Give Me the Keys, and I'll Drive You Crazy

I'm going to guess, er, one person will get that the title of this post is a reference to a Huey Lewis song title.

That's all I've got on that.

But yes, I'm coming to you LIVE from sunny, hot, humid, but beautiful Key West, Florida. Lisa and I arrived last night - tired, slightly tweaked, but no worse for wear. I think I'm starting with a cold, but it's nothing I can't beat. Go to Publix, grab some meds, and voila!

This is a different vibe for me than from a lot of places. It's not a true "beach town" but there are a few beaches around here. It's a tourist town, for sure, and a partying town, without a doubt. Yet it's great to be here, and I have no complaints.

I suppose I was a little disappointed in the drive down US 1. Lisa's parents started driving from near Melbourne, FL around 8:00 yesterday morning, and it took them NINE HOURS! By comparison, it took us not quite four, with various slowdowns.

It is quite surprising that it isn't mostly four lanes all the way, for instance. Hell, you get squeezed to one each way for long stretches, including ones where you can't pass. That caught me off guard. Not exactly what I expected.

In Big Pine Key, you MUST slow down to 35, and believe me, they're too happy to pull you over if you don't. I watched it happen (and thought it was going to be me, as I was going - GASP - 39).

But we made it here without incident, and are settling in for the next few days. I'm told I need to chill, and so I will.

It's hard to go wrong, when the view is this.

By the way, I did pass a Waffle House last night without entering. Yes. You ready that correctly.

We've already hit the touristy stop, where we passed on waiting on line for a personal picture.

I already got my 95 "ends" photo, and though I drove past the US 1 "end," I will go back and get pictures when I feel right.

Oh, and there's a Beatles connection here at this hotel! Another post for another time!

OK, off to the pool.

The Long Drive

State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory, http://floridamemory.com/items/show/163903
(Photo by Jim Malas).

I'm getting on an airplane next week and heading to Fort Lauderdale. From there, I'm driving (with Lisa) to Key West.

Ah, Florida. A state I never thought I could live in but as I get older, I find I'm miserable in the winter, so why not just be hot?*

*There are deeper thoughts in regard to this, but for now, that will suffice.

Of course, road dude that I am (even if I haven't been as much of one lately), I will be sure to get a shot of the southern terminus of US 1. I only wish that they still had the colored signs (US 1 was red, as was US 19, but US 301 was yellow, 27 was green, and so on).

The whole thing is gloriously remembered here.

Yet with time being short and all, I'm stepping on an airplane.

I'm not anti-airplane, per se. Yet if given the choice, I would drive. It's just how I'm programmed. I'm not afraid to fly either. I'm largely unfazed, to be quite honest. But...given the choice, I'm behind the wheel.

As we got closer to this trip, I half-heartedly offered to drive from New York to Key West, believing that I could do it in two long days. Of course I knew this wasn't realistic, but it was fun to dream for a moment. In reality, it makes no economic sense and is a poor use of our time.

Conversely, I resent airlines. First, we all know they're overpriced. Tickets are too high to begin with, followed by the utter insult of baggage fees. Of course, if you want to fly out of Stewart or Westchester, yeah, that's going to cost you more. But now factor in the cost to get to and from the airport, or to park your car there.

In...sane.

Now, the schedules. Well, we all know that the airlines can't work around you or I, so that's a lost fight.

Next is security. Of course, they have a job to do, and need to keep us safe, but the airport experience isn't really a whole lot of fun anymore. At least I feel like people are watching at all times, and again, they should be.

As for on the plane itself, well, that's a personal thing. I suffered with an unexpected case of claustrophobia, and was heading for a panic attack, on a red eye flight from Los Angeles to JFK in 2011, and have never forgotten it. I felt a similar case flying to Las Vegas in 2012. Not fun. I haven't had it since then but I'm very cognizant of it, and will be for a long time.

After that, it's just boredom. I want my road. I know, we can't always get what we want. But I like the freedom that the highway affords.

In the end, it's all talk and personal preference. The bottom line is I'm going away.

And I really need to do that. Really.

Field of Dreams

Those who know me well enough might know the story. They know that, in the spring of 1989, it wouldn't have been wise for me to go see "Field of Dreams" at the Jefferson Valley Mall.

They would also be working in hindsight. As I went there with my girlfriend that night, I thought I was going to see a baseball movie with Kevin Costner. It wasn't supposed to be heavy lifting, and goodness knows I needed to be light at that time.

You see, my father had just passed away that March, so a baseball movie was EXACTLY what I needed. However, the movie I should have been seeing was "Major League" or maybe "Bull Durham" (which came out in 1988).

Instead, we got a nice fantasy film, based on a book, that had flaws (Shoeless Joe Jackson batting right-handed), and a nice story. It also had some comedy at times, and lots of old baseball uniforms. And it had Burt Lancaster, who probably overacted a touch, but what was the harm?

It had a lot of things that we baseball fans enjoy.

It also had a father-son back story, and ended with the now-deceased father showing up wearing a model of an early-20th Century Yankees uniform. It isn't an exact Yankees uniform (or Highlanders, if you please), but it is close to the model they wore between 1909 and 1911 (sans pinstripes).

Still, the interlocking NY is there. The pinstripes are thrown in for effect. And father and son have a catch.

I was the last one out of the theater because I was dumbfounded and now shaking.

The movie, in many ways, has not aged well. Critics don't quite love it so much anymore. I still have a framed movie poster that I've since moved. I'll still watch it when it comes on, and I still enjoy it, personally. At the same time, it's a test of will to get through that last scene without reaching for the tissues.

Joe Posnanski decided to revisit the movie and his own connection with it, and wrote about it on NBC Sports Hardball Talk.

By the way, the list of "best" baseball movies from Kyle Smith at the New York Post that Joe displays is laughable. "Fear Strikes Out"? Holy wow that movie is horrible.

That's another post for another time.

Catching Up

Pondering the menu at Strasburg Rail Road

Time, as usual, doesn't allow for lots of stuff. As a result, Exit 55 has suffered. Let's see if I can do some quick hits here (a la Off the Bench).

*****
Sean and I went to Pennsylvania for a weekend again. This time, we visited the Amish Country of Lancaster and the surrounding area. We hopped a first class train on Strasburg Rail Road, which made him feel like a big shot. We had waitress service, rotating cushioned chairs, and plush surroundings being pulled be an engine made in 1906.

We ate the usual stuff that we like: Waffle House. Krispy Kreme. Sandwiches and snacks from Wawa. We dealt with traffic, especially driving to Pennsylvania. We rented a car (a Hyundai Elantra...not bad).

We crashed in a Holiday Inn in Morgantown that was, initially, unacceptable. Our first room smelled so bad that I wondered if we had made an awful mistake. Turns out it was a smoking room (which is mind-boggling to me in this era) but the front office quickly gave us a different room.

It wasn't the Ritz. It wasn't Spring Hill Suites in Scranton, where we stayed in 2013. It wasn't supposed to be. In the end, it was fine.

We'll always have our Philadelphia story to tell, where Sean discovered that, after a fun time in the Franklin Institute, our car was being towed away. Thanks to the help of the Philadelphia police department, a cab ride, and roughly $275, we got the car back unscathed. I worried on several levels: I could tell Sean was afraid that stuff had been stolen (it hadn't). I worried that the rental car was damaged (nope). I worried about the obscene amount of money that Philly jacked me for (legitimate).

At the end of the day, it's a story to tell. I still don't completely believe that we were parked in a tow-away zone, but I wasn't going to be able to convince the cop. So it goes.

Thankfully Sean saw the car being towed. Otherwise, I would have thought it had been stolen.

So now Sean hates Philly (congrats, City of not-so-Brotherly Love). And the Eagles, Sixers, Flyers, and Phillies can lose everything from now on. Never was a big fan of that city.

But again, so it goes.

*****

HAN Radio is steaming along just fine, thanks a bunch. On Saturday, John Kovach, Josh Fisher, and I got to call a high school game at Dodd Stadium in Norwich, Conn. As usual, anytime I'm in a minor league facility I'm happy. So broadcasting Darien's 7-1 victory over Norwich Free Academy was a highlight.

The two teams couldn't have been more accommodating. Beyond that, the Connecticut Tigers - who play their games in Dodd Stadium, were equally accommodating. Plus everyone was happy to see us. It made for a great day.

It also reminded me how much I'd like to do a lot more. I miss calling minor league ball.

*****
I should care about Albert Pujols reaching the 500 home run club. I should be thrilled that there was major league baseball history last night. Yet, for some reason, I'm just not.

I know it's the steroids thing. Of course it is. The 500 home run club, a thing that I could name all of the members of at one time, has become watered down. Even 600 - a club that had just THREE members forever (Aaron, Ruth, and Mays) now has right. Those five new members each joined the 600 club since 2001...and you know what era that is.

I wish I felt more excited about it. I just don't.

*****
I've stayed away from the Mahopac race incident that came out of a basketball game earlier this year. I haven't avoided it, but also didn't feel that I had the time to invest in it to discuss it properly.

I still don't really, but I don't want to ignore it.

I struggle with the notion that Mahopac is being branded as some sort of racist haven, for lack of a better phrase. I grew up there. I live there. My family is still around there. All of that being said, I'm really not involved there. I work in Connecticut. My girlfriend lives far north of there. I wish I could call games at my old high school, or be a little more involved, but the bottom line is that I sleep there.

Yet Mahopac is still home, and a place that I dearly love. It troubles me deeply that these things were said, and those tweets were published. Whether the behavior is racist, anti-Semitic, homophobic, or anything else, it is unacceptable and shouldn't be tolerated.

I'm disappointed that members of the town I live in - from the high school I attended - allowed this black eye to happen.

But don't paint the entire town that way. I found the Journal News editorial especially galling, since I'm not sure they even know Mahopac exists for news until something like this happens. If it didn't occur in White Plains or Yonkers, they don't care about it, until it's sensational. Yet here they were, throwing their two cents in. Brett Freeman, the publisher of Mahopac News, wrote a very pointed response.

It was unacceptable, to be sure, and I wonder if all of the facts are truly known. Regardless, my town got a black eye, and I didn't like it.

Life on Social Media

I like social media. I can't stress that enough. I enjoy going through the daily collection of posts, tweets, and so on. To an extent, it's how I get my news (confirming my sources, of course), and certainly entertains me.

It also allows me to connect with people I've never met, still talk to, and reconnect with others.

I get a kick out of an old friend "liking" a status or a post of some description, and certainly enjoy the dialogue.

But.

As we've all discovered, there's a really bad side. There's also a dark side, and we're not talking about that.

Now, understand that I'm not identifying any one person. As I've become a bit of a student of this, I've discovered all types.

We have bloggers, of course (HI!). We have tweeters (yeah, me also). We have Facebookers (uh huh), Instagram (yessir), Foursquare (sigh) and so on.

I don't do Snapchat, for instance. So there's that.

But you get the point. I like it. I also don't want to be...er..."that guy."

As in, yeah, he's that guy who comments on everything. Always has something to say. Tries to come up with a smug comment, or something snarky. At the same time, he's that guy who is always being hateful, and...

Sigh. It's mind-boggling.

Maybe there are people who do say that about me, and that's fine. Maybe I've been blocked, or people have reduced what they see on my feed. Maybe I post too much about Sean, Bobby Murcer, the Yankees, the Steelers, HAN Radio, Huey Lewis, roads, radio, The Beatles, and so on. Guilty as charged.

In many ways, to be successful in this era, you have to be a part of social media (certainly depending on the industry). Every time I think about walking away or shutting down my Facebook or Twitter accounts (especially Facebook), I realize that, generally speaking, I need it for WGCH and HAN Radio. I promote stuff, so I see the usefulness.

We're not talking big world problems here. Just something I'm thinking about. Because I don't want people sitting around a table talking about my social media behavior. I've seen it happen (not about me, per se).

I find it sad, but I guess it's like anything else. A few apples can spoil it. Such is the balance, and the thought that maybe it's me who needs to back down. Just ignore it.

Or simply deal with it and move on.

Robot Zombie

This is a robot zombie. He has hung on the door leading to the upstairs at home for roughly three years.

You can probably guess it's the work of Sean Adams.

Sean put that on the door as a way of scaring me, but it has done nothing but make me smile every time I have looked it. Though lately, the zombie has been hurting. To hang in such a place means that it can get hit and, ultimately, ripped.

Robot zombie was in pretty bad shape, and it had reached the point where he needed to be addressed. Though I'll eventually look to preserve it, I just didn't want to see it taken down. I'm not ready to. So with the help of some packaging tape, our friend was rebuilt.

We have the technology.

I'd call him the Six Million Dollar Robot Zombie, but we simply don't have that kind of budget.


You wouldn't be wrong to assume that some of this is about not wanting to let go of Sean's youth. That is completely correct.

Plus, like I said, it makes me smile. I'm not sure I need to analyze it any more than that.

Hank Aaron and 715

It happened 40 years ago tonight, and it's one of my earliest baseball memories.

Hank Aaron hit a 1-0 fastball off Al Downing of the Dodgers to eclipse the mark set by Babe Ruth when he walked away in 1935. While the arguments that compare eras and the dead ball, and the Negro Leagues and so on factor into the discussion, the most clear factor was that by the end of the night, Aaron had 715 home runs, and Ruth had 714.

My point is that we're not here to debate better players and such. Let's just relive the moment itself.

That night, there were three different play-by-play men behind the microphone. It probably comes as little shock that I have all three of them. Arguably, the most famous is Milo Hamilton's excitable shout on the Braves radio broadcast. His call is the last in the montage embedded below. Vin Scully, baseball's witness to seemingly all great historical moments, was at the mic on the Dodgers broadcast and is in the middle. NBC, recognizing the importance of the game back when baseball on TV was truly a special and important thing, dispatched Curt Gowdy and company to Atlanta Fulton County Stadium. That is the first call of the three.

I won't even try to tease you. You know which of the three below is the call that I prefer. The professional it-isn't-about-me call of Vin Scully.

Listen for yourself.

Wrestlemania

Lisa and I returned home for a day of fun in New York and just sat on the couch with the TV on.

We had some Big Bang Theory and Modern Family viewing time.

I found a Bruce Springsteen March Madness concert that was being live streamed.

On Twitter, I saw some buzz about Wrestlemania.

See, here's the thing. I wonder if something is wrong with me. I say this because, as a red-blooded American male, I have never - ever - not even slightly been into wrestling.

Yeah, I met Captain Lou Albano at the Carmel bowling alley in 1985 or so. Nice guy. Very nice guy.

Sure, I know the names: The Rock, Mick Foley, Mean Gene Okerlund, Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant, and on and on. Yup. Got it.

I drive by the WWE (once, WWF) building in Stamford a lot.

I've even watched some. I had friends who were really into it, and they had me watch it.

It just never took with me. Maybe it was the "story lines" or I just always had something else that interested me more. I'm really not sure.

I mean, I'm supposed to be "shocked" that the Undertaker lost (I understand that was a big deal, at least according to Twitter). According to this article on Forbes, gamblers knew it was coming.

So congrats to them on their 30th Wrestlemania and all. It's an achievement for sure. Millions of people love it, and if nobody's getting hurt, all the better.

It was just never my thing.

At My Desk in Ridgefield

I took this right after HAN Radio officially got off the ground. (RA photo)

I shouldn't be here. No, I shouldn't.

I should be long gone. Somewhere else.

But I'm still at my desk. Jeez, I could have left probably four hours ago.

So what's wrong with me?

Really, nothing. I'm actually fairly content. There is something about sitting at my desk, with the office either empty or nearly empty that gets my blood going. So I'm still here, plugging away. Getting the spring schedule ready for baseball, lacrosse and more. Preparing for our tribute to Sue Wolf tomorrow. Thinking about Sean and I going away, and where and so on.

Just doing stuff.

Don't get me wrong. I'm here because there's no game to broadcast. No WGCH show to do. Lisa is just getting done with work. Sean? Sigh...not with me.

You see where this is going?

I've created something that I'm crazy proud of. Business cards showed up today. Who would have thought this? I mean - really?

Something will happen tomorrow. An email, a phone call, a text, an ichat will set me off. It's just the passionate way I conduct myself.

But no, not tonight. I'm working.

Happily.

It's My Bad, Dude

One needs to own up when things go wrong. When all else fails, let Vin Scully be your voice.



True dat.

Blogging on HAN Radio

As part of my thing at HAN Radio, I want to occasionally add some writing to the mix.

So I did a little something here. It includes the same picture as above (thanks to Liz Skalka for taking it), and some thoughts on the crazy week that just ended.

It began with Greenwich beating New Britain in basketball. That was nothing.

In New Haven the next night, John Kovach and I watched EO Smith/Tolland topped Masuk, and Newtown take care of Tri Town (boys hockey). The next night, we saw Darien knock off Notre Dame-Fairfield, and Fairfield Prep take overtime to dispose of Notre Dame-West Haven.

Then came Thursday. I had the night off!

On Friday night, we called Daniel Hand's one-goal DII Championship win over Amity. John, Josh Fisher, and Paul Silverfarb helped me preside over, arguably, our best broadcast yet.

To Saturday.

It started with the emotional Newtown victory over Smith/Tolland for the DIII title. Again, one goal. Overtime. Chris Kaelin replaced Paul at ice side for this one.

John, Josh, and Paul then took a bag of equipment and set us up at Mohegan Sun. We'll get back to them in a moment.

Then in the Division I championship, Fairfield Prep got a goal midway through the third (just seconds after one had been waved off) to tie the game. They got the game-winner in OT. Kato and I couldn't believe what we were watching.

I left New Haven (the Yale Whale is such a cool place)

I had become a lightning rod for dramatic games!

In the meantime, Josh, John, and Paul began calling the Lauralton Hall/South Windsor girls Class LL championship at the Mohegan Sun Arena. Yes, that meant we were broadcasting from two different sites, with two different setups! It opens up more opportunities for us!

I thought I would join them at halftime, and maybe be the courtside reporter for the rest of the game. But, alas, no. I visited with Mr. Imus and his coffee.

I'll be the first to tell you I didn't like that feeling. But it all worked out.

I came back for my third call of the day - the Class LL boys championship between Bridgeport Central and Fairfield Prep.

By 11, we had finished, broken down the equipment, and had caught up with our significant others for a well-deserved beverage. We all had breakfast together on Sunday back at Mohegan Sun, then went our separate ways.

I won't forget this week for a long time. We've called 58 games since November 22. I've specifically called 56 of them.

Special times, indeed.

Anatomy of a Call

I completed my second night of calling games at Ingalls Rink (aka the Yale Whale) in New Haven last night, and it ended with a flourish.

In the early game, Darien advanced to the Division I championship game with a 3-1 win over Notre Dame of Fairfield. Good game for sure. Decent crowd.

The nightcap? Phenomenal.

Fairfield Prep took on Notre Dame of West Haven. The Jesuits of Prep grabbed a 2-0 through two periods and opened it up to 3-1 with just over 12 minutes to go. The Green Knights got the score to 3-2 at 8:34 of the last period and tied the game at 12:34.

We went to overtime. Over 3500 were in attendance at the Whale. New Canaan goalie Mac Wright told us on Twitter that the doors were closed and there was an overflow crowd outside watching through the windows.

I'd like to believe a few listened to John Kovach and I on HAN Radio.

At 5:45 of overtime, Matt Wikman strolled up the left side, moved in towards the net and shot...



At first, I was really happy with the call. It was excitable. John and I allowed the crowd noise to fill.

Then I listened to it a few times. I'll still take it...but...

I wish I had climbed back on the call a little quicker after John finished his analysis (as the play began).

I wish - this is my biggest regret - that I had given more details. You have no idea that Wikman came up the left side...across the Green Knight blue line...and through the left face off circle.

You don't know what kind of a shot it was, or what kind of effort Knights goalie Wade Conlan made.

I'm OK with the excitement of the moment, I guess. I would have been a touch happier to insert the final score into the call, but I did say it after the end of the clip.

Maybe I let the crowd noise go too far before commenting (that's not in the clip).

Maybe I'm nitpicking. A lot of things go on in a moment like that, and this is hardly the first time I've done this to a big play-by-play call of mine. It goes with the territory.

I'll still take it.

I guess.

A Sign Picture (or Two)

No, I haven't forgotten about the roads and sign pics. I haven't had a working camera since last July, when my camera got damaged somehow.


I still have to find out what the nice people at Panasonic will do.  Alas.

But I have an iPhone, so that helps a lot.

I noticed that the DOT put up some new signs around Ridgefield, including one just up the block from the home office of HAN Radio. I took a walk and grabbed the new one, which is at the top of the post.

In a different time, Connecticut route 102 turned to the right to end at the New York State line. It also continued ahead and then turned left to go to Georgetown.

Now it only does the latter. Hence the sign.

For comparison purposes, I found the picture that I took of the same location last year (from a different angle).

And that's that.

25 Years

My dad. Oh yeah, the late 60s/early 70s fashion influence. Those shoes...

Ah St. Patrick's Day. It's conflicting, as usual.

I like happier thoughts on this day. Driving through London. Being at Disney World. Sharing laughs and some corned beef.

Later today I will call the Greenwich/New Britain basketball game on HAN Radio.

Twenty-five years ago tonight I was a wee lad of 20. I had just finished my day in the General Foods mailroom. Intending to spend the night at home, I was instead talked out of it to take my girlfriend out to dinner.

I dropped her off to find out my world had changed.

My father died that night.

I think of him every day.

So I beg your indulgence if, on St. Patrick's Day, I want some happy memories.

No Complaints

Saturday was the FCIAC boys hockey championship, and I'm thrilled to say that I was on the call on HAN Radio.

Sometimes, even if the game isn't the best, things come together for a special broadcast. I, to be honest, didn't feel my best (I still don't), but with a great team beside me, we rocked it.

Thanks to Chris Kaelin, Tom Prizeman, and Alex Hager for a great broadcast, with the steady hand of Josh Fisher on the controls, and Marty Hersam tweeting away.

We missed our colleagues John Kovach and Paul Silverfarb, but that allowed for us to show off the talent of our crew.

We love the page views here, but you can simply listen below.

Back to It

The Winter Garden in Ridgefield

Things around HANradio.com (yes, Hersam Acorn Radio) are quite...er...hectic these days.

For one, we have moved over to Backbone Networks and are happy to do so. There's a bit of learning curve but it will all work out fine.

For another, we started a new show for you outdoors people. My friend John Kovach has thrown his line into the water for Yankee Fisherman. As he is a Mets fan, the show name is a little surprising. Don't expect to host anything with "Met" in the title as payback.

Then we have another storm. Less I say, the better.

Lastly, my dance card is beyond full with sports games to call. Between now and March 23, I will call too many to count. Some will be phenomenal, some will not. Simply the nature of the beast.

I love calling championship games, and I think it is an honor to do so. I had the pleasure of doing the FCIAC girls basketball championship on Thursday night. While sitting in the stands is a bit of a bummer (just different to call games from there), there's nothing to not like about a packed gym and two teams giving it their all.

And if all of this isn't enough, I should acknowledge that Sean turned 12 last Sunday. Time flies, blah blah blah. I cherish the time with the kid, and goodness knows I don't get enough of it. I feel badly about dragging him from game site to game site but I am happy to have him there.

Well, seriously, that's about all of the time I have. I hope things settle so that I can write just a little more, because I don't want to give it up. I do enjoy doing this, as in the back of my mind, I always loved the idea of writing a column, and hope to add that to HANradio.com mix as well (and, of course, still here at your favorite destination).

Wow. Derek Jeter to Retire

He was everything you wanted in an athlete. Strong, yet silent. Professional, but hard playing. He didn't need the long ball. Just consistency. Lots of hits. Lots of them.

And winning. That's all he was about.

Derek Jeter has just announced he will retire after 2014. A legion - a generation - of baseball fans are sickened by this news.

Count me in.

I stood near him once, in the clubhouse at the old building on Rupper Place. No athlete had ever impressed me so much with his grace and his ability to give answers, professionally, without not really saying a thing.

With that, the core four will be gone. Mo left last year. So did Andy Pettitte. Posada left before them. Bernie Williams, the fifth member of that "core," left several years earlier.

Jeter, it was thought, would have a few years left. Not so, he said on Facebook today. He's done.

He said: "And the thing is, I could not be more sure. I know it in my heart."

We thank you, Captain. This will be the first of many more words to be spoken about Derek Jeter in 2014.

Vin Scully on Ralph Kiner

I'm trying to put more content up. So here we go.

This is Vin Scully talking to SNY about the Ralph Kiner, who passed away last week.



Even I watched Kiner's Korner as a kid, and Ralph, along with Bob Murphy and Lindsey Nelson, were so memorable.

Paul Silverfarb: Star Reporter

Not taken at Silverstock.

He won't like this. He won't be mad at me, but he won't enjoy the limelight.

Tough.

Paul Silverfarb, my friend and sports editor of the Greenwich Post, went to the Super Bowl in the Meadowlands. His college - Keene State University - felt that was important enough to talk him up a bit.

Behold - the story. It's something well-deserved for a guy who works his tail off.

Keene State was the place where he met his wife, the former Elizabeth Hornsberger. She's Beth to all of us - a girl from Hurley, NY who made a phenomenally bad mistake...I mean, made a great decision to marry such a great guy!

(Hey, he's one of my closest friends. Gotta give him a little heat).

Congrats to Paul on the experience and on having this story written about him.

Two Stories

Over the weekend, we had two things that grabbed the sports fan.

Marcus Smart

First, the Marcus Smart incident at Texas Tech. Smart, from Oklahoma State, charged in late and fell into the crowd, where a clown of a fan named Jeff Orr said something stupid. Smart shoved the fan and earned a three-game suspension.

Mr. Yates, apparently, has offered to give up his tickets for the rest of the season.

Everyone apologized and we will move on. But, still. Sigh...

Michael Sam

Then last night, Michael Sam told the world what he told his teammates at Missouri last summer: that he was gay.

Again, of course, this is news. But, still. Sigh...

And yes, yes, yes...it's my job to talk about both of these topics tonight at seven on The Press Box. But each topic, in its own way, seems so unnecessary.

I want each athlete to survive each controversy. I want them each to prosper. I want to think of Michael Sam as an athlete. If he plays for, say, the Cowboys, I want to root against him. If he's on the Steelers, I want to root for him.

The point is, I want him to simply be an athlete. A player. Not "the first openly gay male in major team sports."

I also want Marcus Smart to go on without us thinking of him as the guy who did that thing that time.

We'll talk about this later today. Yet I still find myself going back to the same reaction.

Sigh.