I Am a Civilized Man (Mostly)
One year ago, I put on my first pair of no-line bifocals.
Forty-five years ago, I was born during Kennedy’s “Camelot.”
Like King Arthur, I must remind you that I am a civilized man.
With occasional lapses.
Category: College Basketball
The Battle of the Bisons(es)
Two schools, one a Division I, one a Division II. Each with a Church of Christ affiliation. Both with founding fathers sporting beards (one of whom looked like one of the guitarists from Z.Z. Top). A shared nickname (what’s the deal with old guys with long beards and their affinity for large, bovine prairie animals?).
It’s the Battle of the Bisons(es). It’s going down.
Or, I should say, it went down last night at Allen Arena on the campus of Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee. Our family made a mad dash north on I-65 last night to witness the first meeting between the Lipscomb and Harding basketball teams since 1976.… Read the rest
On Any Given Day
Last Saturday morning, our family awoke at the crack of dawn and headed down to Game Day in T-town. It was only a 2 ½ hour drive from Huntsville to Tuscaloosa, but for all practical purposes it might as well have been 40 years.
I say that because that’s what it felt like–1966. After the obligatory pregame meal at Dreamland BBQ, we arrived on the beautiful, oak-lined, University of Alabama Quad, bordered by Denny Chimes to the south and Gorgas Library to the north. The stereotypical Southern fixation with the past was never more perfectly illustrated than by the Crimson-clad legions bivouacking on the expansive green, reveling in the memories of past teams and glory years gone by.… Read the rest
Do You Want to Hear Something Really Scary?
Things I love about this time of year:
- Cooler, crisp weather and the extra spring in my step during my morning run.
- The pageantry and thrill of college football (Roll Tide!)
- Midnight Madness, and the beginning of college basketball season (Go Duke!)
- The MLB playoffs and World Series (Go Cards! Please?)
- Watching (and coaching) my sons play soccer
- Having a fine dinner with Eyegal and driving home with the top back and the windows down
- Catching a glimpse of God in the bushes and trees which are just starting to burn with the fiery colors of fall
- Pumpkins. And the sweet aroma of decay emanating from piles of fallen leaves
Things I hate about this time of year:
- The appearance of these
- Fellow believers who dishonor the good name of Christ (watch out for flying exclamation points!!!)
A Tale of Two Hats
The weekend has concluded, the Tide hung in there for a while but didn’t escape from “The Swamp” and “Wide Right Jesus” is still signaling “no good.”
But unless the world screeches to a halt and stops spinning on its axis, the Crimson Nation should be be smiling next week at this time after dismantling one of the nation’s most feeble college football teams, the Duke Blue Devils. I suspect the boys from Durham are making a handsome sum for showing up in Tuscaloosa for their thrashing. Duke lost their Homecoming game 37-0 to UVa on Saturday, so look for Saturday’s game to get butt ugly very quickly.… Read the rest
Beyond the Bling
In one of the quieter sports stories of the summer, the U.S. Mens basketball team has been marching steadily forward in the FIBA World Championships in Sapporo, Japan. There was a time when U.S. teams took World Championship and Olympic gold medals for granted. But in recent years, a new generation of international basketball players has humbled American hoopsters, resulting in an embarrassing 6th place finish in the last World Championships and a disappointing bronze in the 2004 Olympics in Athens.
So what’s different this time around? Two words: Coach K. Duke Head Coach and master motivator Mike Krzyzewski took over the reigns of the National Team last year and immediately went to what USA Today appropriately called Plan B–a true team.… Read the rest
It Was a Shell of a Game
It pains me to write it (and probably for you to read it), but the Maryland Terrapins 78-75 overtime defeat of the Duke Blue Devils in the women’s NCAA basketball final was–a “shell of a game.”
Down by 13 points in the second half, the Lady Terrapins fought their way back and tied the game with six seconds left in regulation on freshman Kristi Toliver’s tough-as-nails three pointer over the out-stretched finger tips of 6’7″ Duke center Alison Bales. They then went on to hit several crucial free throws in the overtime session to give Coach Brenda Frese her first national title as a Terrapin.… Read the rest
That’s Why They Call It a Team Sport
The Florida Gators are the 2006 NCAA mens college basketball champions after a convincing 73-57 thrashing of the UCLA Bruins. With four starters in double figures and another reserve with nine points, the Gators feasted on a little bear and demonstrated definitively that it takes a full team to run the gauntlet to an NCAA title, not one or two consensus All Americans. Congrats to Donovan and crew (I guess). I know I should be more excited about an SEC team taking home the title, but we’re talking Florida here folks. I just can’t seem to get the bad taste of Steve Spurrier out of my mouth even after all these years.… Read the rest
Monday Morning Musins’
The weekend has come and gone, and things are, well, different, than they were just a few days ago. For one thing, we are back on daylight savings time and although I awoke at my usual “rise and shine” 5:30AM the clock says it is actually 6:30AM, and therefore I don’t have my usual amount of time to write and post. So, in the interest of time and our short 21st century attention spans, I’ll go about this in bulleted fashion. If you sat through an Hour of PowerPoint at church yesterday, please accept my apologies beforehand.
- Nancy Grace has given up on her Church of Christ cult hunt (not enough “traction” apparently) and has turned her keen journalistic eye and prosecutorial Death Ray from the Winkler case to the Duke Lacrosse Team
Hey Nike, I Told You Average Joes Are Cool!
A while back in my post Hey Nike, I’m Your Man!, I made the case that large megacorporations such as the Winged Goddess of Victory should take a look at “Average Joes” (such as yours truly) instead of professional athletes when it comes to endorsements and ad campaigns. What better way to connect with the Common Man or Woman than to feature one of their own, struggling to balance their mundane, workaday duties with the ongoing obligation to fitness and athletic achievement?
Well, Nike still hasn’t called me to endorse the Air Max 360, but apparently somebody’s been reading my blog!… Read the rest
That’s Mason. M-A-S-O-N
When that “Other George” sliced through Michigan State and North Carolina–two members of last year’s Final Four–in the first two rounds of the NCAA Men’s basketball tournament, my first thought was: Oh, isn’t that cute. Every March Madness has its Cinderella knocking at the door of the ball, but usually by the time the regional finals are over, she’s lost her slipper and gone quietly into that good night.
Someone forgot to share that script with the “Other George”–that’s Mason, M-A-S-O-N. … Read the rest
I Hate Basketball
I hate basketball. In fact, I hate basketball so much that I’ve decided to join forces with these guys.
No, not really. But it’s easy to see how I would feel that way after watching my Dookies bite the dust this week. If that weren’t enough bad news, along comes an email in my box reminding me that the Ocular Fusion Gang basketball bracket standings have been updated. In the interest of full public disclosure, here are the current results:… Read the rest
Feeling a Little Blue Devil Blue
“Let me just say first of all, it was a very physical game…we just never adjusted to their physicality.”–Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski following the Blue Devils loss to LSU
“Certain things are in your control and certain things are out of your control. I’m not a great athlete, and LSU has great athletes.”–J.J. Redick in a postgame interview
Both Coach K and J.J. Redick, stunned following the Blue Devils 62-54 loss to LSU in last night’s Atlanta regional semifinal, are speaking in code. Coach K and J.J. are much too classy to just lay it all out there, but I’m not Coach K or J.J.… Read the rest
That Other George
As Duke dismantled GW in the second round of the NCAA tournament on Saturday, it really didn’t take a rocket scientist (and believe me, in Huntsville those guys and gals are a dime a dozen) to figure out that the initials stood for that “Famous George” who helped found our nation and chopped down the cherry tree (although his descendents still insist he was framed).
However, that “Other George,” was a little more difficult to place. George Mason is one of those guys who you know did something that you’re supposed to remember, but you just can’t for the life of you recall what it was.… Read the rest
Top of the Morning to Ye!
Happy St. Patrick’s Day and top of the morning to all of ye, whether ye bleed green or not. I’ve always wanted to be more Irish than what I am since things Celtic are viewed by many to be quirky, cool and hip. I have a pretty boring Anglo surname that doesn’t evoke too many images of ethnicity. But on this day I’m thankful for the McGuire and Pasley blood which runs through my veins since that lends me license to lay claim to an Irish heritage and, like a wee leprechaun, to enjoy the day’s mischievous festivities along with the O’Connors, O’Sullivans and O’Rourkes.… Read the rest