFC NORTH:
1) Cincinnati Bengals: There. I said it. This is their year IF, and only IF Andy Dalton takes the next step forward. Dalton must avoid the inevitable bad interception he's had in critical games the first two years, must throw 27 or more touchdown passes and should become more demonstrative on the field as their general. He has red hair. Let's see some fire. Mohamed Sanu, if healed 100 percent, will give AJ Green the partner he's always needed. The Law Firm gets help in the backfield. And the defense added James Harrison. He's a 3rd down player with an every down presence.
2) Baltimore Ravens: Everyone's raving (pun intended) about the defense in camp. Better even without Ray Lewis and Ed Reed. Yes, Elvis Dumervil is there, but I feel like all the Ray Lewis worship I heard in the Super Bowl run last year was smokescreen. It's amazing how dismissive pundits are now of his absence. They're gonna miss both him and Reed. They were the heart and soul of that squad, even if they didn't lead the tackle or interception department. They instilled fear in opponents who will go to their death bed denying it. The defense will be good, but not Super Bowl good. That's too bad for Ravens fans because last year it was the offense, not the defense, that won the day in New Orleans. But, Boldin's gone, Pitta's gone, and Dallas Clark is running out of lives. Ray Rice is fine and Joe Flacco is, to me, the poster boy for "one-time Super Bowl champion". He's got Kurt Warner, Brad Johnson and Steve Young written all over him.
3) Pittsburgh Steelers: This is Big Ben's 10th season. He's breaking down. Who's his running back? Who replaces Mike Wallace? Will they overwork Heath Miller? How old is the defense? See all these questions? For the Steelers, such a consistent team, a 6-10 season is a disaster. Send disaster relief in late December to Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, PA.
4) Cleveland Browns: I hear rumblings about their camp and preseason performances. That's nice. Their starting quarterback is Brandon Weeden and they're guaranteed to lose 5 or 6 division games. Welcome back to last place. I love Trent Richardson, though. He'll single-handedly keep them in some games.
AFC SOUTH:
1) Houston Texans: Andre Johnson gets help in the form of DeAndre Hopkins, so Matt Schaub has two wide receivers to throw to, and somehow he'll still find a way to short circuit this team's run. It seems the city of Houston itself is just cursed to not be able to reach a Super Bowl. Had there been TV replay in 1979, the Oilers may have made it. But they never did. Neither will this group of Texans.
2) Indianapolis Colts: I see Andrew Luck equalling 2012, but not more. Overall, I see the Colts around .500, taking a step back from a year which was fueled by emotion, inspired QB play, and surprisingly results from several newbies. They come back to earth and are an average team this time around.
3) Tennessee Titans: No team in the NFL is spinning its wheels like the Tennessee Titans. Jake Locker is about as good as he'll get. Jared Cook is gone, part of his O-Line protection is gone and Chris Johnson is about gone. Does any Titans wide receiver stay healthy for 16 games? Why did they ever let Jeff Fisher go....
4) Jacksonville Jaguars: That Clowney kid at South Carolina should learn the road to Jacksonville. He'll be there as the #1 pick in 2014 after the Jags are lucky to win 2 or 3 games. A healthy Maurice Jones-Drew will ensure those wins. If he's out again, it actually could be worse. Justin Blackmon is a lost cause and no one is going to win with the two-headed quarterback monster of Chad Henne and Blaine Gabbert. Not even Jon Gruden's bus could save them.
AFC WEST:
1) Denver Broncos: No-brainer here, though please remember the defense doesn't have Dumervil, Von Miller is out six games and Champ Bailey is out for the opener. Bailey, Manning and Welker aren't getting any older and they're on their fourth-string center. Another injury there and they'll call out the really large guy sitting in Section 323 to sign a one-year deal. But, with all this, there simply isn't another team in the division with talent enough to beat this crew.
2) Kansas City Chiefs: Andy Reid will shake things up, and he'll like Kansas City BBQ, too. Alex Smith got the shaft in San Francisco, and gets to manage an offense with no pressures like he felt on the Bay. Jamaal Charles is a top 5 back, and maybe Dwayne Bowe actually overperforms once in his career. Lots of talent on a defense that seemed to stop playing last year, but, to their defense last year was rough at Arrowhead. Imagine watching a teammate shoot themselves in the stadium parking lot. Then you're supposed to go in and study film? I believe the Chiefs will play with new hunger and Reid will be the Reid of 5 straight NFC title games, not the Reid barely holding on in Philly the past few years.
3) San Diego Chargers: We've seen the best of Philip Rivers, which is bad news for Bolts fans. Ryan Mathews still hasn't played a full season, and after Vincent Jackson and an aging Antonio Gates, who catches the ball? The defense is marginal, and that's being nice. The top question in San Diego in 2013 will be what is decaying faster, the Charger roster or Qualcomm Stadium?
4) Oakland Raiders: In a dogfight with Jacksonville and the Jets for the #1 pick in next May's draft. To think, this is the 40th anniversary of my decision to become a Raiders fan. There won't be much reason to celebrate....
AFC SEEDS: 1) New England, 2) Houston, 3) Denver, 4) Cincinnati, 5) Baltimore, 6) Kansas City
WILD CARDS: Cincinnati takes giant leap forward in franchise history, finally getting a home playoff win, knocking off defending champions. Andy Reid tries everything in the playbook, but it's not enough in Denver.
DIVISIONAL ROUNDS: Cincinnati turns the NFL on its ear as their defense gives Brady fits all day, and Dalton finally plays "that game" Bengals fans have been begging for. Peyton won't throw under ill-advised pick and the Broncos knock off Houston.
AFC CHAMPIONSHIP: Dalton completes the trifecta by knocking off the legend Peyton Manning, dominated by the Bengals defense, now being recognized by casual fans and pundits alike for being just that good.
SO, SUPER BOWL XLVIII:
San Francisco vs. Cincinnati
I don't think precipitation would make much of a difference for either team, though it would lend to a low-scoring affair. And if these teams win conference championships on the road in Green Bay and Denver respectively, cold weather's not an issue when they head to Met Life Stadium
But Bengals fans, this is where the train must end. There's just too much firepower for a franchise that should have made the Super Bowl two years ago and didn't, then should have won a Super Bowl back in February and didn't. With Jim Harbaugh leading the way, you keep kicking that wall 'til it comes crashing down.
FINAL: San Francisco 30, Cincinnati 21
NFC EAST:
1) Washington Redskins: Even if RGIII has a hiccup or two, Kirk Cousins is good enough to start for half the league. If Alfred Morris even approaches his output of last year, the 'Skins will be just fine.
2) Dallas Cowboys: No doubt this is it for Jason Garrett. Dez Bryant isn't a championship receiver, but he's darn good. He and Romo will put up numbers. But DeMarco Murray cannot stay healthy and their defense is....eh. This is a one-team playoff division. Dallas won't be that team.
3) New York Giants: My G-Men are in for a down season. They'll miss Osi up front defensively, and it's past time for Eli to have a down year. He has them, and this will be one.
4) Philadelphia Eagles: Really excited to watch Eagles' offensive lineman's tongues drag on the turf...in the second quarter. Already down Maclin, they are certain to lose Vick at some point, then who runs the cardboard offense, Nick Foles? No, thanks.
NFC NORTH:
1) Green Bay Packers: This pick is almost by default as the other three teams having talent, but glaring issues. The Packers' issues are more minor. A good year running by Lacy or Franklin unleashes Rodgers to throw to Nelson, Jones, et al. Their defense needs to keep opponents under 20 points. If they can, the Packers make the playoffs with an inflated record.
2) Detroit Lions: One of my sleeper picks. Too much talent on this team for them to pull another clunker season. If they had a legitimate #2 wide receiver, they'd be VERY dangerous. But they don't. So triple team Megatron and force Brandon Pettigrew to win games. That's what I'd do.
3) Minnesota Vikings: No, Adrian Peterson won't run for 2,500 yards. He may not run for 1,500 yards, as history dictates years after a 2,000 yard season aren't nearly as successful on average. And I'm not sold still on Christian Ponder. Blair Walsh's leg may win a game or two, flipping the Vikins and Lions final positions in the division.
4) Chicago Bears: The CFL comes to Chicago! The only problem is, Jay Cutler is still there. Urlacher's presence is gone (it will prove to be a bigger loss than anyone is speaking of right now). Can you say 6-10?
NFC SOUTH:
1) New Orleans Saints: I just can't see Drew Brees going any longer without winning the division. Plenty of interchangeable parts on offense. In a scary similar scenario as the Packers, their defense much hold opponents to under 20 points. I'm not as secure in this unit doing this, but I think they'll have enough to hold off...
2) Atlanta Falcons: Last year is as close to the Super Bowl as Matt Ryan will get. He and Matt Schaub, to me, and two classic quarterbacks in the mold of those I've seen in my lifetime like Dan Pastorini, Neil Lomax, Warren Moon, Bert Jones and Brian Sipe. Very good quarterbacks that simply couldn't get to the Big Game. Julio and Roddy will score TD's, Stephen Jackson is a big question mark (health). They'll stub their toe a couple of times and get swept by New Orleans, but they'll make the playoffs.
3) Carolina Panthers: Don't you think it's about time Cam Newton reminded everybody who he is and what he does? Of course, it doesn't seem like the Panthers know what the whole world does, they desperately need a #2 receiver to line up beside 52-year old Steve Smith. If Newton finishes another 6-10 season, you think he'll be itching for his rookie contract to expire?
4) Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The coaching hire last year is slowly proving to be a disaster. It all falls apart this year. Doug Martin will get yards, but Josh Freeman won't, and we'll realize once and for all he was really a psuedo-one year wonder. A top five 2014 draft pick is possible here.
NFC WEST: (By the way, the best division in football. Imagine saying that 4 years ago....)
1) San Francisco 49ers: A full season of Kapernick, the addition of Anquan Boldin, which stifles the loss of Michael Crabtree until his return. Then there's that Vernon Davis guy, and Frank Gore's got about two seasons left in him. LaMichael James brings a nice change of pace. Then there's that Kapernick guy....and the defense is ferocious. One possible achilles heel: why replace one breaking down kicker in David Akers with another aging kicker who could unwind at any moment in Phil Dawson?
2) Seattle Seahawks: I love, love, love Russell Wilson. What character, what a rookie season to end, finally, all the naysayers who have been in his ear since he graduated Collegiate School here in Richmond. Add Skittles guy in the backfield and a monster defense, and I think by season's end people will be saying, "Wasn't this team supposed to have Percy Harvin?" The two 49ers/Seahawks games should be the roughest, and best, of the regular season schedule. Move over Steelers/Ravens....
3) St. Louis Rams: In any other division, this team would fight for the title. They're just not good enough offensively to hang with the above two. Tavon Austin excites me. And their defense can hang with about anyone.
4) Arizona Cardinals: Bruce Arians steps in hoping to find the magic he had last year when subbing for Chuck Pagano in Indy. He won't find it. This franchise is ruining Larry Fitzgerald's career. It's painful to watch run 20-25 routes a game knowing there's no way that ball comes close to him due to bad snaps, bad offensive line play, and, of course, the lack of a quarterback. As a Raiders fan I can testify, Carson Palmer is NOT the answer. Long season in the desert.
NFC SEEDINGS: 1) Green Bay 2) San Francisco 3) New Orleans 4) Washington 5) Seattle 6) Atlanta
WILD CARDS: Atlanta gets revenge for sweep by Saints in regular season and wins in Big Easy, and in rematch of the game where RGIII went down, Seattle will send him to the offseason a 2nd straight year.
DIVISIONALS: Atlanta goes to Green Bay and Aaron Rodgers tears them apart in a track meet. The Seattle/San Francisco game goes overtime, and the 49ers win.
NFC CHAMPIONSHIP: San Francisco 30, Green Bay 27
******************************
AFC EAST:
1) New England Patriots: The winner...by default. Who in the world else could possibly knock them off? Tom Brady could throw to ME and win the division. That's all I need to say. :)
2) Buffalo Bills: If this team could stay healthy, they could be interesting. And EJ Manuel will be the best of the rookie QB's, though this season's crop are minor league imposters compared to Luck, RGIII and Wilson. I hope CJ Spiller can play the full 16. He could get closer to 2,000 yards than AP. Spiller loves breaking off long, long runs.....
3) Miami Dolphins: When I think of Ryan Tannehill, I think of Jay Fiedler, and Chad Pennington, and Daunte Culpepper....and whoever else has played QB there since Marino left in the sprinkler playoff game. I'd add David Woodley for old-schoolers but he at least made a Super Bowl. The closest Tannehill gets is when he plays at the Jets at the site of Super Bowl XLVIII.
4) New York Jets: The collapse, and end, of the Ryan Administration draws near. And to think, Mark Sanchez made back-to-back AFC Championship games. Good luck, Geno. Good luck. For 2014, a new coach and a top 3 draft pick will be in order.
AFC NORTH:
1) Cincinnati Bengals: There. I said it. This is their year IF, and only IF Andy Dalton takes the next step forward. Dalton must avoid the inevitable bad interception he's had in critical games the first two years, must throw 27 or more touchdown passes and should become more demonstrative on the field as their general. He has red hair. Let's see some fire. Mohamed Sanu, if healed 100 percent, will give AJ Green the partner he's always needed. The Law Firm gets help in the backfield. And the defense added James Harrison. He's a 3rd down player with an every down presence.
2) Baltimore Ravens: Everyone's raving (pun intended) about the defense in camp. Better even without Ray Lewis and Ed Reed. Yes, Elvis Dumervil is there, but I feel like all the Ray Lewis worship I heard in the Super Bowl run last year was smokescreen. It's amazing how dismissive pundits are now of his absence. They're gonna miss both him and Reed. They were the heart and soul of that squad, even if they didn't lead the tackle or interception department. They instilled fear in opponents who will go to their death bed denying it. The defense will be good, but not Super Bowl good. That's too bad for Ravens fans because last year it was the offense, not the defense, that won the day in New Orleans. But, Boldin's gone, Pitta's gone, and Dallas Clark is running out of lives. Ray Rice is fine and Joe Flacco is, to me, the poster boy for "one-time Super Bowl champion". He's got Kurt Warner, Brad Johnson and Steve Young written all over him.
3) Pittsburgh Steelers: This is Big Ben's 10th season. He's breaking down. Who's his running back? Who replaces Mike Wallace? Will they overwork Heath Miller? How old is the defense? See all these questions? For the Steelers, such a consistent team, a 6-10 season is a disaster. Send disaster relief in late December to Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, PA.
4) Cleveland Browns: I hear rumblings about their camp and preseason performances. That's nice. Their starting quarterback is Brandon Weeden and they're guaranteed to lose 5 or 6 division games. Welcome back to last place. I love Trent Richardson, though. He'll single-handedly keep them in some games.
AFC SOUTH:
1) Houston Texans: Andre Johnson gets help in the form of DeAndre Hopkins, so Matt Schaub has two wide receivers to throw to, and somehow he'll still find a way to short circuit this team's run. It seems the city of Houston itself is just cursed to not be able to reach a Super Bowl. Had there been TV replay in 1979, the Oilers may have made it. But they never did. Neither will this group of Texans.
2) Indianapolis Colts: I see Andrew Luck equalling 2012, but not more. Overall, I see the Colts around .500, taking a step back from a year which was fueled by emotion, inspired QB play, and surprisingly results from several newbies. They come back to earth and are an average team this time around.
3) Tennessee Titans: No team in the NFL is spinning its wheels like the Tennessee Titans. Jake Locker is about as good as he'll get. Jared Cook is gone, part of his O-Line protection is gone and Chris Johnson is about gone. Does any Titans wide receiver stay healthy for 16 games? Why did they ever let Jeff Fisher go....
4) Jacksonville Jaguars: That Clowney kid at South Carolina should learn the road to Jacksonville. He'll be there as the #1 pick in 2014 after the Jags are lucky to win 2 or 3 games. A healthy Maurice Jones-Drew will ensure those wins. If he's out again, it actually could be worse. Justin Blackmon is a lost cause and no one is going to win with the two-headed quarterback monster of Chad Henne and Blaine Gabbert. Not even Jon Gruden's bus could save them.
AFC WEST:
1) Denver Broncos: No-brainer here, though please remember the defense doesn't have Dumervil, Von Miller is out six games and Champ Bailey is out for the opener. Bailey, Manning and Welker aren't getting any older and they're on their fourth-string center. Another injury there and they'll call out the really large guy sitting in Section 323 to sign a one-year deal. But, with all this, there simply isn't another team in the division with talent enough to beat this crew.
2) Kansas City Chiefs: Andy Reid will shake things up, and he'll like Kansas City BBQ, too. Alex Smith got the shaft in San Francisco, and gets to manage an offense with no pressures like he felt on the Bay. Jamaal Charles is a top 5 back, and maybe Dwayne Bowe actually overperforms once in his career. Lots of talent on a defense that seemed to stop playing last year, but, to their defense last year was rough at Arrowhead. Imagine watching a teammate shoot themselves in the stadium parking lot. Then you're supposed to go in and study film? I believe the Chiefs will play with new hunger and Reid will be the Reid of 5 straight NFC title games, not the Reid barely holding on in Philly the past few years.
3) San Diego Chargers: We've seen the best of Philip Rivers, which is bad news for Bolts fans. Ryan Mathews still hasn't played a full season, and after Vincent Jackson and an aging Antonio Gates, who catches the ball? The defense is marginal, and that's being nice. The top question in San Diego in 2013 will be what is decaying faster, the Charger roster or Qualcomm Stadium?
4) Oakland Raiders: In a dogfight with Jacksonville and the Jets for the #1 pick in next May's draft. To think, this is the 40th anniversary of my decision to become a Raiders fan. There won't be much reason to celebrate....
AFC SEEDS: 1) New England, 2) Houston, 3) Denver, 4) Cincinnati, 5) Baltimore, 6) Kansas City
WILD CARDS: Cincinnati takes giant leap forward in franchise history, finally getting a home playoff win, knocking off defending champions. Andy Reid tries everything in the playbook, but it's not enough in Denver.
DIVISIONAL ROUNDS: Cincinnati turns the NFL on its ear as their defense gives Brady fits all day, and Dalton finally plays "that game" Bengals fans have been begging for. Peyton won't throw under ill-advised pick and the Broncos knock off Houston.
AFC CHAMPIONSHIP: Dalton completes the trifecta by knocking off the legend Peyton Manning, dominated by the Bengals defense, now being recognized by casual fans and pundits alike for being just that good.
SO, SUPER BOWL XLVIII:
San Francisco vs. Cincinnati
I don't think precipitation would make much of a difference for either team, though it would lend to a low-scoring affair. And if these teams win conference championships on the road in Green Bay and Denver respectively, cold weather's not an issue when they head to Met Life Stadium
But Bengals fans, this is where the train must end. There's just too much firepower for a franchise that should have made the Super Bowl two years ago and didn't, then should have won a Super Bowl back in February and didn't. With Jim Harbaugh leading the way, you keep kicking that wall 'til it comes crashing down.
FINAL: San Francisco 30, Cincinnati 21
Thursday, April 04, 2013
30 Years Ago Today: April 4, 1983....
I know I'm behind, missing a key date of March
26th, which I will come back soon and blog about, but I gotta, gotta do this
one on time.
The whole story of the N.C. State
1) This was Ralph Sampson's senior season at the University of Virginia Charlottesville
Sampson and the Cavs made the Final Four in '81
only to lose to an ACC nemesis, North Carolina
UVA's surprisingly quick exit to, of all teams, UAB,
in the '82 Tournament helped pave the way for UNC to finally get Dean Smith his
first title, albeit with some timely help from Freddy Brown and his errant pass
of renown...
So, when N.C. State, losers of seven straight to
Virginia, not only beat them in the ACC Tournament final, but again in the West
Region Final to get to the Final Four ended what became an era of promise
turned disappointment in C'Ville. No skin off my back; I couldn't stand Virginia Maryland Maryland
2) North Carolina Georgia
3) Duke was a mess in 1983, its third under
"Coach K", who back then was just another young coach, and one who
heard the calls for his dismissal grow. The Blue Devils lost in the ACC
Tournament quarterfinals that year by 46 points, but, as history would soon
show, the freshmen who learned from that beating, Jay Bilas, Johnny Dawkins, et
al, would learn quickly, and soon, Duke was back.
4) The first win in the run to the title was
against a Wake Forest
SO......
All that to say, the story of the 1983 N.C. State
team is made all the more surreal when looking around them in the ACC at
everything they overcame, and the teams, all of which once, and some twice,
stood in their way.
After an afternoon trip into Beaverdam via a nice
walk along Route 715 to shoot hoops with Lyn Buchanan and Brian Luck, I
returned home and nervously got ready to watch the game. A 9pm tip meant a longer wait.
We played an awesome first half, and had we been
able to shoot the ball better the first ten minutes, our halftime lead could,
could have been more significant than 33-25.
Then what I feared happened; Houston
Fatal mistake.
When he put on the brakes, in spite of Olajuwon
needing rest and Drexler having four fouls due to incompetence, they had enough
horses to push another three or four minutes, go PSJ on a Wolfpack team with
little depth, build the lead, THEN hold on. Nine minutes, against an N.C. State
You see, N.C. State Houston
And meanwhile, N.C. State
What if Houston N.C. State
The Houston Cougars played like overwhelming
favorites who didn't know how to act like overwhelming favorites. That
was exactly what the N.C. State
Not that the Pack didn't almost squander the whole
thing. Go back and watch the final 40 seconds and see bad pass after bad
pass after bad pass. I remember standing up in my room now, no longer on
my pull out chair bed on the floor, listening to the game loudly in stereo
headphones (back in the days when our CBS TV affiliate's audio could be heard
at 87.7 FM) because my folks were long asleep.
I remember these moments, these images, these
reactions.....
---The pass into the corner to Thurl Bailey, who
had no intention of shooting...
---His baseball pass out to Whittenburg, which
almost went horribly awry...
---His desperation shot from 35
feet and me thinking, "overtime".....
---Out of nowhere, there's Lorenzo Charles on my 19
inch black and white television set, grabbing the ball out of the
air and slamming it home on Phi Slamma Jamma...
---I froze for about three seconds, watching the
clock go from 02, to 01, to 00, wondering:
---Did it count?
---Did the clock really
run out before Houston
---And suddenly, one of the voices of my childhood,
longtime ACC analyst Billy Packer, said in my speakers, "THEY WON IT!!!!
ON THE DUNK!!!"
I threw my arms up in the air, watched Jimmy V look
for a hug partner, stunned and amazed by what I saw.
The first words out of my mouth (in the most
whispered yell I could muster) were, "LORENZO!!! LORENZO!!!"
And then the phone starting ringing. UT OH.
I ended up fielding two congratulatory calls from
great friends, friends who knew how much this meant to me. I also had to
hope and pray their good will gestures wouldn't ruin the night's sleep of my
Dad and Stepmom....
In the end, all was well. I watched the
interviews, the nets being cut down, then it was over.
I was in Beaverdam, so no early cable for me, no
"flip it to SportsCenter". You watched the 11pm news that came on late due
to the length of the game and waited for the sports segment to see the
highlights one more time, all the while jamming loudly to my favorite tunes of
the day on my stereo in surreal celebration.
So, while the team that EARNED this most improbable
of titles celebrated in Albuquerque, one of their more die-hard fans partied
alone in a small bedroom just west of Beaverdam, Virginia deep into the night,
knowing these type of things usually only come along once in a lifetime.
I was blessed enough that mine came sorta early, on
a high school spring break, and I had the boundless energy of a 15 year old to
jump, dance, shout, and celebrate.
And, rolling all this back to present day, I think
that's why I'm so apopletic about the latest version of N.C. State
Ever since, there's been no magic. I don't
expect a title run as a six-seed every ten years, but I do expect a cohesive
program that seems to have short and long-term vision. They've had
neither in Raleigh
No regular season titles, no ACC Tournament titles,
multitudes of appearances in the "Thursday night play-in game" in
March, and just enough Sweet Sixteen appearances (two) to briefly get one's
hopes up, only to find them dashed with 12 months.
So, from the perspective of 45-year old Rob Witham
looking back on one of the greatest nights in the life of then 15-year old
Robbie Witham, I appreciate four weekends in March/April, 1983 even more now
than ever, mindful that many people never get to see their beloved team have
their "One Shining Moment".
Just ask any Cubs fan under the age of 112.......
P.S.---So it was poetic that, five years to the day later, on another Monday April 4th, I began my first full-time job ever in radio, my career dream, and in Christian radio in my hometown no less, Operations Manager for WDYL-FM/WGGM here in
And for my son to finally begin his first full-time job post high school exactly 25 years later, on this
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
30 Years Ago---March 20, 1983
This was a great Sunday.
It began with one of those special Sunday morning worship services at our church. The kind where Dad never got around to preaching.
That's not meant as a cut towards my Pop. :)
Sometimes, a random testimony during the announcements would turn into a testimony session, and as God's Spirit moved in the church, people were truly moved and truly blessed. That's what we had going on this Lord's Day and I remember it to this day. My testimony was a thank you to my Dad for all the evenings he spent taking me from Beaverdam to Ashland for play practice at school, waiting on me by going to his second job place, Ukrop's in Ashland, and chewing the fat with employees until it was time to get me.
No big deal, right?
Well, it was, considering he had to turn around and get up at 3:45AM to go to work the next morning. It makes my trips to take and get Rachel from Glen Allen (a simple 6 mile roundtrip) extremely easy by comparison.
Then it was home to watch N.C. State in the NCAA Tournament Second Round, this time against UNLV, a 28-2 team. As usual, the Wolfpack fell behind, and, as usual, they roared back just at the right time.
Thurl Bailey got a rebound after batting the ball off the backboard to himself, and his put-back gave State a 71-70 win and a trip to the Sweet Sixteen.
Another nailbiter, another win!
And the Road To Albuquerque continues.....
It began with one of those special Sunday morning worship services at our church. The kind where Dad never got around to preaching.
That's not meant as a cut towards my Pop. :)
Sometimes, a random testimony during the announcements would turn into a testimony session, and as God's Spirit moved in the church, people were truly moved and truly blessed. That's what we had going on this Lord's Day and I remember it to this day. My testimony was a thank you to my Dad for all the evenings he spent taking me from Beaverdam to Ashland for play practice at school, waiting on me by going to his second job place, Ukrop's in Ashland, and chewing the fat with employees until it was time to get me.
No big deal, right?
Well, it was, considering he had to turn around and get up at 3:45AM to go to work the next morning. It makes my trips to take and get Rachel from Glen Allen (a simple 6 mile roundtrip) extremely easy by comparison.
Then it was home to watch N.C. State in the NCAA Tournament Second Round, this time against UNLV, a 28-2 team. As usual, the Wolfpack fell behind, and, as usual, they roared back just at the right time.
Thurl Bailey got a rebound after batting the ball off the backboard to himself, and his put-back gave State a 71-70 win and a trip to the Sweet Sixteen.
Another nailbiter, another win!
And the Road To Albuquerque continues.....
30 Years Ago---March 19, 1983.....
So, the actual game was played on March 18th, but on the west coast, and, thanks to the then-magic of "tape delay", the parts of the game that mattered most.....and that I saw....were show on 3/19.
Now, with THAT technicality out of the way........:)
I went to bed that Friday night knowing N.C. State played its first NCAA Tournament game in Oregon in the West Region against that powerhouse Pepperdine. I was confident and hopeful to awaken Saturday to hear that they had, again, survived and advanced.
I woke up in the middle of the night instead....about 1:30....
...and since the CBS "tape-delay" broadcast began at 11:30, that meant the game was still on. So, I get up, turn on my awesome black and white TV, and, much to my surprise and shagrin, we were LOSING.
In what would, of course, become the "State Standard" of this March, the Wolfpack frantically came back, tied the game, sent it to overtime, then forced a second overtime, before FINALLY picking up the 69-67 win.
So, by a little after 2am, I turned off the TV, crawled back into bed, and rested very, very well. But not until I breathed a HUGE sigh of relief.
Up next was a date with 28-2 UNLV on Sunday afternoon. :)
Now, with THAT technicality out of the way........:)
I went to bed that Friday night knowing N.C. State played its first NCAA Tournament game in Oregon in the West Region against that powerhouse Pepperdine. I was confident and hopeful to awaken Saturday to hear that they had, again, survived and advanced.
I woke up in the middle of the night instead....about 1:30....
...and since the CBS "tape-delay" broadcast began at 11:30, that meant the game was still on. So, I get up, turn on my awesome black and white TV, and, much to my surprise and shagrin, we were LOSING.
In what would, of course, become the "State Standard" of this March, the Wolfpack frantically came back, tied the game, sent it to overtime, then forced a second overtime, before FINALLY picking up the 69-67 win.
So, by a little after 2am, I turned off the TV, crawled back into bed, and rested very, very well. But not until I breathed a HUGE sigh of relief.
Up next was a date with 28-2 UNLV on Sunday afternoon. :)
Thursday, March 14, 2013
30 Years Ago Today---March 13, 1983.....
Alright, Dad, preach well, but preach quick so we get home in time for tip-off!
I hated it when the ACC moved its Tournament final to Sunday afternoon from Saturday night in 1982, but my voice was not listened to. Happy to report we got home in time to watch N.C. State battle Ralph Sampson and Virginia for the ACC Tournament title.
Virginia was desperate because they had yet to win an ACC Championship with the big man and he was a senior. N.C. State was more desperate because a loss would end their season. Virginia would make the NCAA Tournament as an at-large team with a much better regular season record.
Back and forth we went....the nail biting was excruciating. But when it was all said and done, I can still remember Thurl Bailey filling my black and white TV screen with a huge smile, as the Wolfpack celebrated on the floor of the old Omni in Atlanta, with an 81-78 win over the Cavaliers!!
One of my all-time favorite teachers, Mrs. Sharon Adams, called my house long distance from Richmond to congratulate me on my team's accomplishment. I'll never forget that. :)
Later on, they announced the 52-team field for the NCAA Tournament. CBS was only in its second year covering the tourney, and the year before had premiered a 30-minute program late on Sunday afternoon to announce the tournament field. Back then, they had no cameras at college sites to "get the reaction of a team" when they see if/where they will begin their March Madness journey. Heck, the term March Madness had just started to catch on (Musburger should have copyrighted that immediately....). It was Brent and Billy Packer in a studio talking about the upcoming event, maybe a coach or two interviewed.
I went to church and later found out State was going to the West Region as the #6 seed and would play Pepperdine in the first round on Friday night. Late Friday night.
Until then, I savored the Tournament championship, headed to bed to ready myself for another week of school and play practice, patiently awaiting Friday night. Late Friday night.
I hadn't been this happy about a sporting event since my Oakland Raiders won Super Bowl XV on January 25, 1981.....I had no idea what was about to unfold over the next three weekends.
I hated it when the ACC moved its Tournament final to Sunday afternoon from Saturday night in 1982, but my voice was not listened to. Happy to report we got home in time to watch N.C. State battle Ralph Sampson and Virginia for the ACC Tournament title.
Virginia was desperate because they had yet to win an ACC Championship with the big man and he was a senior. N.C. State was more desperate because a loss would end their season. Virginia would make the NCAA Tournament as an at-large team with a much better regular season record.
Back and forth we went....the nail biting was excruciating. But when it was all said and done, I can still remember Thurl Bailey filling my black and white TV screen with a huge smile, as the Wolfpack celebrated on the floor of the old Omni in Atlanta, with an 81-78 win over the Cavaliers!!
One of my all-time favorite teachers, Mrs. Sharon Adams, called my house long distance from Richmond to congratulate me on my team's accomplishment. I'll never forget that. :)
Later on, they announced the 52-team field for the NCAA Tournament. CBS was only in its second year covering the tourney, and the year before had premiered a 30-minute program late on Sunday afternoon to announce the tournament field. Back then, they had no cameras at college sites to "get the reaction of a team" when they see if/where they will begin their March Madness journey. Heck, the term March Madness had just started to catch on (Musburger should have copyrighted that immediately....). It was Brent and Billy Packer in a studio talking about the upcoming event, maybe a coach or two interviewed.
I went to church and later found out State was going to the West Region as the #6 seed and would play Pepperdine in the first round on Friday night. Late Friday night.
Until then, I savored the Tournament championship, headed to bed to ready myself for another week of school and play practice, patiently awaiting Friday night. Late Friday night.
I hadn't been this happy about a sporting event since my Oakland Raiders won Super Bowl XV on January 25, 1981.....I had no idea what was about to unfold over the next three weekends.
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
30 Years Ago: March 12, 1983....
A pensive Saturday, as I joined Wolfpack fans around the world from my living room to watch the boys try to stay alive against defending national champion North Carolina in the ACC Tournament Semifinals.
As will be the case for the next three weeks, nothing would come easy, and we ended up going to overtime. And that's about the time I realized.....
....I was wearing a UNC wristband on my left arm. I had been for some time (days, weeks...) because I love all things North Carolina. But this HAD to go. I took it off and flung it across the living room! Don't worry, I picked it up later...
....after the Wolfpack stormed through overtime en route to a seven-point win, 91-84! One more win, and the Pack would be back in the Big Dance. No way their regular season record would get them an at-large bid in a field of just 52 teams in 1983. They'll have to beat....
....Ralph Sampson and Virginia. The team we led by 27 and lost to after losing Dereck Whittenburg to injury that fateful January night that seemed to doom the season. Sampson, Wilson, Miller, Carlisle, the usual Cavalier suspects.
We've GOT to beat Virginia. If there's one team I could NOT stand then...and now, it's Virginia, though not as vociferously as I did in the early 1980s.....
See you tomorrow, Ralph.
As will be the case for the next three weeks, nothing would come easy, and we ended up going to overtime. And that's about the time I realized.....
....I was wearing a UNC wristband on my left arm. I had been for some time (days, weeks...) because I love all things North Carolina. But this HAD to go. I took it off and flung it across the living room! Don't worry, I picked it up later...
....after the Wolfpack stormed through overtime en route to a seven-point win, 91-84! One more win, and the Pack would be back in the Big Dance. No way their regular season record would get them an at-large bid in a field of just 52 teams in 1983. They'll have to beat....
....Ralph Sampson and Virginia. The team we led by 27 and lost to after losing Dereck Whittenburg to injury that fateful January night that seemed to doom the season. Sampson, Wilson, Miller, Carlisle, the usual Cavalier suspects.
We've GOT to beat Virginia. If there's one team I could NOT stand then...and now, it's Virginia, though not as vociferously as I did in the early 1980s.....
See you tomorrow, Ralph.
30 Years Ago: The Series....
The period from February to July, 1983 was, in hindsight, the most pivotal five month period in my life. Most of my career direction and life trajectory came from the events of this time....
It began with a shocking and complete surprise when I was named to a lead role in my first-ever high school musical, "The 1940's Radio Hour", the story of a rundown New York City radio station trying to get ready to produce its Christmas spectacular in late 1942 during World War II.
Walking into Webb Auditorium cast as the host/producer of the show was a daunting task as I was surrounded onstage by juniors and seniors with ages upon ages of experience. I drank it all in, tried not to be in awe of my fellow actors and actresses, and hit the ground running.
A couple of weeks later, I participated in my first-ever Central Region forensics competition in the Original Oratory category, parlaying a love of college basketball into an expose of the problems besetting big-time athletics in the early 1980s (which seem somewhat faint compared to today's multi-billion dollar behemoth that is the NCAA).
I was stunned when I was named second place winner in the category, which meant a trip to the State Championships at UVA a few weeks later.
In the meantime, my beloved North Carolina State Wolfpack were about to embark on a little journey of their own. Having just gotten guard Dereck Whittenburg back from a foot injury suffered against Ralph Sampson and Virginia several weeks earlier, the Pack went to the ACC Tournament the #4 seed, but, in reality, needing to win the whole thing in Atlanta in order to punch a ticket to the then-52 team field of the NCAA Tournament.
And there is where we pick up the story.....
Friday, March 11, 1983: A typical 10th grade Friday at Patrick Henry High (sans all of those roofs they have today...hee hee), where I sat in my final class of the day wondering how my Wolfpack, who had a 2pm tip against Wake Forest, were doing.
Remember, kids, no Twitter, no Smartphones, no internet, no WatchESPN app.
The school day ended, I got on the bus for the long hour ride home to Beaverdam, and.....
.....lookie what we had here. Somehow, someone managed to have a 5 inch, battery-operated black and white TV on the bus. And, better still, our driver let it play. :)
NC State beat Wake the previous weekend 130-89.....but NOTHING came easy in the post-season. I watched frantically as the Pack hit critical free throws down the stretch to begin what we all know now as "Survive and Advance", a 71-70 win that set up a match in Saturday's semis against Jordan, Perkins, and North Carolina, the defending National Champions.
See you tomorrow, from the living room in the parsonage in Beaverdam.
It began with a shocking and complete surprise when I was named to a lead role in my first-ever high school musical, "The 1940's Radio Hour", the story of a rundown New York City radio station trying to get ready to produce its Christmas spectacular in late 1942 during World War II.
Walking into Webb Auditorium cast as the host/producer of the show was a daunting task as I was surrounded onstage by juniors and seniors with ages upon ages of experience. I drank it all in, tried not to be in awe of my fellow actors and actresses, and hit the ground running.
A couple of weeks later, I participated in my first-ever Central Region forensics competition in the Original Oratory category, parlaying a love of college basketball into an expose of the problems besetting big-time athletics in the early 1980s (which seem somewhat faint compared to today's multi-billion dollar behemoth that is the NCAA).
I was stunned when I was named second place winner in the category, which meant a trip to the State Championships at UVA a few weeks later.
In the meantime, my beloved North Carolina State Wolfpack were about to embark on a little journey of their own. Having just gotten guard Dereck Whittenburg back from a foot injury suffered against Ralph Sampson and Virginia several weeks earlier, the Pack went to the ACC Tournament the #4 seed, but, in reality, needing to win the whole thing in Atlanta in order to punch a ticket to the then-52 team field of the NCAA Tournament.
And there is where we pick up the story.....
Friday, March 11, 1983: A typical 10th grade Friday at Patrick Henry High (sans all of those roofs they have today...hee hee), where I sat in my final class of the day wondering how my Wolfpack, who had a 2pm tip against Wake Forest, were doing.
Remember, kids, no Twitter, no Smartphones, no internet, no WatchESPN app.
The school day ended, I got on the bus for the long hour ride home to Beaverdam, and.....
.....lookie what we had here. Somehow, someone managed to have a 5 inch, battery-operated black and white TV on the bus. And, better still, our driver let it play. :)
NC State beat Wake the previous weekend 130-89.....but NOTHING came easy in the post-season. I watched frantically as the Pack hit critical free throws down the stretch to begin what we all know now as "Survive and Advance", a 71-70 win that set up a match in Saturday's semis against Jordan, Perkins, and North Carolina, the defending National Champions.
See you tomorrow, from the living room in the parsonage in Beaverdam.
Monday, December 31, 2012
2012: One Last Look.....
Boy, I didn't blog much here, did I?
I was a little bit busy on my other blog, carefully disguised as a web site that I am extremely proud of (www.hanovercountysports.org), and its corresponding Twitter page. It's been up less than eight months and we've already eclipsed 1,000 followers, thanks to a lot of great people.
So, let me catch up on my 2012 in one fell swoop, shall I? When I think of 2012, I will think of, in no particular order, the following:
--Getting to watch my kids' teams in the NFL playoffs, my son's team almost make it back to the Super Bowl, and my second favorite team winning it for the 4th time....
--BBC World News (a great addition to our cable lineup)
--Speaking of cable, GOODBYE COMCAST! Thank you, Verizon FiOS. So far, so good.
--My fifth evening with The Moody Blues, and, for the first time, with my brother, in Durham, North Carolina...
--Watching Bubba Watson win the Masters at a Virginia Beach restaurant on an overnight trip and being so impressed with his humility.
--The London Olympics.....in spite of NBC....
--The Patrick Henry girls basketball team's 23-3 season, and following Katie Anderson over to Randolph-Macon...
--Speaking of Macon, what a beautiful new football facility! The press box is incredible, the field even moreso...
--Trips up I-95 North to watch:
--The Patrick Henry softball team play for a state championship
--Mechanicsville Post 175 play for an American Legion state championship
--Happily eating Chick-Fil-A
--Me-TV, added by one of our local stations to their digital lineup in February. Perry Mason and The Untouchables were nightly appointments, The Fugitive on Sunday nights...
--Our second trip to Cincinnati to see Rachel's Bengals battle MY RAIDERS....and, ah, beat the living tar out of them....:)
--Going to Cincinnati with an extra hole in my head, thanks to my crown coming out the night before after coming home from a football game...
Oh, did somebody say football??
--13 straight weeks of tremendous high school action, including seven Hanover games, three games that ended on the final play, watching Morris Jackson score some of his 33 touchdowns for Atlee, watching Chris Simpson and his offensive line from Lee-Davis manhandle opponents, and another regional championship for the Hawks.
--The end of the Central Region (thanks, VHSL....no, really, thanks. Not.)
--My daughter's stage debut in "Guys and Dolls" and subsequent first speaking role in "It's A Wonderful Life" at Glen Allen High School
--My son's summer with the Richmond Flying Squirrels, keeping vendors straight, fans fed, and even meeting Bret "The Hitman" Hart...
--My wife's move after years in Short Pump to the Virginia Credit Union branch in the DMV Building next to the Science Museum....
--Welcome, Chanel Ann Witham! I have a chihuahua, over 30 years after losing Teko.... :)
Milestones...
--24 years of wedded bliss.....for the most part.....;)
--Robbie turning 20!!!
--Rachel turning 15!!!
--Our 20th anniversary living on Tavern Way. Hard to believe I've been in this house longer than I lived in Beaverdam...
--Speaking of which, an October trip to Beaverdam with Rachel to relive memories and make new ones reporting on Heritage Days for the Herald-Progress...
--Speaking of which, my work all year with the Herald-Progress, writing most of the sports section, and, unbelievably, teaming with my former English and Advanced Novel teacher from high school, Nick Liberante, as a devastating tag team! I shoot from the hip, he shoots with a Canon. It's a win-win relationship. Who knew? One day my toughest teacher would become my sports superhero partner. :)
People we said hello to in 2012:
--Bonnie's new best friend at work, Margaret
--Great coaches I worked with in various sports like Matt Crowder, now AD at Patrick Henry, John Earley, Jackie Davis, Brian LeTourneau, Phillip Cobb, Leslie Nuckols, Curtis Carpenter, Sharon Gaston, Zac Hayden, and Eddie Gates, ONLY to name a few.....:)
--Janice Murias at the Herald-Progress, just as sweet as they come...
--Our new editor, Lee Francis!
People we said hello again to in 2012:
--High school friends I ran into again in my newspaper travels like Melissa, Kara, Claudia, Lyn, Julie, Charlotte, and Logan....for starters...
What I'd Like To Forget About 2012:
--The Presidential Election and its 5,210,443 commercials in this, a swing state...
--Bonnie's November blood pressure scare...
--Nausea
--Medical Insurance and Co-Pay hassles
--The Kardashians
--Anything "Gangham Style"
--"We Are Young"....
People We Said Goodbye to in 2012:
--Randy Barnhill
--Elsie Rusnak
--Donnie Sipos (just yesterday...)
--Barbara Nicely
--Jack Moynihan (my first postmaster at the Beaverdam Post Office)...
--Dick Clark (boy, tonight's so different without him...)
--Neil Armstrong
--General Norman Schwarzkopf
--Donna Summer
--Jack Klugman
--Earl Scruggs
--Andy Williams
--Ernest Borgnine (I need to watch The Poseidon Adventure again...)
--Joe Paterno
--Whitney Houston
--Etta James
--Andy Griffith
--George "Goober" Lindsey
--Junior Seau
--Mike Wallace (of "60 Minutes")
--Larry Hagman (Major Nelson to me moreso than J.R.....)
--Deborah Raffin
--George McGovern
--Robert Hegyes ("Epstein" of Welcome Back, Kotter fame...)
--Davy Jones
--Gary Carter
--Freddie Solomon
--Chuck Colson
--Don Cornelius
--Maurice Sendak
--Kathryn Joosten (just weeks after her character on "Desperate Housewives" died...)
--Bob Welch
--Richard Dawson
--Ray Bradbury
--Frank Cady ("Mr. Drucker")....
--Phyllis Diller
--Ron Palillo ("Horshack" of Welcome Back, Kotter fame...)
--Steve Sabol
--Zig Ziglar
--Dave Brubeck
--Charles Durning
Songs of 2012 (not necessarily favorites, but what's scorched in my brain, thanks to Rachel):
--Maroon 5
--Maroon 5
--So Good, B.O.B. (was on Atlee softball's warm-up CD, heard it...A LOT) :)
--50 Ways To Say Goodbye--Train
--We Are Never, Ever....you know the rest....--Taylor Swift
And for 2013?
--Our 25th wedding anniversary is up first...
--Robbie turns 21...
--Rachel hits Sweet 16 and....gasp....drives!
--And I just hope to live to see another year of ups and downs....with significantly less nausea and exhaustion. :)
HAPPY NEW YEAR! :)
I was a little bit busy on my other blog, carefully disguised as a web site that I am extremely proud of (www.hanovercountysports.org), and its corresponding Twitter page. It's been up less than eight months and we've already eclipsed 1,000 followers, thanks to a lot of great people.
So, let me catch up on my 2012 in one fell swoop, shall I? When I think of 2012, I will think of, in no particular order, the following:
--Getting to watch my kids' teams in the NFL playoffs, my son's team almost make it back to the Super Bowl, and my second favorite team winning it for the 4th time....
--BBC World News (a great addition to our cable lineup)
--Speaking of cable, GOODBYE COMCAST! Thank you, Verizon FiOS. So far, so good.
--My fifth evening with The Moody Blues, and, for the first time, with my brother, in Durham, North Carolina...
--Watching Bubba Watson win the Masters at a Virginia Beach restaurant on an overnight trip and being so impressed with his humility.
--The London Olympics.....in spite of NBC....
--The Patrick Henry girls basketball team's 23-3 season, and following Katie Anderson over to Randolph-Macon...
--Speaking of Macon, what a beautiful new football facility! The press box is incredible, the field even moreso...
--Trips up I-95 North to watch:
--The Patrick Henry softball team play for a state championship
--Mechanicsville Post 175 play for an American Legion state championship
--Happily eating Chick-Fil-A
--Me-TV, added by one of our local stations to their digital lineup in February. Perry Mason and The Untouchables were nightly appointments, The Fugitive on Sunday nights...
--Our second trip to Cincinnati to see Rachel's Bengals battle MY RAIDERS....and, ah, beat the living tar out of them....:)
--Going to Cincinnati with an extra hole in my head, thanks to my crown coming out the night before after coming home from a football game...
Oh, did somebody say football??
--13 straight weeks of tremendous high school action, including seven Hanover games, three games that ended on the final play, watching Morris Jackson score some of his 33 touchdowns for Atlee, watching Chris Simpson and his offensive line from Lee-Davis manhandle opponents, and another regional championship for the Hawks.
--The end of the Central Region (thanks, VHSL....no, really, thanks. Not.)
--My daughter's stage debut in "Guys and Dolls" and subsequent first speaking role in "It's A Wonderful Life" at Glen Allen High School
--My son's summer with the Richmond Flying Squirrels, keeping vendors straight, fans fed, and even meeting Bret "The Hitman" Hart...
--My wife's move after years in Short Pump to the Virginia Credit Union branch in the DMV Building next to the Science Museum....
--Welcome, Chanel Ann Witham! I have a chihuahua, over 30 years after losing Teko.... :)
Milestones...
--24 years of wedded bliss.....for the most part.....;)
--Robbie turning 20!!!
--Rachel turning 15!!!
--Our 20th anniversary living on Tavern Way. Hard to believe I've been in this house longer than I lived in Beaverdam...
--Speaking of which, an October trip to Beaverdam with Rachel to relive memories and make new ones reporting on Heritage Days for the Herald-Progress...
--Speaking of which, my work all year with the Herald-Progress, writing most of the sports section, and, unbelievably, teaming with my former English and Advanced Novel teacher from high school, Nick Liberante, as a devastating tag team! I shoot from the hip, he shoots with a Canon. It's a win-win relationship. Who knew? One day my toughest teacher would become my sports superhero partner. :)
People we said hello to in 2012:
--Bonnie's new best friend at work, Margaret
--Great coaches I worked with in various sports like Matt Crowder, now AD at Patrick Henry, John Earley, Jackie Davis, Brian LeTourneau, Phillip Cobb, Leslie Nuckols, Curtis Carpenter, Sharon Gaston, Zac Hayden, and Eddie Gates, ONLY to name a few.....:)
--Janice Murias at the Herald-Progress, just as sweet as they come...
--Our new editor, Lee Francis!
People we said hello again to in 2012:
--High school friends I ran into again in my newspaper travels like Melissa, Kara, Claudia, Lyn, Julie, Charlotte, and Logan....for starters...
What I'd Like To Forget About 2012:
--The Presidential Election and its 5,210,443 commercials in this, a swing state...
--Bonnie's November blood pressure scare...
--Nausea
--Medical Insurance and Co-Pay hassles
--The Kardashians
--Anything "Gangham Style"
--"We Are Young"....
People We Said Goodbye to in 2012:
--Randy Barnhill
--Elsie Rusnak
--Donnie Sipos (just yesterday...)
--Barbara Nicely
--Jack Moynihan (my first postmaster at the Beaverdam Post Office)...
--Dick Clark (boy, tonight's so different without him...)
--Neil Armstrong
--General Norman Schwarzkopf
--Donna Summer
--Jack Klugman
--Earl Scruggs
--Andy Williams
--Ernest Borgnine (I need to watch The Poseidon Adventure again...)
--Joe Paterno
--Whitney Houston
--Etta James
--Andy Griffith
--George "Goober" Lindsey
--Junior Seau
--Mike Wallace (of "60 Minutes")
--Larry Hagman (Major Nelson to me moreso than J.R.....)
--Deborah Raffin
--George McGovern
--Robert Hegyes ("Epstein" of Welcome Back, Kotter fame...)
--Davy Jones
--Gary Carter
--Freddie Solomon
--Chuck Colson
--Don Cornelius
--Maurice Sendak
--Kathryn Joosten (just weeks after her character on "Desperate Housewives" died...)
--Bob Welch
--Richard Dawson
--Ray Bradbury
--Frank Cady ("Mr. Drucker")....
--Phyllis Diller
--Ron Palillo ("Horshack" of Welcome Back, Kotter fame...)
--Steve Sabol
--Zig Ziglar
--Dave Brubeck
--Charles Durning
Songs of 2012 (not necessarily favorites, but what's scorched in my brain, thanks to Rachel):
--Maroon 5
--Maroon 5
--So Good, B.O.B. (was on Atlee softball's warm-up CD, heard it...A LOT) :)
--50 Ways To Say Goodbye--Train
--We Are Never, Ever....you know the rest....--Taylor Swift
And for 2013?
--Our 25th wedding anniversary is up first...
--Robbie turns 21...
--Rachel hits Sweet 16 and....gasp....drives!
--And I just hope to live to see another year of ups and downs....with significantly less nausea and exhaustion. :)
HAPPY NEW YEAR! :)
Tuesday, September 04, 2012
Rob's 2012 NFL Season Predictions
So, here we go again........:)
NFC EAST: 1) Giants, 2) Cowboys, 3) Eagles, 4) Redskins
NFC NORTH: 1) Packers, 2) Lions, 3) Bears, 4) Vikings
NFC SOUTH: 1) Panthers, 2) Saints, 3) Falcons, 4) Buccaneers
NFC WEST: 1) 49ers, 2) Seahawks, 3) Cardinals, 4) Rams
SEEDS: #1--Packers
#2--49ers
#3--Panthers
#4--Giants
#5--Saints
#6--Lions
NFC CHAMPIONSHIP: Packers over 49ers
-----------------
AFC EAST: 1) Patriots, 2) Bills, 3) Jets, 4) Dolphins
AFC NORTH: 1) Ravens, 2) Bengals, 3) Steelers, 4) Browns
AFC SOUTH: 1) Texans, 2) Colts, 3) Titans, 4) Jaguars
AFC WEST: 1) Broncos, 2) Chiefs, 3) Chargers, 4) Raiders
SEEDS: #1--Texans
#2--Patriots
#3--Ravens
#4--Broncos
#5--Bengals
#6--Chiefs
AFC CHAMPIONSHIP: Ravens over Texans
SUPER BOWL XLVII: Packers 23, Ravens 20
MVP: Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers
ROOKIE OF YEAR: Andrew Luck, Colts
COACH OF YEAR: Ron Rivera, Carolina
BIG SURPRISES: Buffalo Bills, Indianapolis Colts
BIG BUSTS: Philadelphia Eagles, San Diego Chargers, Atlanta Falcons, Pittsburgh Steelers
2013 NFL DRAFT ORDER:
1) Cleveland Browns
2) St. Louis Rams
3) Arizona Cardinals
4) Oakland Raiders
5) Miami Dolphins......
NFC EAST: 1) Giants, 2) Cowboys, 3) Eagles, 4) Redskins
NFC NORTH: 1) Packers, 2) Lions, 3) Bears, 4) Vikings
NFC SOUTH: 1) Panthers, 2) Saints, 3) Falcons, 4) Buccaneers
NFC WEST: 1) 49ers, 2) Seahawks, 3) Cardinals, 4) Rams
SEEDS: #1--Packers
#2--49ers
#3--Panthers
#4--Giants
#5--Saints
#6--Lions
NFC CHAMPIONSHIP: Packers over 49ers
-----------------
AFC EAST: 1) Patriots, 2) Bills, 3) Jets, 4) Dolphins
AFC NORTH: 1) Ravens, 2) Bengals, 3) Steelers, 4) Browns
AFC SOUTH: 1) Texans, 2) Colts, 3) Titans, 4) Jaguars
AFC WEST: 1) Broncos, 2) Chiefs, 3) Chargers, 4) Raiders
SEEDS: #1--Texans
#2--Patriots
#3--Ravens
#4--Broncos
#5--Bengals
#6--Chiefs
AFC CHAMPIONSHIP: Ravens over Texans
SUPER BOWL XLVII: Packers 23, Ravens 20
MVP: Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers
ROOKIE OF YEAR: Andrew Luck, Colts
COACH OF YEAR: Ron Rivera, Carolina
BIG SURPRISES: Buffalo Bills, Indianapolis Colts
BIG BUSTS: Philadelphia Eagles, San Diego Chargers, Atlanta Falcons, Pittsburgh Steelers
2013 NFL DRAFT ORDER:
1) Cleveland Browns
2) St. Louis Rams
3) Arizona Cardinals
4) Oakland Raiders
5) Miami Dolphins......
Friday, March 16, 2012
Monday, June 27, 2011
Monday, June 20, 2011
Grocery Wars: Which store is winning the battle in Richmond?
Well, apparently adding beer and opening seven days a week doesn't quite win over the Richmond shopper. Actually, it only made Martin's "just like everyone else".....
Food Lion took over the market share lead in Richmond from Ukrops back in 2009, mostly because they have double the amount of stores in the area. This brick and mortar advantage kept Food Lion ahead in 2010 as well.
A few thoughts....
1) This market is up for grabs. Even with the remodeling of many of their stores, Food Lion is nothing special. There's no personality, and no driving force product-wise that makes me think, "I want to go to Food Lion". I think about going to Martin's because of the salad bar, or the Ukrops fried chicken. I love Kroger's macaroni salad. Food Lion? Eh.........
2) Martin's, as I mentioned on this blog a year ago when Martin's came to town, is Giant with another name. And Giant died in Richmond once before.....they may have some "Ukrops" products, but they have the charm of.....well, Food Lion.
3) Kroger is expensive as crap.
4) Walmart has cheaper prices. But I hate Walmart. I go when I HAVE to. Keyword: HAVE.
5) It's funny watching these other guys fighting for the 3 to 6 percent market share (CVS, Walgreens, Target, etc....). For all the talk about organic foods, Whole Foods and Trader Joe's barely make up two percent of market share. Yes, I know they have hardly any locations, but the way I hear people talk, you'd think there were lines out the door of those places constantly....
6) Farm Fresh needs to pack it in.
Click on the title link, see the numbers broken down, and tell me what you think, where you shop, and has it changed in this "Post-Ukrops" Richmond....
Food Lion took over the market share lead in Richmond from Ukrops back in 2009, mostly because they have double the amount of stores in the area. This brick and mortar advantage kept Food Lion ahead in 2010 as well.
A few thoughts....
1) This market is up for grabs. Even with the remodeling of many of their stores, Food Lion is nothing special. There's no personality, and no driving force product-wise that makes me think, "I want to go to Food Lion". I think about going to Martin's because of the salad bar, or the Ukrops fried chicken. I love Kroger's macaroni salad. Food Lion? Eh.........
2) Martin's, as I mentioned on this blog a year ago when Martin's came to town, is Giant with another name. And Giant died in Richmond once before.....they may have some "Ukrops" products, but they have the charm of.....well, Food Lion.
3) Kroger is expensive as crap.
4) Walmart has cheaper prices. But I hate Walmart. I go when I HAVE to. Keyword: HAVE.
5) It's funny watching these other guys fighting for the 3 to 6 percent market share (CVS, Walgreens, Target, etc....). For all the talk about organic foods, Whole Foods and Trader Joe's barely make up two percent of market share. Yes, I know they have hardly any locations, but the way I hear people talk, you'd think there were lines out the door of those places constantly....
6) Farm Fresh needs to pack it in.
Click on the title link, see the numbers broken down, and tell me what you think, where you shop, and has it changed in this "Post-Ukrops" Richmond....
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
How Obama Got Elected... Interviews With Obama Voters
Here is the biggest stumbling block to making Barack Obama a one-term President.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Barney Frank knocked on his Fannie
You MUST read paragraph #2 of this article (click on the title link). Frank argues his point, and by doing so, proves the point of many of his critics, including myself. BOTH political parties see Washington through this nasty prism and it is a major reason why we are in the $14 trillion debt mess we find ourselves in.
The new "in" word in Washington needs to be "recuse".
The new "in" word in Washington needs to be "recuse".
KATV Little Rock Pre-empts Oprah Finale With Storm Coverage
Awwww.....too bad Oprah fans. Some Little Rock viewers are incensed when they can't watch the finale of their favorite TV show. Click on the title link for some of their choice comments to local station KATV.
A gentle reminder--TV and radio stations are licensed by the FCC. When those licenses are up for review and renewal, a major component is whether the owner of said station "acted in the public interest".
It is much, much more "in the public interest" to warn thousands of people of life-threatening weather than it is to run a talk show. The primary purpose of TV and radio locally is to INFORM. Secondary is entertainment.
People who whine that their show is preempted when tornadoes are all around them are, in my opinion, a bag of fries short of a Value Meal, if you know what I mean.
Somehow I don't think alot of people in Joplin, Missouri cared about whether the Oprah finale aired in their market yesterday. They were busy with this.
A gentle reminder--TV and radio stations are licensed by the FCC. When those licenses are up for review and renewal, a major component is whether the owner of said station "acted in the public interest".
It is much, much more "in the public interest" to warn thousands of people of life-threatening weather than it is to run a talk show. The primary purpose of TV and radio locally is to INFORM. Secondary is entertainment.
People who whine that their show is preempted when tornadoes are all around them are, in my opinion, a bag of fries short of a Value Meal, if you know what I mean.
Somehow I don't think alot of people in Joplin, Missouri cared about whether the Oprah finale aired in their market yesterday. They were busy with this.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Stifling dissent on a bumper sticker, Back to the Future of 1967, and Vince McMahon blew it big time.....
So, if you don't like political or controversial talk, you might want to skip over this entry......
1) Media Matters Goes After Fox News----Again.....
Usually the people who scream for tolerance are the most intolerant. Such is the case with Media Matters and their friends on the uberleft, who now offer the masses bumper stickers that say "Turn Off Fox: Bad News For America". I've seen two of them on the road in recent days and it reminded me of the following.....
I watch ALL cable news channels. I still believe CNN beats the tar out of Fox News when breaking international news takes place (and Fox was AWFUL last night when the Joplin tragedy came to light. CNN was all over it, while Fox dedicated its time to the Casey Anthony case). But the bottom line is, anyone who takes the actual time to watch the channels have to admit (as a new Suffolk University survey shows) that Fox is, indeed, the most trusted and fairest news organization on television.
It's simple. If I disagree with a Keith Olbermann or Rachel Maddow or whoever on the left, I can offer my opinions and rebuttals. But one thing I've never done, and never will do, is call for their removal from the public square.
The fact that Media Matters wants people to "Turn Off Fox", all the while pressuring advertisers to leave them as well, proves that they can't handle dissent. They can't handle when people disagree with them. You see, Media Matters knows what's best for you. Don't you understand that? Just give them your life and your brain and everything will be just fine.........
Be weary of ANYONE who wants opinion stifled, and speech eliminated. There's always a reason, and it's never a good one.
----------------------------
2) Obama says "Welcome Back to 1967".........
I shake my head listening to all the Obama zombies in the media yelling and screaming about how "all the President did last week by invoking the 1967 borders is to publicly use a starting point for negotiations that have been in talks privately for YEARS!!"
Apparently, pointing out that a new idea is not "new" makes it right. Good. Acceptable. Great for all parties. I mean, my Lord, we are talking the Democratic Messiah, right, so he has to have the solution!
Jimmy Carter got Anwar Sadat and Menacham Begin together at Camp David in 1978 for about 12 days, and, in the end, we got the Israeli-Egyptian Peace Treaty. The Camp David Accord. What did it produce? Sadat's assassination three years later, and 33 years of, at best, a cold peace, all the while Israel having to fend off the other Palestinian haters around them.
The same ones who want to play Pac-Man and eat up more real estate to place their mortal enemy in a position to be eliminated.....
....which is what Hamas wants anyway. Just read their charter sometime.....
Prime Minister Netanyahu schooled Barack Obama in the White House last week. I loved every minute of it. The realist, the man on the ground in the Middle East who knows the realities, knows the threats to his people, took the Harvard professor to school in Middle East Reality 101.
Just because George W. Bush privately discussed a proposal doesn't mean it's good.
President Obama squarely placed his ball in the court of the Arabs. No surprise there. Apparently over the 20 years he spent not listening at Rev. Jeremiah Wright's church, an issue not brought to his attention was the history of Israel and how God will protect His people, no matter what.
And taking America away from Israel can only mean bad things for America.
-----------------------------------------------------
Now, from a totally different universe.
Vince McMahon, you should be ashamed of yourself.
Please, spare us the "too little, too late" idea of posthumously inducting the late Macho Man Randy Savage in 2012. It would just be that.
What a horrible injustice, a horrible shame.
The meteroric rise of the then "WWF" was built on the shoulders of three wrestlers in the 1980s: Hulk Hogan (the hero), Andre The Giant (the villain), and Randy Savage, the one who could be counted on to pick up the big ball and run with it.
Thus was the case in 1988 when, smartly, McMahon realized Hogan couldn't be champion forever, and created circumstances whereby Wrestlemania IV was headlined by a tournament for the WWF Championship. And Savage, without having to face Hogan, got to wear the strap.
And he did it well. Then, when the inevitable turn to heel in early 1989 occurred to place him and Hogan in the main event at Wrestlemania V, Savage did a tremendous job, realistically portraying the heel character in a way today's wrestlers can only dream of.
And I haven't even discussed his Wrestlemania III match against Ricky Steamboat, widely acknowledged as one of the greatest matches, if not the greatest, technical match, in wrestling history.
McMahon diminished Savage's role in the company as the 1990s progressed to the point where he wanted out. McMahon gave it to him, and kudos to him for that. He must have thought Savage's tank was dry. He was wrong.
He gave another five years of compelling performances in WCW, and his 1997/1998 feud with Diamond Dallas Page was one of the best in the later years of that company. Remember, Page was a retread manager/midcard wrestler at best over the years, and Savage was the one whose feud with Page gave DDP "the rub", launching him into a main event status.
For whatever reason, McMahon and Savage haven't exchanged Christmas cards in recent years. I have no clue why. But before a 46 year-old Shawn Michaels was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, there should have been a Macho Induction. He should've been in the Class of 2010, or 2009, or 2008......I could go on.
Now, in light of the tragic end to his life Friday in Florida, if McMahon decides to induct him, it will be so hollow, and, as stated earlier, too little, too late.
My Dad used to praise parishoners from the pulpit when they did things never wanting to be noticed or praised, saying, "We should give bouquets to the living so they can enjoy them, rather than to the deceased."
He's so right.
I'm sorry that Savage's widow will now have to stand in for him whenever McMahon finally does the right thing. Macho deserved that last moment in the sun, the cheers from the crowd and from peers and the next generation of wrestlers, the ones who grew up watching him.
Vince McMahon's ego gets in the way of alot of good decisions. This is definitely one of them.
While I'm at it, may I go on record as saying McMahon missed a chance at genius this spring. With Wrestlemania in Atlanta, it was the perfect opportunity to induct someone extremely worthy into the WWE Hall Of Fame......
Ted Turner.
Yes. Ted Turner. The guy who tried to put Vince out of business with that "WCW rasslin'!"
Long before McMahon was top dog, Turner showcased wrestling, using it to build his cable empire, and giving the industry/sport exposure it had not enjoyed since Dumont Television in the 1950s (Gorgeous George, anyone?).
His decision to battle head-to-head with McMahon in the 1990s created the super-era of professional wrestling in the late 1990s, which set the stage for the current landscape (with its ups and downs.....). If anything, he should thank Turner for pushing him into having to "become a billionaire himself" in order to fight off the challenges of "Billionaire Ted" back in the day.....
Vince should have named him to the WWE Hall of Fame AND should have inducted him.
Big men do that sort of thing.
1) Media Matters Goes After Fox News----Again.....
Usually the people who scream for tolerance are the most intolerant. Such is the case with Media Matters and their friends on the uberleft, who now offer the masses bumper stickers that say "Turn Off Fox: Bad News For America". I've seen two of them on the road in recent days and it reminded me of the following.....
I watch ALL cable news channels. I still believe CNN beats the tar out of Fox News when breaking international news takes place (and Fox was AWFUL last night when the Joplin tragedy came to light. CNN was all over it, while Fox dedicated its time to the Casey Anthony case). But the bottom line is, anyone who takes the actual time to watch the channels have to admit (as a new Suffolk University survey shows) that Fox is, indeed, the most trusted and fairest news organization on television.
It's simple. If I disagree with a Keith Olbermann or Rachel Maddow or whoever on the left, I can offer my opinions and rebuttals. But one thing I've never done, and never will do, is call for their removal from the public square.
The fact that Media Matters wants people to "Turn Off Fox", all the while pressuring advertisers to leave them as well, proves that they can't handle dissent. They can't handle when people disagree with them. You see, Media Matters knows what's best for you. Don't you understand that? Just give them your life and your brain and everything will be just fine.........
Be weary of ANYONE who wants opinion stifled, and speech eliminated. There's always a reason, and it's never a good one.
----------------------------
2) Obama says "Welcome Back to 1967".........
I shake my head listening to all the Obama zombies in the media yelling and screaming about how "all the President did last week by invoking the 1967 borders is to publicly use a starting point for negotiations that have been in talks privately for YEARS!!"
Apparently, pointing out that a new idea is not "new" makes it right. Good. Acceptable. Great for all parties. I mean, my Lord, we are talking the Democratic Messiah, right, so he has to have the solution!
Jimmy Carter got Anwar Sadat and Menacham Begin together at Camp David in 1978 for about 12 days, and, in the end, we got the Israeli-Egyptian Peace Treaty. The Camp David Accord. What did it produce? Sadat's assassination three years later, and 33 years of, at best, a cold peace, all the while Israel having to fend off the other Palestinian haters around them.
The same ones who want to play Pac-Man and eat up more real estate to place their mortal enemy in a position to be eliminated.....
....which is what Hamas wants anyway. Just read their charter sometime.....
Prime Minister Netanyahu schooled Barack Obama in the White House last week. I loved every minute of it. The realist, the man on the ground in the Middle East who knows the realities, knows the threats to his people, took the Harvard professor to school in Middle East Reality 101.
Just because George W. Bush privately discussed a proposal doesn't mean it's good.
President Obama squarely placed his ball in the court of the Arabs. No surprise there. Apparently over the 20 years he spent not listening at Rev. Jeremiah Wright's church, an issue not brought to his attention was the history of Israel and how God will protect His people, no matter what.
And taking America away from Israel can only mean bad things for America.
-----------------------------------------------------
Now, from a totally different universe.
Vince McMahon, you should be ashamed of yourself.
Please, spare us the "too little, too late" idea of posthumously inducting the late Macho Man Randy Savage in 2012. It would just be that.
What a horrible injustice, a horrible shame.
The meteroric rise of the then "WWF" was built on the shoulders of three wrestlers in the 1980s: Hulk Hogan (the hero), Andre The Giant (the villain), and Randy Savage, the one who could be counted on to pick up the big ball and run with it.
Thus was the case in 1988 when, smartly, McMahon realized Hogan couldn't be champion forever, and created circumstances whereby Wrestlemania IV was headlined by a tournament for the WWF Championship. And Savage, without having to face Hogan, got to wear the strap.
And he did it well. Then, when the inevitable turn to heel in early 1989 occurred to place him and Hogan in the main event at Wrestlemania V, Savage did a tremendous job, realistically portraying the heel character in a way today's wrestlers can only dream of.
And I haven't even discussed his Wrestlemania III match against Ricky Steamboat, widely acknowledged as one of the greatest matches, if not the greatest, technical match, in wrestling history.
McMahon diminished Savage's role in the company as the 1990s progressed to the point where he wanted out. McMahon gave it to him, and kudos to him for that. He must have thought Savage's tank was dry. He was wrong.
He gave another five years of compelling performances in WCW, and his 1997/1998 feud with Diamond Dallas Page was one of the best in the later years of that company. Remember, Page was a retread manager/midcard wrestler at best over the years, and Savage was the one whose feud with Page gave DDP "the rub", launching him into a main event status.
For whatever reason, McMahon and Savage haven't exchanged Christmas cards in recent years. I have no clue why. But before a 46 year-old Shawn Michaels was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, there should have been a Macho Induction. He should've been in the Class of 2010, or 2009, or 2008......I could go on.
Now, in light of the tragic end to his life Friday in Florida, if McMahon decides to induct him, it will be so hollow, and, as stated earlier, too little, too late.
My Dad used to praise parishoners from the pulpit when they did things never wanting to be noticed or praised, saying, "We should give bouquets to the living so they can enjoy them, rather than to the deceased."
He's so right.
I'm sorry that Savage's widow will now have to stand in for him whenever McMahon finally does the right thing. Macho deserved that last moment in the sun, the cheers from the crowd and from peers and the next generation of wrestlers, the ones who grew up watching him.
Vince McMahon's ego gets in the way of alot of good decisions. This is definitely one of them.
While I'm at it, may I go on record as saying McMahon missed a chance at genius this spring. With Wrestlemania in Atlanta, it was the perfect opportunity to induct someone extremely worthy into the WWE Hall Of Fame......
Ted Turner.
Yes. Ted Turner. The guy who tried to put Vince out of business with that "WCW rasslin'!"
Long before McMahon was top dog, Turner showcased wrestling, using it to build his cable empire, and giving the industry/sport exposure it had not enjoyed since Dumont Television in the 1950s (Gorgeous George, anyone?).
His decision to battle head-to-head with McMahon in the 1990s created the super-era of professional wrestling in the late 1990s, which set the stage for the current landscape (with its ups and downs.....). If anything, he should thank Turner for pushing him into having to "become a billionaire himself" in order to fight off the challenges of "Billionaire Ted" back in the day.....
Vince should have named him to the WWE Hall of Fame AND should have inducted him.
Big men do that sort of thing.
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