New Shoes in the Rain

Sorry, folks, but I feel one of those Andy Rooney-style rants coming on.....bear with me while I purge my negativity! Regarding the NCAA men's basketball tournament, why is there always at least one school that no one has ever heard of who seems to take center stage as a Cinderella story?  This year's wonder is Florida Gulf Coast University (of whom the estimable Charles Barkley asked "Where in the hell is Florida Gulf Coast?"), and they appear to be really something.  Their coach is a gee-whiz kind of young man, and he's married to a former Maxim model.  Pretty good story.  But it makes you wonder where this great team has been hiding all season. Also in the sports world, why is the media so insistent on asking if Tiger Woods is "back?"  He says he never left, but he does admit that he didn't play all that well for a while.  Golf is still more fun to follow and watch when he's playing well, I say, despite what others might believe. Why don...

The calendar says that it's springtime starting today.  I don't know if I concur, based on my furnace running this morning...... If you follow sports to any degree, you now know that not only did the Kentucky men's basketball team fail to be selected for the NCAA tournament (also known widely as March Madness, and I suppose that's trademarked as well), but that they also lost in their opening round game to a little school in the Pittsburgh suburbs called Robert Morris University. What you may not know is that a great number of Kentucky fans are actually relieved to have this season come to an end, as it's been a struggle.  Here's why: Kentucky just went through this type of mediocrity four years ago, before the arrival of coach John Calipari and his coaching staff. Kentucky won the NCAA championship last year, and many of its less realistic fans expected that to be the first of many consecutive championships. From last year's championship team, Ken...

Just a collection of random, unrelated thoughts to share this morning.  Writing this from the road, but based on some event of this week and last, I may be able to somewhat curtail my travels in the near future.  We can only hope. I cannot wait for baseball to begin.  I know, the teams are playing spring training games, and the World Baseball Classic is going on right now, but I mean REAL games.  Games that count.  Can't wait! During my recent heavy travels I've been watching the brilliant Ken Burns film "Baseball," and am still astounded by its resonance and durability.  The added "Tenth Inning" is an excellent overview of several developments in baseball that occurred largely after the original miniseries was first produced. Saw "Argo" not long ago.  A good film, to be sure, but I still don't agree that it was last year's BEST PICTURE, per the Oscar it won. I bought an Apple TV unit last week.  My wife and I have enjoyed watching ...

Friends, thanks for stopping by.  I haven't been here myself lately, owing to the extremely frequent nature of my recent business travel.  Went more or less back-to-back over the last two weeks, having traveled Thursday and Friday of last week, then Monday through Wednesday of this week.  Ugh. I've only had a couple of weeks since the holidays (and I mean THE holidays of Christmas and New Year's) where I've spent the entire week at home.  And on those weeks I had at least one long day trip. With that I can honestly say I'm sick of Airports Airplanes Airplane passengers Hotels Rental cars I've been through periods like this before, and, as before, it's somewhat because I'm trying to fill a couple of positions that report to me in job.  It'll get better, but probably not before it gets worse.  And me along with it. So here are a few things I've used to amuse myself during all of these comings and goings. This week I was in the Atlan...