Sports

Losing sucks, there is just no nice way to say it! Last night, UNC lost to dook and it SUCKED! I’m still mad. I’m mad this morning, not that UNC lost, but how they lost. They didn’t play hard. They didn’t play as a team. They weren’t focused on the end goal of winning.

I remember growing up and playing sports, we lost games because guys didn’t hustle. Last night, UNC didn’t hustle and that is what makes losing sucks the most. And at the end of the game, after I had used more bad language than one adult should use, my wife looked at me and said “it is just a game.”

How sweet, she thinks that it is just a game.. No, UNC basketball is a way of life. And when it is the UNC vs. dook game, it is about bragging rights. It is about that stretch between 15-501 that separates these two schools and at the end of the day, losing to the dookies sucks. My Godfather and I have had text messages all night and day. My brother who is in LA and I have been exchanging text messages, I can’t even log onto Facebook today, because all the dookies have photos and it just fuels my anger even more.

Sure, it is just a game, but losing sucks, especially when the outcome could have been different.  So on the way into work this morning, I thought about Dean Smith and the games that he coached against Krashitski and then this quote popped into my head and it rings true today, both for the game and in life.

“What to do with a mistake: recognize it, admit it, learn from it, forget it.” – Dean Smith

So, how will UNC learn from the game, because it is in the past and nothing can change the outcome? What will my kids do to learn from their mistakes when they play sports? Recognize the mistake, admit it (Coach Williams has partially done that today), learn from it (he isn’t going to call time outs, so scratch that one) and forget it, and unfortunately, if you ever play sports, you don’t forget it.

Losing sucks and it is hard to get past it sometimes. Today is a new day. Today is a new opportunity. Yesterday is gone and in the past. Learn from the past and make today and tomorrow better.

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8 Miles separates two universities. 8 miles separates a rivalry that is known throughout the United States, but in North Carolina, that rivalry of 8 miles, can dived families and friends. But tonight, two universities meet, #5 UNC vs #20 dook.

Growing up in North Carolina, this was the game that we all waited for. The UNC vs dook game was in fact, the bucket list game for all sports fans. And this past weekend, my family and I went down to Chapel Hill for a game and the excitement was already started to brew among the fans. When the game this past Sunday was out of reach, the topic turned to tonight’s game. Even at the restaurant and walking through campus, fans were talking about the game and how much it means to them. And as fans, we all have memorable games. Danny Green’s drunk. Tyler Hansbourgh. Michael Jordan. James Worthy. Antwan Jameson. Watching Dean Smith walk the sideline. And the list goes on and on and on.

But this game, isn’t just a game. It isn’t just a rivalry between two schools that are only 8 miles apart, it is bigger than that. It is college basketball in the state of North Carolina. It is a game(s) that allow for bragging rights for the year. It is what dreams are made of and highlights on ESPN. For me, it isn’t just another game, it is THE game to watch and as my sons get older and they understand my love for UNC Basketball, they too will love this game as much as I do. They will get to stay up on school nights, as I did, for this game. They will learn the players, the moves, the logic of plays and the history of the rivalry.

Tonight, is more than just a game. It is, college basketball at it’s finest in the great state of North Carolina. And it just so happens, that an 8 mile stretch of 15-501 separate the two campuses.

 

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Ever say something stupid in front of your kids? Well, I’m guilty and I should really know better. I should know by now that the boys will repeat what I say and then they will think that it is funny. And last Saturday is just another example of open my mouth and insert my foot.

As many Americans, myself and the boys were watching the Kentucky Derby and because I live in a state that allows for horse gambling, I decided to put down $40. The boys were all excited to see the horses on TV and I mentioned that we needed the #8, #12 and #18 ( I think ) horses to finish 1, 2 & 3 and we would win. So all is right in the world and the race starts. Things are going well and then they hit the backstretch and I realize that I had bet correctly for the first 3 horses. I was jumping up and down and so were the boys. High fives are all around and we are all excited!

So here his the issue. We get to CHURCH the next morning and as we are getting out of my Jeep, Baby A asked if we were betting on the horses at church? And there it went straight down, because while we were grilling they wanted to know if we were putting money on the horses. So yes, kids, Dad can be stupid sometimes, but we won $400 and we have money down for the next horse race on the 16th.

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We finally made the decision, we are cutting the cord! We are joining millions of families that have made the decision to move away from cable and thus far, it has been amazing.

Enough was enough. I realized one night that we weren’t watching TV that much, so why have a massive TV channel option, if we watched, maybe 10% of the channels? And it was at that moment, that I looked up our monthly bill and almost fell out of my chair, as it was now $220 a month.  After a little research and chatting with our cable provider a few things were really clear to me in my thought process:

  1. I wasn’t going to get all of my Sporting events that I am use to viewing.
  2. I was going to need to add a Digital Antenna.
  3. I needed to look at another device, i.e. Roku to supplement other 3rd party providers.
  4. The cable company didn’t care or try to keep us as a customer.

1) Sporting Events – I love sports! I live for College Basketball and Football. There is nothing better than watching football on a Saturday, but here is the realization with kids, I wasn’t getting to watch many games. At best, I got in 1 – 3 College Football games in a year and I did get most of my basketball games, but a lot of times I was recording them and watching them after the kids went to bed. So my argument to keep cable for sports, quickly went away.

2) Digital Antenna – I wanted to keep local channels, just in case we needed local coverage. There were many websites that provided options and data on which would work best. I did have 1 limitation that I was faced with and that is that I didn’t want a rooftop or exterior antenna, due to the fact that our plan is to move. So I wanted/needed something that would be mobile and easy to use and setup. I settled with the Mohu 50 after a lot of research and so far, I have been impressed. I have been able to watch golf and the Kentucky Derby with minor issues. But all in all, it has worked just fine and I am out $70 for the antenna.

3) Devices and 3rd party providers – We have a Sony Blue Ray player with web apps, such as Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon, MLB, etc. so we were covered with being able to watch all of our shows that my wife and I enjoy and also the shows that boys like. I get my sports fix with my MLB package so that I can watch the Astros and this becomes a win win situation.  And then another app came out called Sling TV and they offer ESPN and a lot of the cooking shows that I enjoy, but Sling TV isn’t available on the Sony Blue Ray. After conversations with a buddy of mine, he convinced me to get a Roku and man, that has been awesome! There are so many more channels that we’ve opened up a whole new library of kids shows and other shows for my wife and I to watch, that I really don’t see the need to ever go back to cable. But, from a cost stand point, a new Roku player was $100, we have Netflix at $8/month, Hulu Plus $8/month, we already had Amazon $99/yr and then I got the MLB package for $125. See the breakdown below for a better comparison)

4) Cable didn’t care that we were leaving – I called and chatted with reps from the cable company, explained my desire to cut the monthly cost, significantly and their best offer was cutting our bill by $20 month, which didn’t factor in taxes, etc. so really the $20 a month savings, was closer to $10. There was a time when cable companies would get creative and try to keep customers, but I think that those days are long gone. So, they didn’t fight to keep me and they could have kept me as a basic cable subscriber for the right offer, but they didn’t try to keep my business and I didn’t feel bad turning in the equipment. Now, our monthly bill is $50 a month, down from $220 a month, for a savings of $170 a month.

I get it, I really see why people are cutting the cord more and more everyday. It makes sense, especially if you aren’t watching tv. But let’s look at real numbers on monthly costs:

ServiceMonthly CostYearly CostOne Time FeesSavings
Cable Service$220$2,640$170/month or $2,040/yearly
Netflix$8$96$0
Hulu Plus$8$96$0
Amazon$0$99$0
Digital Antenna$0$0$70$0
Roku$0$0$99$0
MLB Package$0$125$0
Totals$236$2,957$169$2,040

The reality is actually even simpler than the cost savings, we are reading more at night, spending more time as a family and less distractions and we are getting outside more. I know, it isn’t normal to say that we are unplugging and cutting the cord, but we have and we have loved it. In quick numbers, because I like to look at real term facts and measurements. By saving $170 a month, just from cable, we will be able to pay off 2 more credit card bills in less than 1 year! There, I said it, there is another benefit to cutting the cord, financial and getting out of debt faster.

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Baseball fans, today marks the time of a new day a new season. A day of hope and promise, today is Opening Day!
It is the only day of the season, that everyone is in first place.

Normally, the day before the baseball season starts, I sit down and watch the classic, Field Of Dreams.
This year, due to Easter and family commitments, I was tied up, but I could not stop thinking about this one clip from the movie.



And I love this part:

And they’ll walk out to the bleachers; sit in shirtsleeves on a perfect afternoon. They’ll find they have reserved seats somewhere along one of the baselines, where they sat when they were children and cheered their heroes. And they’ll watch the game and it’ll be as if they dipped themselves in magic waters. The memories will be so thick they’ll have to brush them away from their faces.

Having played baseball the majority of childhood growing up, I love the game. The smell of the grass. The anticipating of a pitch. Do they bunt or swing away with runners in scoring position and a 3-0 count? The game of baseball brings back memories to all of us that played and as a Dad, I get to share this love with my boys and it makes be beyond giddy.

Today, we are all kids. Today we all have memories of when we were kids walking up to home plate in Yankee Stadium and thinking about what it would be like, to face a pitcher and hitting a fastball that was coming down the pike, right over home plate. You rock back and as you shift your weight forward, you connect and hit the ball over the left field wall and into the bleachers.

Today is opening day and today is going to be one of the best days of the year, because baseball is back!

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I really believe that baseball is a metaphor for life. If you have ever played baseball, then you know that hitting a curve ball requires you to either jump all over the ball or you have to sit back and wait for the break.

Think about it:

1) Disciplining your children – You can either sit back and wait and talk through the correction or you can jump all over them. Which way does a child respond better too?
2) Teaching moments – Do you sit back and let your child figure things out on their own or do you jump in and help them? Which way helps a child learn more?
3) Career – Do you sit back and let jobs/offers come to you or do you jump all over the market and make things happen? Which will get you further?

As we get closer to baseball season and my thoughts drift back to a simpler time when I loved grabbing my glove and throwing catch. But I got thinking this morning, as I was reading up on the Astros upcoming season, baseball taught me a lot about life. It taught me to rely on others, as 1 person was not going to completely win a game. Play hard. Put everything into the game and preparation and whether you win or lose the game, it really doesn’t matter. Give it your all. Watch what your opponent is doing and sometimes, you have to lay down the sacrifice bunt for the good of the team.

I remember growing up and playing with a lot of good players. Some went on and played Division I college baseball, others like me, faded into the sunset, but the life lessons that we learned on the field, have stayed with us for life. Because sometimes, life really is like hitting a curve ball, as it forces you to sit back and wait for the perfect moment. And in a split second, you are off and running after making contact.

Opening day is 6 days away!

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Husband, Father, Grandfather, Friend, Mentor or to millions of fans, he went by Coach. Saturday night, basketball lost an icon, but a family lost their leader. And by family, I mean both literally and physically, you see Dean Smith created the Carolina Family and whether he wanted the attention or not, he was the one that started it all.  Dean Smith was and is and will always be the face of Carolina Basketball and Saturday, as he passed away at the age of 83, that fact still remains.

As I have had time to reflect on this, it is hard. It is hard hearing of the lost of someone. It is hard knowing that his family and friends are suffering. It is hard to hear and read countless number of stories being told over the last 48 hours.  Stories from his former players and coaches, friends, politicians, even President Obama released a statement about the death of Dean Smith. But there seems be a lot of common thoughts and memories that are being reflected on, and that is of humbleness.  I had the privilege to have met Coach Smith several times, through his basketball camps and then at a few Ram’s clubs events throughout my childhood. And each time that I got to spend, even just a few minutes with him, he made me feel that I was the only one there. He asked me questions about my family, my interests, my goals in life. And then he gave advice, the advice that any coach would give, study hard, do your best and give your all.

As a kid, Coach Smith was bigger than life. I remember watching him walk the sidelines, teaching his players and encouraging them. These are all things that I hope that I learned through his camps, reading his books, hearing stories and meeting Coach, that I’ve been able to translate into my career. When I refer to my team, it is always “We”, even if I did the work, because we are a team first. If someone on my team makes a mistake, I wait and meet with them privately and we discuss it and discuss how we avoid making the same mistake again. Say thank you to the those that help you most. But one thing that really stands out, do what is right. It is pretty basic actually and for a man that did not want to be in the lime light, today he is and he is being remembered mostly, not for the Wins and Loses, but how he lived his life.

“On what it means that today is more about the person that smith was than his win total: “It means he did it. He was successful. sitting at the cafeteria counter was more important than wins and losses… It means he won.”  Roy Williams, UNC Basketball Coach

 

As I sit and watch this clip, I am immediately taken back to my childhood. As I read stories from Adam Lucas’s post “The Stories Are True“, I can not help be sad. When you read stories about Dean Smith recruiting Charlie Scott, when you read stories about he and the minister taking Charlie to eat to break down the race barriers, when you read that he went to almost everyone of his former players weddings and how he was the father that many of these young mean never had. When you read these stories, how can you not be sad? Coach was a good man. And God just got one helluva basketball coach.

Press Conference from current UNC Basketball Coach Roy Williams.

I will close with two thoughts:

1) Matthew 25:23 – “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

2)  Coach, tonight it is all about you. You gave to others, as though few ever got to see. You gave of your time and of your heart and you changed lives. Tonight Coach, sleep easy and take comfort in knowing that you were loved by millions.

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Doing what is right, is not always easy, but sometimes it can be life changing.  And that is exactly what happened with the Cincinnati Bengals Defensive tackle Devon Still.

I love sports. I LOVE sports. I could watch football or basketball all day. Don’t get me wrong though, even though I love sports, it is a business. Teams have budgets, (minus the NY Yankees) that have to be kept, but they have responsibilities to their fans, their vendors, their players, their employees, etc. but sometimes, teams get it right. Sometimes, the business side of sports gets puts to the side and a team does what is right to help a player.

Devon Still’s daughter was diagnosed with Stage 4 pediatric cancer in June and even though Devon was in camp and trying to earn a spot on the team, he was cut. But, instead of cutting Devon completely from the team, the Cincinnati Bengals signed Devon to their practice squad, which allowed him to still be paid, still have insurance for his daughter and most importantly, since she was being treated in Cincinnati, he gets to stay close to his daughter. Could the Bengals have cut Devon and said that he was taking a valuable spot on their team, sure. I am sure that if they had, everyone would have said, it was business.

Instead, they are doing what is right. They have taken care of a player who is going through a lot in his life right now. He is trying to work and provide for his family, while at the same time, he has to be worried to death about his daughter. Today, the Cincinnati Bengals have been caught doing what is right. They put the needs of a person, above the business.

Take a moment to watch this video: https://gma.yahoo.com/cincinnati-bengals-sign-devon-still-help-pay-daughters-145953313.html?vp=1

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If you don’t know who Adreian Payne is, then you are missing an AMAZING story. Here is a college kid, with a lot of potential and an even bigger heart.

Just take a moment and you’ll realize that in life, Adreian Payne isn’t just a talented basketball player, he is a good person that that is changing the life of this little girl.

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The first of many posts on this topic, but I love March Madness. I’ve been known to blow off events for March Madness. This is the time where games matter more than every before.

Upsets have already happened and non better than the Mercer vs. Dook game. That to me was the most important upset, all other upsets are just gravy, but that one was huge.

This weekend is going to consist of Basketball, wings and beer. More to come, but I love basketball.

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