I learned some things in NYC

Things I learned in NYC

• My blogging friend Tracy is awesome. We had a nice dinner on Friday night (we were joined by my dad and her husband, Eddie) at The Redeye Grill. I’m looking forward to blogging with her again this fall at The Columbus Dispatch.
• Even though I have been there 3 times prior to this trip Times Square continues to amaze me. Seriously, that many people? We stayed in Times Square at The Hotel Mela. Nice, contemporary joint.
• Little Italy on a Saturday is pretty much the awesome.
• It is a shame they’re tearing down Yankee Stadium. When I learned that they would be making the area into public parkland I was a little less ashamed that America was losing one of it’s historical markers. I wasn’t ashamed at all when I learned that the new Yankee Stadium was (or is being built) on public parkland. Tracy compared it to the Bronx’s Central Park.
• The Reds can actually play some ball when they like to. A couple of great defensive plays by Edwin Encarnacion and Paul Janish probably saved the game for the Reds (it kept it 0-0). The Reds broke it open in the 7th and Corey Patterson hit a home run right at us (after I screamed at Dusty Baker for leaving him in!).
• Greg Oden is much bigger in real life. Yeah, I met him. Shook his hand. No picture though. I’m not kidding, his hand literally swallowed mine! Awesome.

So that’s it. Many great stories and we met some interesting folk just walking around. Sorry another great trip with Dad had to end so early (6 AM flights suck by the way) but it’s nice to be at home with my girls!

Posted in Life, Ohio State | 1 Comment »

Can I make a recommendation?

Here is my recommendation and I hope fans of all schools will use it. Stop using the whole number of arrests by a football program as some sort of knock on your rivals program.  For example to the buffoon Michigan fan who on the freep.com insinuated that as soon as Jim Tressel starts graduating as many players as he has arrested he can be taken seriously. Off the top of my head in just the last season alone 3 schools in the Big Ten have had more players arrested than Ohio State has in the last several. In 2007 Ohio State had one player arrested, Antonio Henton for solicitation.  Those other three schools?

1. Penn State - who had six players arrested regarding THE SAME INCIDENT!!
2. Michigan State- who had three players arrested regarding THE SAME INCIDENT!!
3. Michigan - who had two players arrested for assualt as well as a handful of other arrests.

Seriously, everyone stop with that crack back. It just doesn’t apply anymore.  There are a plethora of schools facing legal issues in and out of the Big Ten. These are kids (supposed amateurs) playing a sport we love to follow. Can we not all harken back to when we were 17-23 years old and recall some of the shenanigans we got ourselves into?

Posted in Life, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn St | 2 Comments »

Some things in life are far more important ..

My heart is aching for the family and friends of a young man who passed away this past Saturday, February 16th. I had met this fella before through another musician friend of mine, Steve, and while I didn’t know Shawn very well his passing has really touched me.

I went to Shawn’s myspace page today … just to remember him. I had never read anything much on there and quite frankly cannot tell you the last time I ever visited the sight, other than maybe when he was promoting an upcoming show. However, I felt compelled to visit one more time. I came across a blog he wrote this past Fall; it was a story I had no idea of. I want to share the entire story but some part of me feels that would be disrespectful to Shawn’s family. There are, however, some aspects I think we should all find ourselves thinking about … regardless of age or where we find ourselves in life.

Prayer lines literally around the world were praying for me they administer the drugs.  Monday morning the doctors say “there obviously must be god”  It worked the bleeding stopped.  I was alive!!!  I get another chance to get it right this time around. Later monday they move me to a private room …  I was greeted by my wife and we hold ea other hysterical at the reality of the moment.   I get a nice shower then we get a wheelchair we go outside on one of the last nice warm days the sun never looked so bright….the fresh cut grass never smelled so sweet, the wind washed over me and i soaked it all in like i was experiencing it all for the first time and how wonderful it felt.  I then text my friends to let them know that all of their thoughts and prayers worked and that it apparently wasnt my time….they all saved my life.

It is so overwhelmingly easy to get wrapped up in the lastest Terrelle Pryor news, steroid scandal, poking fun at the fans of your rivals, or what the Tigers are going to do for middle relief, that we forget about the important things in life. Shawn was 35 years of age; far too young to be leaving behind a wife, his parents, his remaining family and countless friends.

It is far too easy, especially being young, to assume that those we find so important to us will always be there. My dad said something to me some years ago when I was complaining about not having enough time, he said, “we all have 24 hours in a day.” I took that to mean if it’s important to you then you will make the time.

I find beauty in Shawn’s words about the wind, the way the grass smelled, the sunlight; simple things I take for granted every single day. Simple things like the hug I get from my baby when I get home from work, the missing tooth smile from my six-year old, or the love of my wife. I don’t take those things for granted whatsoever but I assume they’re going to be there.

Something happened to me after reading Shawn’s words a few moments ago. Something powerful enough for me to blog these thoughts almost immediately. I hope some of these same feelings will come over you as well. I didn’t know him very well but his words have made a lasting impression on me. I know when I get home tonight I am going to cherish that hug from my little one, eat up that toothless grin, and remind my wife why I married her in the first place. Tomorrow might be my day, we never know, but today and right now can belong to all of us.

Posted in Life | 2 Comments »