Day 224

This entry is written from the bitter cold and extremely boring city of Des Moines, Iowa. This is a prime example of a city that now that I live in Cleveland, I can no longer get to direct, no matter what the cost. I'm here for a food show, which is the part of my job I hate the most. Standing all day at a booth and talking about my products is not my idea of fun, not to mention the fact that you walk away smelling like a french fry as everything you can fry is offered at one of these shows. I always feel bad for the person who has to sit next to me on the plane if I fly back that night. So I flew on a 7 AM flight it Minneapolis, had a two hour layover (what did I do before airports had WiFi?, Cleveland Hopkins still doesn't), then boarded a flight to Des Moines. On both flights, there were a TOTAL of 23 people. I got in my rental car and went to the venue to set up my booth, grabbed a quick bite and came back to my hotel and took a much needed 3 hour nap. Boy, have times changed with my eating habits during this diet. I stopped in at Bennigans to watch the second half of the Cavs/Suns game and have lunch. I have always loved the "Turkey O'Toole" sandwich there - A turkey sandwich with melted Swiss and Dijon mustard on a warm pretzel roll. So I look over the menu and I end up ordering Rosemary Chicken. It comes out - two pieces of chicken over mashed potatoes with vegetables on the side. I ended up eating one piece of chicken and all of the vegetables without touching the mashed potatoes. What happened to me?

I've got to tell this great story. My friend and long lost relative Matt Grossman lives in Richmond, Virginia and is a diehard Cleveland sports fan and is raising his 9 year old son Nicholas the same way. They have never had the chance to see Lebron James play live in person. So for Nicholas' 9th birthday, Matt surprised him with tickets to see the Cavaliers play The 76ers in Philadelphia Friday night, a 250 mile drive away from their home. According to Matt, he "broke the bank" to get the best seats he could - two rows behind the Cavs bench - to give Nicholas the best experience he could. So out of nowhere on Friday, word comes down that Lebron is sitting out the game because of a big toe sprain. Matt was more crushed than his son (for Nicholas that is). As he put it to me "It was like going to see the Rolling Stones and finding out Mick Jagger won't be performing." So in the meantime, they were right behind the Cavs bench and Nicholas was decked out in his Cavs jersey and hat. In an email he sent me after the game, Matt said the following: The night got a little worse as the Cavs fell behind early and trailed by 17 at half. Suffice it to say, my idea of a perfect night for Nicholas' birthday had gone a little awry. Nicholas was a pretty good sport, with a few autographs before the game, and a pat or high five from most of the players as they walked onto the court being a pretty good elixir for what ailed him. Yet, things dramatically improved even further in the second half when the Cavs rallied to win. As the Cavs walked off the court victorious, Nicholas was the recipient of a handband from Donyell Marshall (perhaps the sweatiest thing we had ever touched), a really neat wide wrist band with a #4 on it (coincidentally Nicholas' basketball jersey number) from David Wesley, and a "Phillipians 4:13", which is a passage that states "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" for those who are not Bible scholars) wristband from Eric Snow. Its funny to hear all the players and their bible passages. Because those really work. Anyways, the next morning, the story on cbssportsline.com included the picture above, which shows Matt clapping in the background. So in the end, it was all worth it. But talk about bad luck. Lebron never misses games and probably won't miss another the rest of the season. That story sounded like something my father would have done with for MD and me.

Sitting in this hotel room with nothing on TV, I watched the Screen Actors Guild awards, which are the awards given to TV and movies by their peers. While nothing eventful happened, I just do not understand how Jennifer Hudson from Dreamgirls can continues to pick up every award known to man. Not to mention the first thing she said was "first I have to thank God." That is when I change the channel. I didn't see Dreamgirls and probably 90% of the people I know didn't think it was that great. While I love Eddie Murphy, he too won for best supporting male actor in a movie. You can't tell me he was better than Leo DiCaprio in The Departed or Dijom Hounsou in Blood Diamond. That is an insult to those two great roles. Again, 90% of the people I know who saw Dreamgirls found Eddie Murphy annoying. While I love Eddie (nobody was funnier in his prime), he shouldn't be winning awards and neither should this movie.

I have to thank Jessica, who was in town this weekend, for schlepping around with Leah all weekend and getting everything ready for the baby to come. She went over an above with the things she bought us. It was so nice of her. Meanwhile, the baby's room is all done and set up. The furniture is in, carpet is down, and the walls are painted. Its all ready and awaiting the little guy to arrive. Meanwhile this is my last business trip until after the baby is born. Its all happening so soon. Unreal.

Some people will do anything for Super Bowl tickets. As it turns out, this hot Bears fan Sara Spain aka "The Spain Train" put an add up on ebay asking people to bid to have her as their Super Bowl Date in hopes that some sap would give her free tickets. There were several Blog stories about this girl. As it turns out in the end, life is always great when you are a hot chick. There was obviously enough word of mouth out there that the makers of Axe body spray have stepped up and give her two tickets. Think an unattractive woman or a guy could pull this off? Nope. This is another classic case of the power of the Internet and how the world is a whole lot easier when you are a hot looking female.

Song of the Day: "Criminal Minded" by Boogie Down Productions

Day 223

Very busy work day for me today and I'm dragging a little bit, so this is going to be short. Casey had some stomach issues last night at 3 am, 4:30, and 5:45. She was trying to tell us she needed to go out and we just ignored her. Finally at 5:45, I let her out and she went three times immediately and again at 9 am. My poor dog. All I could think was that she was trying to help Leah and I prepare for getting up multiple times in the middle of the night for the baby. Very smart dog I have huh? It has snowed for about 6 straight days here and the snow is starting to swallow Casey. I played outside with her in the front yard yesterday for probably a half hour. When we came in, she had all of this snow frozen and caught in her torso hair. It was like she had extra ice nipples. It was hilarious, but I felt so bad for her. I tried to get them out, but just had to let them melt. Made us laugh, that is for sure.

I am flying in and out of Chicago tomorrow for the day - Vendor Friday at the client. Jessica is flying back with me as she is coming to visit to help Leah prepare for the baby. They are going to be getting all of the essentials - Diapers, bottles, car seat, nursing stuff, etc. Then Sunday morning at 7 am I leave for Des Moines for essentially 36 hours. I have a trade show Monday where I have to have my booth set up Sunday. I come home Monday night and this is my last business trip until after the baby is born. Another thing I am sad to miss this weekend is my boys annual trip back to Lawrence for a basketball game. This year was going to be different, as all of the wives are going as well. Leah obviously cannot travel at this point and I was maybe going to go solo, but as it turned out, this trade show would have become a hindrance either way, so I am missing it for the first time. Fun is always had down there and nobody loves Lawrence more than I do. I'm just glad I got to go last month and experience it with MD. The classic thing about this trip is that the Buatch is already down there. why you ask? Believe it or not, he is speaking to 4 different classes and a giant lecture room full of business school students about becoming a success in business and being a product of the KU B-school. I know, stop laughing. This is true. The clown prince himself was a straight A student in college and a very successful businessman in Chicago. Evidently they want him to speak to the students. I don't know how he is going to do it; he is literally incapable of not saying the F word every 5 minutes.

On the subject of sports tickets, there is an interesting racket going on these days. It seems as though unless it is a season ticket, every good seat at any sporting even is held by ticket brokers. These brokers are all a part of a network and are a good service for those people who can afford it. But if you can't, you seem to be shut out. I have used brokers from time to time, but I find myself overpaying excessively for something I could have gotten from a scalper outside of the venue for half the price I paid. Case in point, last year, Leah and I went down to Lawrence and took two clients to the KU/Kentucky game. Since it was two traditional powerhouses meeting in Allen Fieldhouse for the first time, tickets were outrageous using online brokers. Because my company was paying for them, I had to use a broker so I could turn in a receipt. Scalpers don't take credit cards, you know. So I ended up using Stubhub, a popular ticket site where season ticket holders can sell their tickets to others. To get four good seats together was impossible, unless I wanted to pay almost $3000. I ended up with average seats and spent about $1300 for seats that were $160 face value. Walking into the game I talked to a few scalpers and could have had better seats for $400 total. In the meantime, the NFL continues to screw their real fans. A bunch of my friends from Chicago explored looking into Super Bowl seats. They were all appalled to see that seats were at a minimum $3000. Face value on the worst seats in the house are $300. The general public only gets a shot at about 10,ooo tickets. The other 65,000 or so are corporate seats. Nice of the NFL to shut out its fan base. The Super Bowl game itself is secondary to the parties and corporate shill fest that has become Super Bowl week. I think its just a real shame that so many real fans can't afford to go to the biggest game in their franchises history. It's the only sport that is this way. You never hear that much of an outcry on this either. The NFL is Teflon like that. So many arrests, steroid abusers, a product on the field that probably has never been worse, yet its as popular as ever.

I won't bother you with discussing W's State of the Union address the other night. More of the same bullshit from that buffoon. I am very excited for the 2008 Presidential race though. We have some very interesting names already in the race, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama (its all but a formality that he is in), New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson are amongst the Democratic contenders. John McCain is expected to be the top dog Republican candidate. I still don't get how that clown Dennis Kucinich of my home state can mount a candidacy again. The man with the Spok ears was the worst Mayor in the history of Cleveland. He clearly has no shot and wastes more money for a second time on a run which will undoubtedly fall way short. Interesting.

My Cavaliers are in major trouble. They are playing like absolute garbage and offering Lebron James no help whatsoever. This is a flawed roster of bloated contracts and players who look older and older each day. Zydrunas Illgauskas has 4 more years left on his deal and the guy can barely move. Larry Hughes is clearly not a $12 million dollar player and not the right kind of Robin for Lebron's batman. GM Danny Ferry desperately needs to shake up this roster. The countdown to Lebron leaving is ticking.

Song of the Day: "Against The Wind" by Bob Seger

Day 222

Weird, am I still doing this at post 222? Crazy. Its such a routine now on Mondays and Thursdays. Well anyways, I continue to look out my window at a ground full of snow. Gotta love those C-Town winters. Growing up here, you are raised to think snow is no big deal. Other cities shut down, but we know how to plow here. But I digress. I hope you all watched the magnificent Patriots/Colts AFC Championship game last night. What a second half. You know when The Patriots got the ball back with a minute to go and two timeouts left, you thought they were going to go down and rip out the Colts heart once again. Belichick and Brady have owned the Colts for years. But like MJ's Bulls with the Pistons Bad Boys, and those same Pistons with Larry Bird's Celtics, the Colts finally got passed their nemesis. You have to feel good for Peyton Manning. The Colts QB will no longer have to be dogged by the question of never getting to the big game. They were down 21-3 early in the second quarter and had zero momentum. But Manning continued to persevere and drove the Colts down the field several times to tie and eventually win the game. There is probably no more respectful and deserving guy in all of football than Manning. Congrats to him and to coach Tony Dungy who like Manning, is well respected and liked by everyone. A year after losing his son to suicide a week before the playoffs, he has gotten passed all of it and is now playing for the Lombardi Trophy.

The Colts will meet the Chicago Bears in the Super Bowl in Miami two weeks from yesterday. While I am not a Bears hater really, I was clearly rooting for the Saints. After that game, I was in full bitterman mode. I was talking to Ags about how the Bears may be the worst Super Bowl team i've ever seen, how can Rex Grossman lead a team into the Super Bowl, they get all the lucky breaks, etc. He brought me back to reality. I am just a bitter Cleveland sports fan who sometimes cannot see the forest for the trees. You know what else I am? Jealous. Wouldn't it have been nice to grow up in Chicago? A city that had the 85 Bears, perhaps the greatest defensive team of all time who won a Super Bowl 46-10. That same year, the Browns blew an 18 point halftime lead in the divisional playoffs to Miami in a 24-21 loss. Chicago was also lucky enough to be graced with the greatest athlete that has ever lived to play in their city. I'm of course speaking of Michael Jordan. MJ came along during my formidable growing up loving sports years. MJ's Bulls won six titles in 8 years. My Cavaliers had their best teams ever during the MJ era. In fact, I was there for MJ's first defining moment "The Shot," that eliminated the Cavs in the 89. Those same Bulls knocked the Cavs out of the playoffs three different times on their way to titles. Then you have the White Sox who two years ago came out of nowhere to lead the pack for most of the season in the AL Central. Then they began to fade and who was the hottest team in baseball? The Tribe. Guess what happened. With a week left, all the Tribe had to do was go 3-4 and they would have made the playoffs. Of course, our bats went silent, the White Sox swept us to close the season out, the Tribe missed the playoffs by one game and the Sox took that momentum into October and won the World Series. So scorecard since 1985: Chicago 8 Cleveland 0. I think my friends there take it for granted. You can never know what its like to be in our shoes. When the Cubs choked a few years ago, I didn't feel bad for their fans one bit - you had MJ. Saturday night, we were out with our friends the Lurie's. Steve and I were talking about his son and said "have you ever thought we should just raise our sons to be Yankee fans?" My response to that was "of course not. Our children must suffer the same way we have suffered. Its on our blood as Clevelanders." As Ags said to me yesterday "Its a right of passage - passed down from generation to generation."

So you are going to hear for the next two weeks how for the first time in history, two African-American coaches will be facing each other in the Super Bowl. Both are great guys and well respected by their peers and the media. They also happen to be best friends who essentially cut their teeth coaching together in Tampa Bay. So whom do you root for? I would say Indy for Peyton Manning, but all of that changed in a few short moments after the Colts accepted the AFC championship trophy. Colts Owner Robert Irsay in front of 60,000 fans said "none of this would be possible without the lord, so we must praise him!" Then Tony Dungy "The Lord gave us the strength to get this done and without him, we couldn't have done so." They lost me right there - Lets Go Bears.

In related story, my man Mark P had quite the Sunday. Yesterday was his niece's 6th b-day party. Yes, the same day as the NFC title game in the same city. The party was held at Fuddruckers which DOES NOT have TV's. His brother in law and father were furious and his sister wouldn't change the party. He watched the first 3 quarters at his sister's house and went to the party. I have to say that I was very disappointed I'm him for going to the party before the game was over. But according to his mom "Its just a game." He was texting me for info and by the time he left, the game was a blowout, but that doesn't change the fact that he had to go to this party. Ok, so my priorities are way out of whack when it comes to sports sometimes, but his sister could have given him a hall pass on this one right? Would it have killed her to have him show up a little late? P is a better man than I am. I probably wouldn't even have shown at all.

Speaking of P, today is his 31st birthday. The photo above makes me laugh everytime I look at it. It was taken last February in Lawrence at Sean's bachelor party. P is the best. I don't know many people who make me laugh more. The best part about it is we were randoms roommates when I first moved to Chicago and we hit it off pretty right away. The kid is as legit as they come. Happy Birthday, P.

I am glad to report that after a pretty horrific car accident my cousin Debbie and two of her kids, Mitch and Emma, are now ok and recovering at home after their car was hit head-on by a pickup truck and then a telephone pole Saturday. Mitch walked away mostly unscathed, though the airbag went off in his face, but poor Debbie has two broken hands and cannot do anything. Emma has a broken arm, sore neck and stomach. They toughed it out though and are now at home. Really makes you think of how fragile we really all are. This could happen to any of us while driving. The truck was making a turn and skid on some ice and rammed right into them. I'm just glad everyone is ok for the most part.

I failed to mention this last Thursday, but our condo was finally closed. I can now talk about it since the money (which was extremely welcomed by the way) is now in the bank. I cannot tell you how thrilled we are to be rid of the double mortgage. We burned money of bills, assessments, and mortgages for 5 full months without living there. It was pretty depressing, but the bottom line is that we are out. If you know of anyone who is in need of a realtor in Chicago, my guy Phil Byers is a gem. Also, I have to thank Gregg who took care of everything as my lawyer. We couldn't have done it without either of these two.

Song of the Day: "En Focus" by De La Soul

Day 221

Lets get it out of the way now - I've got little today. I'm cold. We've got some frigid temperatures here in c-town and snow is covering the ground. Its funny because when it snowed in Chicago, it used to totally bother me. You do a lot of walking and the sidewalks were always icy. Leah used to refer to the constant slush as "cookie dough" and I can't tell you how many times I would step in it jumping a curb. When you bring Casey into the mix, it would be freezing cold and we would have to take 4 walks a day in the snow, freezing our asses off. She always took her sweet time while Leah or I would be freezing and wanting to get inside as soon as possible. She loves the snow. Now, we just let her out the front down and watch as she frolics around the front yard for as long as she wants and then comes back in. All we have to do is wipe her paws.

Rumors are swirling that the 22 year run for Cousin Steve in Boulder is about to come to an end. True there have been stops in other places - Reno, Eugene (too much concrete in Oregon), Alaska (for three days on a boat), but Boulder was his true home for years. Looks like that train is headed West. Stayed tuned as details become available. In other coo-zon news, coo-zon Julie is winding down her time in San Francisco and is moving to Portland in February. For those who haven't been, it is as underrated of a city as there is in the country. I used to go to Portland and Seattle for work at my old job and I just loved the Pacific Northwest. Good luck Jules!

How about Falcons QB Michael Vick. The guy continues to make poor life decisions. The $130 million dollar man who is more athlete than QB was stopped at the Miami airport trying to bring a water bottle through security. No big deal, people have to throw away bottles of water all the time at security checkpoints. Vick wouldn't give the bottle up and made an issue of it, raising a red flag before finally having it confiscated. As it turns out, the water bottle had a compartment built-in behind the label that contained "a small amount of a dark particle and and a pungent aroma closely associated with marijuana." While I clearly am no saint and have flown with pot in my lifetime (pre-9/11 of course), I want to know how someone with all of that money and prestige can a) be so stupid to call attention to the water bottle, b) be so stupid to attempt to fly with pot in this day of increased screening, c) not have a hookup in whatever city he was going to, and d) not have his priorities in check. Mike Vick can smoke all the pot he wants, I have no problem with that at all, but what I do have a problem with is stupidity. When I used to do that, I was a stupid college kid who thought I had nothing to lose. In the NFL, none of these contracts are worth the paper they are written on. They can cut you tomorrow and you won't see the big money long term in the deal. Vick continues to be less and less valued as a player each year and in fact is probably the most overrated player in the league. He has a reputation of being lazy and a coach killer. Making more poor decisions like this one isn't likely to help his cause.

In baby news, we have our last class if you will tonight. It is a tour of the hospital to get us acquainted to where everything is located so when the time comes, we will know exactly where to go. I also got a solid tip from my barber Mark, who's wife is also giving birth in February. he said to go to the hospital ahead of time and pre-register Leah. The last thing Leah is going to want to do is fill out insurance documents and answer questions while she is in labor. So we are going earlier tonight to get that done. Next weekend when Jessica is in town, we are getting everything else done. Buying bottles, diapers, getting the car seat bases installed, etc. Gotta love crunch time.

Wednesday night, I was watching the second half of Texas/Oklahoma State and Leah said "why is it that you have to watch every game? I feel like you have changed." I said to her "where have you been living the last 12 years? I always watch every game, especially when there is nothing on." Of course, this game turned out to be an absolute classic. I couldn't stop watching it. Oklahoma State won 105-103 in triple overtime and didn't end until 12:15. And that is why I watch every game. For all of you basketball fans, remember the name Kevin Durant. The fabulous Texas freshman is the best player in the country right now and will be an NBA all star for sure. He is 6'10, handles like a guard, shoots from anywhere on the floor, and has post moves that are unstoppable. Think Tracy McGrady meets Kevin Garnett.

By now, I'm sure you've heard about the story of Ben Ownby, the 13 year old boy who was kidnapped and found four days later along with another missing teen, Shawn Hornbeck, who had been missing for 4 years. The man who kidnapped them both, Michael Devlin, admitted taking Ownby to police yesterday. The whole thing is disturbing. What bothered me the most was a side story I heard this morning. Montell Williams has a psychic on his TV show named Sylvia Brown. A few months after their son was taken, the Hornbeck parents were on the show in an attempt to find out the whereabouts of Shawn. Sylvia Brown told them that she was sorry, but the vibe she was picking up was that "Shawn is no longer with us." Fast forward 4 years, and Shawn is alive. Not only is she a complete kook, but she offered her services at $700 every three hours to assist in finding his body. That is criminal. She should be locked up. On top of that, I heard another clip of a woman talking to Brown about losing her husband and not knowing how it happened. Brown said, "I see water, just like the girl who is missing in Aruba" and the woman said "that is impossible, he died in 9/11," Brown replied back "I see water, maybe the fire hoses got to him?" How can Sylvia Brown live with herself? I found a great site that exposes her called Stop Sylvia Browne Click on the articles section. This woman should be thrown in jail.

Sog of the Day: "What I Got" by Sublime

Day 220

Had another nice weekend here in the 216, other than the fact that it doesn't stop raining. I got to watch a lot of college hoops and football, as well as spend time with the Jace man himself, who who in town with MD for the weekend. MD had the Detroit/Cleveland State game on Saturday. Reese was unable to come. She had sterp throat which developed into some sort of infection in her knee that caused it to swell. She was hospitalized, but released the next day. She is fine now, but the doctors told her mother that she shouldn't travel and should take it easy for a few days. We had dinner Saturday night after the game (PF Changs picked up) and hung out at my mom's house. Jace loved the Hanukkah gift we got him so much, he brought it with him from Indy and was playing with it most of the night. It is a race track and cars that you charge up, put on the track and they race around until they run out of gas. MD also brought this crane toy and we put it together. What is funny is that its a toy for 5 year-olds and up and it is borderline impossible to put together. The instructions couldn't have been worse. All pictures, no text. Again, more practice for my soon to be life experiences. They came over yesterday afternoon as well - I had Jace in the basement playing Pole Position and Miss Pac Man on the big screen and he just ate it up. He was pretty good too. He didn't want to leave C-Town this morning; he loves it here. They stopped back over this morning on their way out. Jace is such a sweet boy. When Leah and I were talking to him about the baby he said "we are going to be best friends forever." It was so cute. The next time I see Jace and MD, I'll be a dad. How scary is that?

Poor Marty Schottenheimer. The guy just flat out catch a break. The Chargers Head Coach watched his team self destruct and hand the game to the Patriots yesterday in their 24-21 loss. This loss is another in a string of bad playoff losses for Marty, who is now 5-13 in his career. What did Marty do to deserve this fate? He was the Browns Head Coach for "The Drive" and "The Fumble." He moved on to Kansas City for a successful tenure of regular season W's and more playoffs L's. Everytime Marty's teams have been the favorite to get to the Super Bowl, they have wet themselves. His 2006 Chargers ran through the AFC at a 14-2 clip and had home field advantage throughout the playoffs. They have the NFL MVP in Ladanian Tomlinson. They have maybe the best defensive player in the league in Shawne Merriman, yet it must be something in the water Marty gives to his players - they get to the playoffs and stupid mistakes come out of nowhere. Take yesterday for example, in the second half after stopping the Patriots on a key third down where they would have been forced to punt, Chargers Safety Drayton Florence inexplicably head-butts a Patriot right in front of the ref and gets a 15 yard personal foul. The Pats get a Field Goal out of it to cut the Charger lead to 14-13. Earlier in the game, Punt Returner Eric Parker dropped a punt and instead of falling on it, tried to pick it up and fumbled it again, The Pats recovered. The worst of all was that with six minutes left, 21-13 Chargers, 4th down, Chargers Safety Marlin McCree intercepts a Tom Brady pass and instead of falling down, gets stripped of the ball and the Patriots recovered. In typical Marty-luck fashion, the Patriots scored a TD and 2 point conversion to tie the game and eventually got the ball back again and won 24-21. Marty isn't blameless - he cost his team a key time out after challenging McCree's fumble which a blame man could see wouldn't be overturned. This cost the Chargers their last timeout that they could have used on the final drive, which ended with a missed 54 yard field goal. Also, the conservative Marty has been trying so hard to shed his image, that he strangely went for a 4th and 11 in the first quarter instead of kicking a very make able 49 yard Field Goal from his all-pro kicker. I've watched Marty's career since it started here in Cleveland in 1984. He is as nice of a man as their is in coaching. Mr "do it our way, one play at a time" may be the most snake-bitten coach in all of pro sports. I feel very sorry for him today. He must be thinking that he will never get his chance to win the big one.

Speaking of "The Drive, " last week was the 20 year anniversary of a day that will live in Cleveland Sports infamy; John Elway's 98 yard drive to tie the AFC Championship game and force overtime in Cleveland. I'd like to go back to that day. A week earlier, the Browns had beaten the Jets in a double OT thriller 23-20. The Browns were down 20-10 with about 3 minutes left and my father led the troops out of the stadium. Some of our family stayed, but most of us left. As we arrived at the AFC title game, the entire section was giving my father shit for leaving early. He never was able to live that down. I remember it in bits and pieces, but some of it is so vivid. In the 4th quarter Brian Brennan caught a long TD pass from Bernie Kosar to give the Browns a 20-13 lead. I don't ever remember being in a louder football stadium. I totally remember MD and I jumping up and down yelling "we're going to the Super Bowl! We're going to the Super Bowl!" We were so excited. Then we kicked the ball off, the Broncos muffed it and ended up on their own 2 yard line, needing to go 98 yards into the Dawg Pound to tie the game." Under normal circumstances, Dad would have gone down to get the car, bring it up to the top of the hill, and ran back into the stadium to see the finish. But after the debacle of the week before, he wouldn't do it. You know the rest. John Elway picked us apart, The Broncos tied the game on "The Drive" and won it in overtime on a Rich Karlis field goal that I still think was no good. My next memory was all of us sitting in dead silence stuck not moving in the parking lot. Dad was so bitter.

If you haven't had a chance, you must read the excerpts that were released from OJ Simpson's cancelled book, "If I did it." We all know that he did it. He knows he did it. The fact that he actually put this book together screams out that he wants to tell everyone he did it. The book is supposedly "ficticious" accounts of how he planned and carried out the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. The excerpts are so telling and make so much sense, that its almost as if he wants to confess because he is proud of his work. My favorite: He enters through a broken back gate—he's told her a "million times" to get the buzzer and latch fixed—and encounters Goldman, who is returning the glasses of Nicole's mother, Juditha. She had left them at Mezzaluna, where the Brown family dined after Sydney's recital and where Goldman is a waiter. Simpson accuses Goldman of planning a sexual encounter with Nicole, which Goldman denies. Nicole tells Simpson to leave him alone. Goldman's fate is sealed when Kato, Nicole's Akita, emerges and gives him a friendly tail wag. "You've been here before," Simpson screams at Goldman.... Simpson writes that his ex-wife came at him like a "banshee." She loses her balance and falls hard, her head cracking against the ground. Goldman assumes a karate stance, further angering Simpson. He dares the younger man to fight. Then, in the book, Simpson pulls back. He writes, "Then something went horribly wrong, and I know what happened, but I can't tell you exactly how." Everyone was obsessed with "The Trial of The Century." If you, like my mother in law Stacey who according to Max "majored in OJ" during that time period, you have to check out the line above and read this article. Is there a bigger piece of crap on earth than OJ? What's crazy is that there are women out there that actually date this guy!

I was watching 60 Minutes last night and saw a story and interview with the parents of the three Duke Lacrosse players accused of rape last year. Since I last discussed this, all of the rape charges had been dropped due to lack of evidence. Last week, the Durham district attorney Mike Nifong asked the court to remove him from the case, just a few weeks after the Rape charges were dropped. The charges of kidnapping and sexual assault are still in play. So in last night's interview, Lesley Stahl uncovered a bombshell and shows again why these three students have been completely railroaded and their lives ruined by Nifong who took the word of a stripper over 99.9% accurate DNA evidence. Check this from the transcript: Dr. Brian Meehan was hired by District Attorney Mike Nifong to conduct DNA testing on evidence collected hours after the alleged attack last March. What Meehan discovered in his lab has undermined the prosecution's case because he found DNA on the rape kit and the accuser's underwear that belonged to at least four unidentified men, none from any of the lacrosse players. But when Meehan issued a report of his findings, he left out that potentially exculpatory information about the other men. "I said it was an error," Meehan replies. "It was an error in judgment on my part."

The key here is that the D.A. was required by law to turn that information over to the defense in the first place. He didn’t do that until a judge ordered him to six months after he learned about the DNA belonging to other men. What's more, during that time, the D.A. told the court he was "not aware of any additional information" which may be exculpatory. Asked if Nifong was lying, Meehan says, "Well, I know that I told him. I sat down in our conference room and went over all of the information in this case with him." Four days after Stahl interviewed him, Meehan submitted an amended report with all his findings. There was probably nobody more shocked by Meehan’s testimony about the DNA than the parents of the three boys who have been indicted – Collin Finnerty's parents, Kevin and Mary Ellen, David Evans' parents, David Sr. and Rae and Reade Seligmann's folks, Kathy and Phil. They were all in the courtroom that day.

"Well, while we were sitting there, and the information came out, and someone then, behind us, passed the note and said on the note it said, 'Oh my God. He knew this on April 10th.' And we knew that our boys had been indicted on April 17th. And Mary Ellen turned to me and said, 'I'm shaking so hard, I think I'm going to pass out right now.' And we had to hold on to each other," remembers Kathy Seligmann. "But let me get—you’re saying that on April 10th, Mr. Nifong was told that your boys had left no—," Stahl asks. "No DNA, not a speck," Seligmann says. "But that there was evidence of other men. And days after he was told that, he indicted them for rape?" Stahl asks. "Right, yeah," she replies.

These three students will for sure be found innocent if this case ever gets to trial. What's sad about it is that even though they most likely didn't do this, the stigma will be with them forever and their lives pretty much have been ruined. Mike Nifong deserves to pay. He must now defend himself against ethics charges that could lead to his being stripped of his law license. One can hope he does and can no longer make a living.

I know tonight is the Golden Globe awards and under normal circumstances, I would watch. It is clearly the only award show worth watching. But I've got the big Missouri/Kansas border war game on ESPN at 9 PM. This is the 100th year of this great rivalry and the games never disappoint. No matter how bad Missouri is and how good Kansas may be, they always play us tough. Back to the Golden Globes, I am hoping that Borat wins for either best Comedy or that Sasha Baron Cohen wins best actor in a comedy movie. My guess is that he shows up as Borat and makes a mockery of the awards show. that would be pretty epic. The Departed better win something as well. That was the best drama I have seen in years.

Song of the Day: "Lil Ghetto Boy" by Dr. Dre

Day 219

First off, let me congratulate Dave, Jessica, and all of my other Gator fans out there on their 44-14 ass-kicking of Ohio State Monday night. Ok, so I was WAY off on my prediction of the National Championship game (see Buckeye fans Ags and KC in happier times before kickoff). Tell me after Teddy Ginn returned the opening kickoff for a TD you didn’t think the Buckeyes were going to steamroll Florida? I know I did. Florida put on a display of speed on both sides of the ball that had to be seen to be believed. The Florida pass rushers made Ohio State offensive line looked like a high school team. This stat says it all - Heisman Trophy winning QB Troy Smith was sacked more time (5) than he completed passes (4). The only part of my pregame analysis that was on was that Florida Coach Urban Meyer’s offensive schemes were cutting edge. The Buckeye D had no answer for them. Not bad being a Florida grad these days – They now hold the National Championships in Football and Basketball at the same time. As they say in Gainesville, “its great…..to be…..a Florida Gator.”

Is there anything worse than when the jackass in the row in front of you reclines for no reason? Just for the sake of reclining? Now I know that many of you do not fly regularly and think this probably isn’t a big deal. Probably not. But I’m flying Continental. They definitely have the tightest seats row to row than any other airline I am used to flying (United is a close second – not surprisingly, rumors are out there that United wants to buy Continental). ATA was the alltime worst. They used to be a hub at Midway Airport in Chicago and from time to time, I would have to take them. My running joke was that ATA stood for “ass to ass” because the seats for so tight. But I digress. There is little to no room in these coach seats to begin with, throw in the reclining and the computer I am typing on right now is literally in my stomach. I don’t want you to think its some big 6’5 230 pound guy in front of me. This guy is my size at the most. So now I have to recline and the guy behind me is bitter. It’s a chain reaction now. No need to sweat the small stuff, just my observation for the day.

So I am typing this entry on my flight to Houston. I am literally flying 5 hours in a plane for a 45 minute meeting. No client dinner, nothing. I’m flying there, getting picked up by my rep, having lunch, going to the meeting, and flying back. Seems like a lot of a little, but its all about face time and making sure this portion of the country is running smooth for my largest account. Flying in and out of Cleveland is a pleasure though. I left my house at 7:15 for an 8:30 flight and made it in no time. No long security lines to worry about, no headaches.

Speaking of running smoothly, lets move on to our President. Last night he addressed the nation about his new plan for Iraq. Now I won’t lie to you, I didn’t watch one second of it. Kansas/Oklahoma State was on at the same time. It was a battle of two top 10 teams and you know I can’t miss a second of my boys (we played our best game of the year and destroyed them 87-57). However, I have been reading articles from the USA Today and Plain Dealer this morning. There are now 140,000 U.S. troops in Iraq. Bush’s plan calls for the deployment of an additional 21,500 troops in Baghdad. This is completely opposite of what the Iraq Study Group Commission suggested in their report in December. Democrats and many Republican leaders all think this is a bad idea. Kansas Republican Senator Sam Brownback (not one of my favorites by the way – the guy is a big time God-squadder) said last night “adding more troops is the wrong answer. Iraq requires a political rather than a military solution.” Its mass chaos, our troops are being killed everyday so what’s his solution? Send more troops into the line of fire? Unbelievable. His point is that we need more troops to control and slow down the violence there. He set no real timetable for withdrawal and is essentially staying on the same bad course we have been on since we entered this disastrous war. The Study Group also advised that Bush set benchmarks for Iraqi progress and cut U.S. support unless they are reached. Bush instead demanded political progress by the Iraqi government but did so without any threatened penalties. So in other words, the Iraqi government and continue to dilly-dally around while we try to control everything. That won’t work. My favorite quote that I read today came back Jan 10 of last year when he said “When victory comes and democracy takes hold in Iraq, it will serve as a model for freedom in the Middle East.” He then went on to predict that U.S. forces would be reduced in a few months and called Democratic critics of the war “irresponsible.” Has there ever been a bigger hypocrite to ever hold the Presidency? Critics of the war are irresponsible, but he wasn’t irresponsible for getting us into this giant mess? I give him credit for one thing, for the first time, he acknowledged publicly that he is at fault: “Where mistakes have been made, the responsibility lies with me.” NO SHIT! One of the great days in this country’s history will be January 1, 2009 when he is no longer running our great nation.

Now on to something really important. We are really getting down to crunch time here with the baby. People ask me all the time about how am I feeling. I am so excited, but I am also so nervous. If one more person tells me “your life is about to dramatically change forever,” I’m gonna puke. I don’t know what I am doing, but do any first time parents really know? What’s funny is that in the paper the other day there was an ad for Billy Joel tickets going on sale this Saturday. The show is April 13th. I asked Leah if she wanted to go and she said yes. Then she paused and said “you know we are going to have to find a baby sitter.” That is when it really sunk in. This is really happening and soon!

This week the baby’s room is being painted, as is the dining room (finally, no more Purple Rain in there). Our baby classes are essentially done, although Leah has a breast feeding class Saturday morning. So Leah wanted me to go to the class for me, which to me, is pointless. I won’t be breast feeding, it has nothing to do with me, so why go? Leah wanted me to go for support. So I enlisted some friendly advice from people who were put in the same situation. Overwhelmingly, the consensus was don’t go. Other than catching a glimpse of some random chicks cans, there is no upside. My buddy Steve Lurie advised me that it is a “giant mistake for a guy to go.” Needless to say, I won’t be attending. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for Leah, but this time I have to pass.

I had a conversation the other day with Jeremy about concerts and he said that the two U2 shows he saw were the best concerts he has ever been too and that they are clearly now his #2 all time favorite band behind The Beatles. That got me thinking, U2 is probably the biggest band in the world right now and has been for some time. P and I have discussed this recently as well. They are like The Beatles where you rarely find anyone who dislikes their music. Like John Lennon, U2’s front man Bono is a global/politically-minded voice. They have lasted now almost three decades and continue to put out great music that speaks to the times. The difference with The Beatles was that they were the trend setters. They set the music culture and everyone followed. U2’s music has evolved with the times. There is one thing that seems to be universal with everyone you talk to, nobody puts on a better live show than U2.

Lastly, in Cleveland Sports News:
-The Indians were working hard to sign left-handed pitcher Mark Mulder. He instead took a two-year deal to return to the St. Louis Cardinals. Always a bridesmaid, never a bride. We continue to get used as leverage by free agents to get money from other teams.
I still cannot wait for the season to start. Even if Casey Blake is going to be playing everyday again.

-The Cavaliers started their 7 game west-coast trip with a win in Sacramento and are starting to play some good ball. Not coincidentally, the play of former KU-star Drew Gooden has been the difference during their 5 game winning streak (and 8 of 9). He is averaging 21 and 12 rebounds. Lebron continues to look tired to me and while he is an incredible talent, I think he has regressed a little this year. Lets see where he is come late April when the playoffs begin.

-As I have told all of my friends who want to discuss the Browns coaching staff changes, I have called for a moratorium on all Browns talk until the draft in April.

Song of the Day: “With or Without You” by U2

Day 218

First weekend back in Cleveland was nice and relaxing. Friday was Leah's birthday, as well and my grandmother's. So Mom, Leah, Grandmom, and I went to Bluepoint Grille to celebrate. It literally poured all day and night Friday, but I am glad we went. Of all the nice restaurants in Cleveland, that is the one I have never been to and always wanted to go to. This was my first real meal of the week, so I was very much looking forward to it. It also worked out well with the diet. I split a salad with Leah and had Yellowfin Tuna. I won't lie, it was painful to watch Leah and my Grandmom split this amazing looking chocolate pecan desert. Good thing I was stuffed. We had a real nice time and it is always a pleasure to dine with my three favorite ladies in the world. The next morning we had a three hour baby basics course. We learned how to bathe, diaper, and feed and got a lot of our questions answered. The crazy thing was all the photos they showed us of rashes, bumps, etc, to look for. The swollen scrotum was really interesting. YIKES! Overall though it was very informative. I have never changed a diaper in my life, so I got in some practice. The whole time I kept thinking to myself "this is really happening." In the group of 12, I was surprised to hear that 11 couples knew what they were having, and 8 of them were having boys.

In regards to the diet, week one has passed. I won't lie, there were several times this week where all I could think about was food and I was starving. Its mind over matter. I've got to allow a few weeks to get past the initial "oh my goodness, I am starving, this sucks" shock, and then I'm ok. Just gotta allow time for the stomach to shrink so I can get full faster. I know this sounds ridiculous, but its the only way for me. I'm just like my dad - I have no idea about the concept of moderation. I allow myself to get to a weight where I have no business being, try the moderation plan, its backfires, I wait a few more months, and then go to the soup/starvation diet. It has to be this way, I can't cheat at all and have to deprive myself of everything bad or else it won't work. Yesterday was especially hard. I went to brunch at the Original House of Pancakes with Leah's grandparents and ordered a bowl of oatmeal. As a wise man once said "It is what it is." Today I am back on my normal Monday-Friday schedule of Soup for lunch, maybe an apple of string cheese around 3:30-4, then a Lean Cuisine for dinner. Sounds great doesn't it?

So at 4:30 am this morning, I hear what I think is my alarm go off, when I see its that early and realize its the house alarm. Its pouring rain and windy outside at this time. I walk over to the alarm panel in my bedroom and it says "garage entry door." So now, Mr. tough guy has to walk downstairs and see what is going on. Now living in "Mayberry," there isn't exactly a lot of crime going on. Casey of course wasn't the least bit scared and she went right down the stairs with me to check it out. With nothing in my hands (probably not a good idea), I walked to the entry door and saw the door was open. It was pouring and windy outside, so I looked down and saw no wet footprints or anything. It looked as though the wind was strong enough to blow the door open, which obviously wasn't closed well enough. I checked the rest of the house and it was ok. So of course Leah and I both had a hard time going back to sleep, but Casey had no such issues. The main problem for me was the Casey snoring combined with her for some reason curling up by my neck. So I clearly didn't get much sleep.

The Game: How this comes into play is that I need to stay up tonight for the big game for all the marbles. The Ohio State Buckeyes take on the Florida Gators in College Football's national championship game. You should see how much hype this game is getting here. i get it, Cleveland is big time Buckeye-country. It has been the lead story on the news every night this past week and the cover story in the newspaper. I'm just sick of waiting for this game already. Nothing like waiting 50 plus (OSU) and 40 plus (UF) days between playing games. Really makes for a crisp couple of teams. I have gone on record saying I think the BCS system is ridiculous and we are long overdue for a playoff. The other major problem with the college game is the length of these games. Why do they find it necessary to reset the chains after every first down? They don't do it in the NFL and the games are a half hour shorter on average. If you live in the eastern time zone as I do, this game will be over well past midnight. No doubt I will watch the whole thing. With all that said about college football, there is still nothing better than the pageantry of a big game Saturday on campus. Its just hard for me to be hardcore into a sport where 1)my college program is average at best, and 2) one loss and you are essentially out of the national title chase. I am so jealous though of my friends who are out there. Dave has become a junior me with attending the sporting events. He is out there rooting on his Gators. he has also been to the Alabama game, the SEC championship game in Atlanta, the OSU/Florida basketball game in December, and the National Championship game and Final Four last April. Gotta give the man his due. K, Ags and my man KC are out there supporting their Buckeyes. After going to both the Texas and Michigan games this year, I told Ags he had to be out there to see this thing through.

The Analysis: I think the two best teams are playing tonight. I have watched OSU and Florida more than any other teams this year; OSU because I live in the heart of Buckeye country, and Florida because I happened to be with Dave (Florida Grad) twice during big Florida games and with my father in law (Florida fan) during another. I also think SEC football is about 1000 times more watchable than any other conference in the country. I will watch a LSU/Florida or a Arkansas/Auburn game way before I am watching Michigan/Penn State or Wisconsin/Purdue. There will be a ton of potential pro's on the field tonight and we should be in for a dandy.Florida's coach Urban Meyer is one of the top offensive minds in the sport. Rafal and I went to the Fiesta Bowl three years ago when Meyer coached Utah to a blowout win over Pittsburgh. The whole game were talked about how amazed we were at his cutting edge offensive schemes. Ohio State's Jim Tressel may be the best big game coach right now in any sport. He is 5-1 against arch-rival Michigan and 4-1 in bowl games. Heisman Trophy winning QB Troy Smith may be as good in big games as his coach. He is 3-0 against Michigan and 3-0 in Bowl games. Their offense as a whole is a sight to see. There may be no better offense in the country. Florida's defense though possesses the speed that the Buckeyes have not seen all year. Watch out for DB Reggie Nelson. He is the emotional leader of this team and will be playing with a heavy heart after losing his mother to breast cancer in late December. The big matchup are those stud Buckeye WR's against the veteran battle tested Florida secondary. The Gators do it on offense with the great schemes of Meyer. QB Chris Leak has been up and down all season, but lookout for backup QB and short yardage king QB Tim Tebow. When he comes in, its almost always a run for a first down. He is a beast. Leak's favorite target though is WR Dallas Baker. The key speed guy and the guy who makes them go is WR Percy Harvin. There may be no faster player in the nation, not even OSU speedster Ted Ginn. When Harvin touches the ball, he is always a threat to go the distance. He will test that Buckeye Defense who lost 9 starters from last years #3 ranked squad but hasn't missed a beat.

The prediction: As I said earlier, I know these two teams better than any other two in college football. I think Florida will keep in close in the first half, but their mistake prone QB Chris Leak will cost them dearly at some point. OSU RB's Antonio Pittman and Beanie Wells will wear down the Florida defense and Smith will hit two big plays to Ginn and fellow WR Brian Robiske. WR Anthony Gonzalez will too have a big game. In the end, you give Sen~ior Sweatervest himself, Jim Tressel 50 days to prepare for anyone, he isn't going to lose. Ohio State 31 Florida 21

Song of the Day: "Steppin to the A.M." by 3rd Bass

Day 217

Ok. Lots to recap so I will go in short form:

-Leah and I spent our New Years Eve with the Rafal's at their Scottsdale home. The four of us (and young Winter) dined on Leah's artichoke dip teaser (A+), salad, steaks, potatoes, and Asparagus. I was stuffed, but made sure I made room for my last desert for a few months - a Carol's Cookie sundae. They sell the famous Carol's Cookies at a gourmet grocer in Scottsdale so we brought them over with ice cream and hot fudge. We started early and went back to Leah's parents about 11:15. We tried our hardest to stay up until midnight, but just couldn't make it. I had been out the night before and got banged up with Rafal and another friend of his. I didn't get my customary daily two hour vacation nap in. We did see midnight in the East on TV.

-I am in full starvation diet mode. The last two days it has been soup for lunch and Lean Cusine's for dinner. I know that people say that moderation is the way (Mark P), but for me, its all or nothing. I have to be able to skip out on everything good for 6-8 weeks to get down to where I need to be. It has become an annual event. Once I get past that first couple of weeks, I'm ok. Those first two weeks are tough.

-In regards to New Years Eve, I heard a clip of Dick Clark on New Years Eve on ABC. It is beyond sad. I'm surprised that he would want to put himself out there looking and sounding the way he does after his stroke two years ago. I felt so bad for him.

-While we were away the king of awful human beings, Saddam Hussein, was executed. He was hung to death. In the sick world we live in, the video is up on youtube. We had a conversation about the death penalty and interestingly, my sister in law Jessica's take was that while Hussein definitely deserved to die, hanging is too cruel of a way to kill someone. I thought that was quite interesting, and quite crazy. Bottom line, Hussein oversaw the murders and rapes of thousands of people in Iraq and stories of how he tortured not only women, but the athletes who played for the Iraqi national teams were astounding. To me, the guy should have been strung up by his balls, had his eyes gauged out with a knife, and ravaged by a pack of angry Lions.

-On a happier note, the reason I didn't get in my nap on the 31st was because Leah and I went to see MD's kids. Stacey came with us (she is a team player) and brought both Casey and her dog Bailey with us. Both Jace and Reese have been calling for Casey for weeks. Everytime I talk to either of them, they ask "how's Casey." Reese only says words, not sentences yet. He favorite words seem to be "Todd," "Beah," and "Casey." The best though is after meeting Bailey, she would look at both dogs and say "Cayley." Classic. The kids were cute as usual and we had fun watching them run around after the dogs. The ex-Mrs MD was actually not so bad. We did have a frosty hello - she gave Leah and her mom hugs and I walked right by her to grab Reese. Reese gave me a huge hug as I picked her up, and she wouldn't let go for 15 minutes. I'm sure the ex loved that! Anyways, it was great as always to see the kids and made me even more excited to have my own soon.

-Speaking of my son, we had an ultrasound yesterday morning. The boy was looking good and progressing well. they told us he was in the 50th percentile (whatever that means), currently weighs 4 lbs, 6 oz, and has hair already. I'm know, your shocked - my kid has hair. I told my boss that and he said "knowing you, the kid will come out with hair on his balls already." They also told us that the due date may have shifted now to the 22nd of February. Leah wants him out early as she is more and more uncomfortable each day. I think she is going to get her wish. The date I think he is coming will be February 17th.

-Last night, we attended an infant CRP class. After the first 30 minutes, Leah turned to me and said "I forgot how much I hate classes." It turned out to be very informative and interesting. We learned about child safety in the home, how to administer CPR on an infant, how to stop a baby from choking, and how to give the Heimlich Manuver. We have our baby basics class this Saturday morning. This is where I learn proper techniques on bathing, putting on diapers, etc. Since I know nothing, this should be good.

-I just found out this morning that the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament this year have sites in Columbus and Chicago. With the new pod system that is in place, the top three seeds in each region are placed as close to their campus as possible. I saw all of the other sites and Chicago is definitely the closest site for my KU Jayhawks. I'm sure with my luck, KU will be playing their first two games in Chicago now that I no longer live there.

-I wish I could have stayed up to see it, but the finish of the Fiesta Bowl Monday night was one of the alltime classics in college football history. Boise State was leading the whole game before Oklahoma came roaring back. Down 28-20, they scored 15 points in the last minute and a half, including an interception runback for a TD to stun the Boise State team and fans. Now trailing by seven, Boise needed a miracle. Its 4th down and 18, 17 seconds left, Boise State ran the old Hook and Ladder play to perfection and scored the game tying TD to force overtime. In OT, Oklahoma's stud Adrian Peterson's scored on the first play, giving OU the seven point lead. Boise State was stuck with another 4th down situation needing a TD. They put their backup wide receiver at QB, and had him throw a pass to the corner to their tight end who scored. Instead of kicking the extra point and going for the tie, they went for two and the win. QB Jared Zabransky took a shotgun snap, faked a pass to the corner, and handed the ball behind his back to RB Kyle Johnson who ran into the end zone for the 42-41 thrilling win. After the play, Johnson ran to the sidelines, got on his knee and proposed to his girlfriend, a Boise State cheerleader. All I can say is wow.

-This Britney Spears is too much. She had quite the year. She gave birth to her second child with that wanna-be lose K-Fed, dropped Fed-Ex and started going out every night getting loaded, gets photographed with no panties on which is seen all over the Internet, and now comes New Years Eve. She passes out just after midnight at her own party at the Las Vegas club Pure. I nominate her for mother of the year. What a friggin disgrace she has become. She should just pose for Playboy and get it over with already. Meanwhile, on the 30th, my brother in law texted me from work (he is a sous chef at the hottest restaurant in Scottsdale, Olive and Ivy) saying Britney was there. The next day we had brunch there and our waiter said not only did she smoke like a chimney (the restaurant is non-smoking), but she left a very skimpy tip. Supposedly she was seen later that night with Cardinals QB Matt Leinart. I say gossip Perez Hilton has nothing on me.

-Casey seems a little depressed about being back home. She definitely misses her grandma and her new friend Bailey. They say dogs get back at you after you leave them for a while. I didn't believe that theory until Tuesday morning when I was greeted by a big Casey dump on the dining room floor.

-Has anyone ever parlayed success and played one job off another quite like Nick Saban? Yesterday, the Miami Dolphins coach accepted a 8 year, $32 million offer to take over the reins at the University of Alabama, just 2 weeks after saying in a press conference "can we stop talking about this? I am not going to take the Alabama job." While he is rightfully being called a liar by every media outlet, you have to hand it to the guy. After he won the 2004 National Title at LSU, he was approached by the Dolphins to take over their entire organization. He got a huge deal, hemmed and hawed, and took the job that made him one of the top three highest paid coaches in the NFL. With the Alabama job, he is now the highest paid coach in all of college football. All of this in a span of two and a half years. Pretty amazing.

-Finally, tomorrow my beautiful, 8-month pregnant wife Leah turns 31. I have told my readers several times how amazing she is and how much I love her, so I won't bore you with more of the same. But I have to tell you that she has been such a good soldier during her pregnancy. She is obviously getting more uncomfortable as the days go by - he feet swell from time to time and her back gets sore. Like any pregnant women, it is hard for her to sleep comfortably. But she is managing well. I know her better than anyone, but I cannot wait to see her in a new light, as a mother. She is going to be amazing. I also have to send a happy birthday out to my grandmother, who turns 93 tomorrow. She is truly an inspiration to us all. Both birthday girls, my mom, and I will be dining at Bluepoint Grill tomorrow night to celebrate.

Song of the Day: "Around the World" by Red Hot Chili Peppers