The Gym Rat

Photo: Focus On Sport/Getty Images

For two nights, I've been sitting on some news, and I was finally able to tell what was going on earlier today on social media.

Let's go back to 1984. My love of basketball was not full yet.

I was a massive baseball fan, and had been since...forever isn't wrong to say.

I was football nuts also.

I'd become a bit of a hockey fan, first through the Rangers and then the Islanders of the late 70s and early 80s.

Basketball was coming along, via the Knicks and college basketball.

Then along came Chris Mullin.

Though he was 6'7", he never seemed big on the court, but the guy could shoot. He had this mop of hair. The short shorts. That uniform number 20.

He was all of us. He had a key to the gym to practice shooting. He was the kid from Brooklyn, playing at St. John's.

And in 1984-1985, he, coach Lou Carnesecca, and the St. John's Redmen (later renamed the Red Storm) were arguably the biggest thing in New York City, battling Georgetown in Madison Square Garden and eventually advancing to the Final Four before big bad Patrick Ewing and Hoya Destroya ousted the Johnnies.

These were the days of Mattingly and Winfield and Rickey, but no titles. Doc and Darryl were wowing in Queens, but they weren't ready yet. The Giants of Simms and LT were close also. The Knicks were an afterthought and the Rangers weren't particularly great.

But the City buzzed over St. John's.

I was hooked, and Mullin became my favorite basketball player, though Ewing would become a favorite Knick. I even began practicing hoops play-by-play as I watched the Johnnies.

I bring this up because tomorrow at Noon, I will become a broadcaster for St. John's University.

Now, don't get me wrong. I preach professionalism, and I'm going there this weekend to call softball (Saturday at Noon) and baseball (doubleheader beginning Sunday at Noon). I won't root. I can't root. Those days of Mullin, Bill Wennington, Malik Sealy, Walter Berry, Mark Jackson, and Ron Artest are long over.

But it's really cool to say I'll be there. It's literally a one weekend thing, so I'll give it my best and hope it leads to more.

Softball can here heard here, while baseball can be heard here

In that same way, I'll add another Division I school (and move from the Big East to the Ivy League) for softball at Yale next week. I'll follow up with links in a later post.

Both are fill-in gigs, yet what was I saying about promise? About hope?

Thanks to a touch of my being in the right place at the right time, and a recommendation from my friend Phil Giubileo, I'm getting a great chance.

Oh, and if you would, please listen, watch, tweet, retweet, talk about it on social media, and tell the world just how GREAT it sounds/looks! The kind words could go a long way.

Of course, only do that if you think I'm good. If not, then never mind.

So if you'll excuse me, I have more prep to do.