Day 212

I'm finally home for a few days in a row (thank goodness) and no more real travel until Arizona. Wanted to give all of you local readers an FYI. Tonight, in the tradition and honor of my father, I will be a panelist on More Sports and Les Levine on Time Warner Cable channel 15 and 6 PM EST, with a replay at 11. Dad used to a regular be on a panel called "The Sports Professionals" in which big Cleveland Sports Fans and season ticket holders (usually three people) shared their views on the three local teams. Les asked me to take my dad's slot after he passed away, but I was never able to because I lived in Chicago. Now that I am back here, he gave me the call and tonight I am making my debut. Should be pretty funny.

In trying to get as many things in as I can before the baby comes, my December sports month has been pretty full thus far. Check this schedule out:
Dec 2 KU/Depaul in Chicago
Dec 3 Browns/Chiefs in Cleveland
Dec 6 Maple Leafs/Thrashers in Toronto
Dec 11 Bears/Rams in St. Louis
Dec 13 Bobcats/Cavs in Cleveland

I've still got a KU game in Lawrence where I'll be sitting courtside with MD as his University of Detroit take on the Jayhawks. This is a bit that MD says it the oldest going, but it bears repeating. I went to Kansas for four and a half years. During the first four, KU was a top 5 team the entire time. We were a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament three times and a #2 seed twice. We were 58-0 at home. No joke. Yet MD, a huge college basketball fan, NEVER VISITED FOR A GAME. I've been killing him over it for years. I blame the ex-Mrs MD. If not for her, he would have come with me at least once to a game. I go every year. Most years twice. In the meantime, we are finally getting to go together and will be sitting at the scorer's table. I went with him to Duke a few years back and that was a great experience. I'm so excited that I get to be with MD for his first Allen Fieldhouse experience. It couldn't be any other way. But this is way over due. Dad came in for a few games in when I was college. Wilt Chamberlain was his alltime favorite player. He went to KU and my Senior year, Wilt's jersey was retired. Dad said he had to be there, so we were able to finagle some great seats. He loved every minute of it. Just another great experience with him. Nothing better to me than a big game at Allen Fieldhouse. the place is electric.

Speaking of crazy sports experiences, I have to tell you about my Monday Night in St. Louis with my boss and two clients. Ive never seen so many opposing fans in my life. So my boss was in rare form. You know when you see "that guy" at a game? I was with "that guy" Monday night. He had been there all day - the clients and I met him around 5 at a bar by the dome. He was so tanked by the middle of the game. At the end of the game, he began to high five every Bears fan coming up the aisle. All we heard was "Hey Bear fan! good job tonight." This went on for 10 minutes. A guy with a full Bear costume came up the aisle. My boss was all over him, grabbed the Bear head and put it on. He started high fiving everyone. The poor guy stood there and all he wanted was his bear head back. So walking in the concourse, it all continued. "Hey Bear fan!" every person that walked by. Then we are in the stairs area and he is going "Lets go Irish!" Now we are on the street and he is crazy with the "hey Bear fan!" He has a Rams free t-shirt over his shoulder - one guy goes "you aren't a Bears fan, you have a Rams shirt." He throws the shirt to the ground and says "NOT ANYMORE I DON'T!" So we get to the lot and there was probably 5 young, low class Bear fans playing their stereo loud. He walks over to them and starts high fiving everyone, then starts dancing with them, and then I see him chest-bump a guy. The whole thing was unreal. Top five funniest things I've ever seen. The best since Buatch getting whipped with a belt in Lawrence. We were all dying laughing.

I know its a lot of sports talk, but last night was the first Cavs game I had been to in Cleveland in more than two years. I had heard about the changes made at the Q, but talk didn't do them justice. The NBA has become an entertainment experience, its no longer about the product on the floor; probably because they product has never been worse. Take Lebron James out of this organization and nobody cares, nobody is there, and the team is a total bore. At every timeout there is some sort of game or contest. The music is on full blast. They have a DJ spinning hip hop all pre-game. You walk through the concourse before the game and they have some bad band playing so loud you can't talk to who you are with. They had a very cool opening video before announcing the starters. While the video was playing and the lights were down, I look down and I see Cavs guard Sasha Pavlovic with his hands over his ears. As I wonder to myself why he is doing that, I am startled by what sounds like a gunshot. Flames come firing out of the top of the scoreboard. It was crazy. All I could think about was if I had a little kid, he'd be freaking. My friend Shaw said when he takes his son, they show up after the intros by design. I have to give ownership credit, they have done a great job of incorporating the fans and keeping them interested in being there. Plus, the Panini sandwiches at the Q are the whup. I have to thank my father's good friend Eddie for inviting me last night. We had sweet seats - 8th row mid-court lower level. I had a great time, but the NBA is a total ripoff. Face value for my seats was $140. That is why I will never be a season ticket holder.

Coming up next week will be my annual Best and Worst of TV and Movies for 2006.

Song of the Day: "Microphone Fiend" by Eric B and Rakim