It's Jimmy On...: It's Jimmy On Why the Holiday Season Can Be a Grea...

It's Jimmy On...: It's Jimmy On Why the Holiday Season Can Be a Grea...: It is that time of year again.  Leaves are falling from the trees and there is a hint of Arctic chill in the air. Retailers have wrapped u...

Day One, 2014

Happy New Year!  Today is the first day of 2014 and, of course, today is the day we all make resolutions for the new year which we will stick to for exactly 72 hours (or maybe even an entire week) before going back to our previous ways.

Some people will resolve to be healthier or to lose weight in 2014.  Others aim to be kinder to strangers and to spend more time with the most important people in their lives.  Still others will make promises to themselves and others to go back to school, get a better job, and quit putting off that project they've been putting off for so long.

I'm not unlike others, though I have an unfair advantage over others who made New Year's resolutions.  First, I began my healthy resolution on December 30 by unfreezing my gym membership and getting in there to work out before the new year.  So, technically I did not wait until 2014 to begin my journey to get back in shape, lose 50 pounds of fat and put on 20 pounds of muscle.  

Also, because I successfully quit using tobacco products cold turkey last year at this time simply by deciding I was done smoking and dipping, I know I can successfully reach my goals once I set my mind to it.  Cutting WAY back on the alcohol in the past 2 years has also had a tremendous impact on my mindset, sense of accomplishment and clarity and enjoyment of life.

Look, all it takes is 21 days to make or break a habit, so as long as I'm vigilant at the start of the year, momentum will take care of the rest.

My other resolutions this year include focusing on putting others' needs ahead of my own in the spirit of "he who is first shall be last and he who is last shall be first."  I want to help others and to serve others, both in my profession and in my personal life, so that by giving more of myself I will receive infinitely more in return.

I want to be the best husband, friend, adviser, Realtor, writer, athlete--you name it--I can be and 2014 is the year it all kicks into gear.

I'm letting go of negativity and stress and creating a positive environment between my ears so that I have the energy and mindset to succeed in 2014.

My other goals include writing at least a little bit every day, becoming a full-time independent contractor through Real Estate and freelance writing and marketing work (with Real Estate being my full-time job and the main bread winner), buying my first house and (God willing) becoming a father, doubling my income from 2013, playing more than 30 rounds of golf (and breaking 80 at least 5 times) and catching a billfish on the Gulf of Mexico.

What's that saying?  Shoot for the moon and you may hit a star?  I'm aiming for the heavens in 2014.  Who's coming along for the ride?

Charlotte Sports Hub: Charlotte Bobcats Need a Do-It-All Big Man to Solidify the Post; Mullens and Biyombo Not Providing the Answers

Charlotte Sports Hub: Charlotte Bobcats Need a Do-It-All Big Man to Solidify the Post; Mullens and Biyombo Not Providing the Answers

Bleacher Report

Well, I've been writing on Bleacher Report off and on for a few years now, but recently I decided to step it up a notch. So, I applied for and earned the title Featured Columnist and now I'm writing articles on assignment for the first time ever.

There's a ton to learn about how to put together the best articles, whether to use standard format or slideshow, and how to maximize SEO, or search engine optimization.

I haven't even figured out how to add my twitter feed to my Bleacher Report page, but I'm gonna! Right now, I'm in the process of linking Jim's Jabs to my B/R profile.

Wish me luck and keep checking back! Oh, and you can read my sports articles for B/R at http://bleacherreport.com/users/52423-jimmy-grappone

Till next time!

HP's Loss, Samsung's Gain - My Decision to Purchase a Galaxy Tab 10.1 for Full Retail

I went to sleep last night and woke up this morning fully intent on diving head first into the HP Touchpad fire sale that had geeks camping out in front of Best Buy for the recently discontinued WebOS tablet going for a fifth of its initial launch price just 7 weeks earlier.
Much to my dismay, my friend I planned to meet in front of Best Buy along with his 2 y.o. daughter, called me as I was lacing up my running shoes and announced that our "early morning" efforts were futile thanks to the 100+ geeks who camped overnight outside the big blue box store with a Saturday morning shipment of 60 Touchpads.
I was initially upset I wouldn't get a tablet today at a bargain price, apps or no apps, which was the main reason for the disappointment of early adapters. Well, that and the fact that HP jumpkicked WebOS to the curb.
I feel bad for the HP marketers that had to tell Manny Pacquiao the product he promoted was about to get KTFO!!
However, I was so enamored by the idea of owning a tablet that I started looking at the iPad when I finally visited my local Best Buy campsite 20 mins AFTER the store opened and for the first time considered paying $500 for a tablet.
I went home to ruminate over the decision - after a trip to Lowe's to look at faux wood flooring for my girlfriend's recently flooded kitchen floor - and returned to another Best Buy around 1pm, fully expecting to purchase a 16GB WiFi iPad2.
Admittedly, I read a few iPad2 reviews on my Android phone between BB visits and arrived ready to purchase an Apple tablet, though once in the store, I googled and read another review on my phone - iPad2 v Gingerbread tabs - and made a snap decision to purchase the 16GB Samsung Galaxy Tab complete w/case, screen protectors and docking keyboard.
My decision to go w/Android over Apple ultimately hinged on the review which favored the customization of Android products and the comparable specs on the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1.
That, along with 18-month interest free financing and a new policy that waives restocking fees. I guess there is an advantage to a down economy when it comes to purchasing high end ticket items!
I entered the tablet market two days earlier when a friend came home with a Touchpad and the speed and ferocity with which I decided I needed a tablet in my life was phenomenal, particularly considering I've sold a limited array of Tablets for T-Mobile for nearly a year now.
Long story short, the readiness of information and first-adapter reviews certainly influenced my purchasing decision and I'd be willing to bet that HP's firesale not only cleared most shelves of the Touchpad, but also influenced increased - if not record - tablet sales this weekend and likely benefitted Android tablets across the various manufacturers more than iPad sales.

PGA Championship Wraps Up a Great Majors Season

Great finish to a great Majors season. Looking back, Charl Schwartzel held off a group of nearly a dozen late contenders to win the Masters, Rory McIlroy lit up the golf world and almost got us to forget about Tiger with his record setting US Open performance, Darren Clarke won an emotional British Open as the sentimental favorite and a couple of relative unknowns in Keegan Bradley and Jason Dufner provided the most exciting and nerve-wracking finale of the year based on what was at stake.
I would say I can't wait till they tee it up at The Masters, but then I'd be forgetting that we have an NFL and college football season, the MLB Playoffs and World Series, the Daytona 500 and March Madness between now and then. Man, I love sports!

Read more: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/08/14/2529398/pga-win-included-comeback-collapse.html#ixzz1V4SEXs8s

In Anticipation of Marshalling at the Wells Fargo Golf Championship at Quail Hollow C.C. (Charlotte, NC)

In just seven short days I will be among hundreds of marshalls and thousands of other volunteers working behind the scenes of the PGA's Wells Fargo - formerly Wachovia and Quail Hollow - Golf Championship at Quail Hollow Country Club in Charlotte, NC.

My official tournament shirts and wind breaker arrived via FedEx sometime last week and I am set to pick up my official tournament credentials and hat at South Meck High School this weekend. After that I will head on over to the golf course for a walk-through and team meeting with my hole captain and fellow marshalls on the tenth hole.

Many people have asked me if I will be paid to work the tournament and my standard reply is, "No, I'm paying to work it!"

After gauging their universally quizzical facial expressions, I explain that I purchased a couple of $100 polo golf shirts, a short sleeved golf jacket, a hat, a 7-day tournament pass, two tickets to bestow upon a lucky friend or two, food vouchers and all the snacks I care to eat for the price of one of those shirts.

For this relatively small cost, I get the opportunity to watch - and possibly interact with - the world's greatest golfers in one of the PGA's highest profile non-Major events while helping ensure the event is pulled off as seamlessly as possible and with minimal distraction to the players.

My good friend, Kevin, and I first attended the tournament shortly after I first moved to Charlotte in 2006 and he immediately decided to sign up to work the tournament as a marshall, which he has done since 2008.

I finally signed up for the volunteer list in 2009 and after waiting two years, I learned in February that I'd been selected to join the team of marshalls on Hole 10.

The 10th hole is the longest Par 5 on the course, approaching and sometimes surpassing 600 yards in length from tee-to-green.

As for my role, I don't know much besides the fact that I'll hold up "Quiet Please!" signs, direct traffic and help locate the occassional wayward shot.

I will work the Thursday and Friday rounds and I am expected to be at the 10th hole ready to go around 6:30 AM. Parking is horrendous and expensive at the course, so I will take advantage of the free shuttle service running from nearby Carowinds Amusement Park just ten minutes from my house.

The first two days of the tournament have a larger field than the weekend rounds because no cuts are made until the conclusion of Friday's round, so there will likely be upwards of 140 players crowding the course during my shifts.

Tiger Woods will not be among the entrants, though, despite his assertion that this is among his favorite tournaments, due to a knee injury he aggravated at The Masters earlier this month.

While I always enjoy the opportunity to see Tiger play up close and in person, his absence will likely make my job easier since I will not have to deal with living, breathing, roaring mass of humanity that is a Tiger Woods golf gallery.

Due to the size of the field in the first two days, half of the players will tee off on the first hole and half will tee of on number ten.

This means I have to be ready to work bright and early, but it also means my marshalling duties will be complete earlier than most of my compatriots around the course since the finishing holes will be the 9th and 18th.

Thus, I will be free to either enjoy an hour or so of golf as a casual observer or head home early to catch the highlights on SportCenter.

I am excited about my upcoming experience as a first-time marshall in a PGA event and I look forward to sharing more about my experiences over the course of the next week and a half, both as a volunteer and as an observer and fan.

On the Role of Our Federal Government in Response to a Friend's Facebook Post and the Ensuing Response

Education, infrastructure (tech and transportation), healthcare, sustainable energy, safe food and water, R&D. This is where we need to be spending domestically and not pouring so much into the military industrial complex. I'm all for defense, but we need to not be so liberal with our military spending, it has gotten out of control.
There are over 300 million people living here, in this country, and we need to refocus on the "homies" and the "homeland" moreso than simply Homeland Defense. I support our military and the people risking their lives to defend our nation - what they do is both admirable and noble - but it's just like with personal growth...you have to work on yourself before you can truly help others, and we are overextended throughout the world. (And NO, I have not forgotten 9/11 whatsoever).
We also need government to regulate corporations - ESPECIALLY finance and the healthcare industries - to the extent that they don't take advantage of their fellow citizens. The changes that have been made in credit card policy and lending, i.e., mortgages, in the past 2 years have been a boon to countless people who are or would be underwater financially b/c of predatory lending. Hell, I had a 30% interest rate b/c I was late on a credit card payment when I was 25 years old. Thankfully I finally wised up and got an installment loan with my credit union and I'm now paying it off at a much lower rate instead of pissing away interest payments for the next 20 years.
We live in a global economy and a tiny world. Anyone read Michael Friedman at all? "The World is Flat." Check it out. Gas prices are out of control, but demand is also way higher than it ever has been and, unfortunately, oil prices are set based on futures, meaning predictions about how supply and demand will look in the future, not how they presently exist. We desperately need to commit to R&D for clean, sustainable energy.
Sure we have the means and, I believe, a moral imperative, to help our friends and fellow global citizens around the world, especially those who are victims of natural disasters and oppresive regimes, but we need to take care of our own first and foremost.
Finally, back to the original point of my friend's post...Obama is an American. He's not the best negotiator when it comes to drawing a line in the sand and saying "this is how it is" the way Bush was. He came into Washington and tried to play nice with bullies. That's what we're taught to do in school and at home, but unfortunately that's not always the best strategy. Or at least not the most effective.
Our president is, however, patriotic, he does love America and he is trying to make this country be the best global citizen it can be and he wants to take care of his people at home, which in my mind, is the most important role our government should play.

Masters 2011: What a Final Round!

For any golfer and golf fan, this was something to see and one of the best Masters finishes ever, probably the most exciting I've seen. There was a stretch for what may have been 30 mins to an hour when the tv coverage went from one great/hugely important shot to another to another and another. I only feel for Rory, though, who I was pulling for to win. It was reminiscent of his 2nd round at the B.O. last year, shooting in the 80s the day after setting a course record at St Andrew's in the opening round, only the final day of a major, particularly the Masters, was such a bigger stage. Rory's body language, the untucked shirt...it was tough to see. Many of his holes on the back 9 reminded me of how I and most golfers I play with regularly react after a bad shot on a hole, only to follow up w/another bad shot and then another. But he was stilll all smiles at the end and he will be a champ. He is a good 5-6 years ahead of most of his peers. As for Scott, Jason Day, Van Pelt, Choi, Cabrera and Woods, they provided plenty of excitement and wonderful golf.

UNC Tar Heels Gut out Epic Win over Miami Hurricanes in ACC Tournament Thriller

This game was over, or so everyone watching thought.

Down by 19 points with less than 10 minutes to go, UNC seemed headed for a surefire defeat as the Miami Hurricanes looked poised for a second consecutive unlikely ACC Tournament win, following their stunning, last minute, 10-point comeback versus UVA just 24 hours earlier.

However, this time the tables would turn as Miami was forced to succumb to an epic comeback set for a spot in the annals of ACC Tournament lore.

The Tar Heels had a recent surge in the second half of the conference season coinciding with the abrupt departure of former starting point guard Larry Drew, which culminated in a regular season finale victory over archrival Duke and earned the Tar Heels the top overall seed in the ACC tourney.

However, UNC started this game flat and sloppy.

The Tar Heels turned the ball over 16 times in the first half. At one point in the game, head coach Roy Williams sat his entire starting lineup and scolded them on the bench while the "Blue Steel" team, a group primarily comprised of walk-ons and seldom used players, held on for their dear lives in a game that was quickly spiraling out of control for the Tar Heels.

The affable Roy Williams scolded his team during an early first half collapse versus the Hurricanes but was able to help his team find its way to a 61-59 comeback win in the second round of the ACC Tournament
Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

Miami led 31-22 at the break in what must have been UNC's lowest first half total of the season.

The game did not get any closer in the early parts of the second half and Miami's lead grew to 53-34 with just under ten minutes to go before North Carolina's improbable comeback run began.

Freshman star Harrison Barnes played solidly throughout the game, scoring a team-high 18 points on 7-13 shooting to go along with five rebounds. But suddenly, his running mates Kendall Marshall, John Henson and Tyler Zeller began to play as effectively as they often have during UNC's 14-2 ACC regular season.

Three-pointers started to fall, loose balls and rebounds found their way into Carolina's hands and UNC finally found a way to stop a Hurricanes offense that had heretofore scored three-point baskets and bunny lay-ins at seemingly every opportune moment.

Credit Williams' tough love approach and the resiliency of this young Tar Heels team for fighting hard to get back into this game in which the outcome appeared to be a foregone conclusion.

With just under a minute to go, Carolina cut the lead to one before a Miami free throw on the ensuing possession put the Hurricanes up by two.

A Zeller jump hook in the lane on UNC's next trip down the floor tied the contest at 59 points per side.

North Carolina then forced a Miami turnover on its next possession and with 18 seconds left in regulation, UNC had the ball in its hands.

Miami had fouls to give and was able to force UNC to inbound the ball with five seconds to go.

The Tar Heels' other freshman sensation, starting point guard Kendall Marshall, received the inbound pass, maneuvered around the Miami defense as Zeller pinned his defender on his back, received a perfect entry pass from Marshall in the low-post and laid the ball in for the game winner as the buzzer sounded to take the final lead at 61-59.

In the storied histories of the UNC men's basketball program and the ACC men's basketball tournament, this game will go down as one of the best Carolina comebacks and will be long remembered among the great early round games in ACC tourney history.

And tomorrow, the Tar Heels get to suit up once again.

Lighted Christmas Balls In Greensboro, North Carolina

Very cool story of how something that starts as a seamingly small idea can snowball into something that makes a difference in peoples' lives.

Michelle OBama spoke out against childhood obesity. Sarah Palin had issues with that.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/11/24/martin.michelle.obama.palin/index.html?hpt=T2

What's offensive about encouraging people to eat more healthily? Didn't Swartzeneger promote the same as Bush's Health Czar?

I'll admit I eat too much fast food as a matter of convenience and it's an aim of mine to curb that. It's gonna be tougher for some people of lower ecomomic means, but at the same time, plenty of well to do's eat fast food all the time.

It's b/c it's there on every corner. And we can't legislate against a McD's at every highway exit any more than we can against a liquor/convenience store on every urban corner.

But we can encourage nutritional responsibilty and there's an open opportunity for healthy "fast food" companies to fill the void that's missing.

In the end, it's up to us what we put in our bodies - and to an extent what parents put in their childrens' bodies - and we are living in an age of convenience that wasn't around 30 plus years ago, and overall, that was probably a healthier time.

No government can legislate a healthy lifestyle, but it's kind of like the seatbelt law. You don't want your insurance to go up but when people get in accidents and are severly injured or killed b/c they weren't wearing a seat belt or didn't have an airbag in their vehicle, it costs the insurance companies more and the buck is passed down to us.

It's the same when it comes to having a healthier society. Guidelines for a healthy lifestyle should never be admonished since they benefit the individual, the family, our communities and our nation.

Our government has its hands in more issues now than in 1783 bc times have changed and while our quality of life is much better than it was 227 years ago in terms of comfort and convenience, many of those sources of comfort and convenience have created new risks that were neither present nor foreseeable to our Founding Fathers.

Open your eyes people. The times, they are a changin', they've been a changin' forever and they will continue to change. And we have to be both proactive and reactive in all areas of life.

We only get one chance here on earth, but the way live, the decisions we make and the standards we set impact the lives of generations to come. And if we care about ourselves, our families, our communities and our nation...well, we should do something about it to affect positive change.

The DIP Party

I'm creating a new political party. The Domestic Infrastructure Party, aka, the DIP.

We focus on intelligent spending, making things at home and improving our lot at home. Transportation and Safety - building and fixing new and existing roads, bridges, rails and buildings -, Education - committing to the best public schools in the world and sustainably subsidizing private school tuition in challenged areas - Economic Development (and anti-monopolistic/polypolistic regulation on big business) and Healthcare.

We are committed to technology and making things at home, bringing jobs back to America, exporting more than importing and ensuring all citizens have affordable health care that doesn't drive up insurance premiums for the general public yet ensures healthcare for all and protects those w/pre-existing conditions and debilitating illness and injury.

We aim to increase GDP and decrease national debt before we become victims to China and other nations that hold much of our debt. We are cautiously proactive rather than reactive and we seek to lead w/positivity and confidence in light of and despite current economic and political circumstances.

We are pro-America, on the cutting edge of international business, socially progressive, and increaslingly isolationist, though looking abroad and studying/implementing international programs and policies that will benefit our lot and invest in a golden future at home.

We are not the Tea Party, nor do we wish to increase taxes for the general public, rather lower them where and when possible and redirect current spending away from international policing and other wasteful spending.

We support a progressive tax system that drastically reduces federal income tax for the majority of workers, allowing nearly all Americans to retain up to 90% of their earnings, though requiring a higher percentage from those earning more than half a million per year, even more from those earning over 5 million per year, and slightly more from those earning more than 25 million annually, capped at 30% taxation, though giving a 5% tax break for all those earning over 500K who donate at least 3% of their income to a legitimate non-profit organization of their choosing.

Finally, we'd rather not incarcerate 5 times more people per capita than competing nations and we'd rather not spend more on miltary/defense than the next highest 26 countries combined, 25 of which are our allies.

We want to spend smartly, we want to re-emerge as a global leader in the 21st century and we want to have a good time. We want to be skinny, and we want to DIP.

Please repost if you support the above stated DIP values and goals.

High speed rail continued

High speed trains def mean 200+ mph. That it takes 7 hrs to travel b/t charlotte to richmond on rail is a joke. I understand there's not the density of travel is the SE as the more densely populated NE, but folks in urban areas in the southeast are no less sophisticated than our neighbors to the north. Atlanta has a highly sophisticated metro rail system, but we are discussing intercity ridership here. The NE certainly has more everyday biz riders than the SE due to population density and the proximity of major cities. However, as one or 2 anons said, we are looking to move fwd, not backward, and investing in our transportation system and catching up w/our international rivals is a huge investment in our future with tremendous future ROI.
Someone mentioned Obamacare is 20% of our annual spending, but that person is badly misinformed. Just like folks who say the bailout was wasteful spending by our government even though it's slated to turn a profit for the govt and reduce our national debt. That same person mentioned wasteful spending on unneccessary wars - a point w/which I wholly agree - and looking to our future I believe we are in for a long long bumpy ride if we don't begin to invest again at home.
Infrastructure, education, corporate regulation to protect citizens, and ensurance of healthcare rights for all are our most important priorities at home.
I would like to either see the GOP move back twd the center right and away from the ultra conservative, or we should just move to a multiparty system w/representation from everyone from the TP/Libertarian to the Green Party, to extreme lefists, as well. Americans comprise one of the largest citizen populations in the world, and there are certainly more than 2 political views. There's no longer any such thing as black and white, though many are disillusioned enough to believe there is.

Rail Transit

Contractors subsidize large projects by taking out loans and betting on their profitability, then bidding out work to subcontractors. When it comes to billion dollar and multimillion dollar govt projects, states can't always build the required revenue at home, so, as the top subcontractor, they rely on the big contractor (the feds) to help subsidize state run projects, i.e., infrastructure and transportation. Our rail system as it stands pales in comparison to the Euro rail network, which actually requires international cooperation - though geographically Western Euro govts placed on a North American map would be divided into several regions, some state and some regionally sized. Yet, they have a more developed and effiencient rail system than the US. If done properly, our rail system could rival the Euro system, but it would take a great investment into our national infrastructure.
I'm going home to VA for a wedding next week and debating an 8hr amtrack ride from CLT to Richmond vs a 4.5 hr drive. With a high speed, Euro style train system, I could be home in 2-3 hrs, including stops, likely for a few more dollars than the current Amtrak rate, though much less than airfare, which I'm not even considering since it costs 5-6 times more to fly home vs train or roads.
I much enjoy the train and I'd like rail travel to become a more efficient means for Americans to travel between cities, as well as within urban areas.
Improving our transportation networks - rail, air and highway - is an investment in our future, not stealing from the future.
The same can be said for investing in public school education and offering benefits to companies who actually manufacture products within our borders.
We live in a world nearly devoid of economic borders, and while we must continue to assert ourselves as an international leader in commerce, we cannot look to the outside world while turning our back on our domestic responsibilities.
In order to contine to be a great nation, we must have the foresight, the gall and the will to take care of home, first and foremost.
If we want to continue as a, nee, the premier nation in which to live in the world, we must take care of our own and grown and build our own resources.

On Hard Hits in Football...Don't Turn the NFL into the NHL (No Hitting League)

Football is no more violent this year than it was a year ago or 2 or 5 or 10 years ago. Granted, players are bigger, faster and stronger than they were 30 or even 20 years ago (William "Refrigerator" Perry was among the first 300 lb players in his 1985 rookie year), but not so much more physically enabled than they were, say 10-15 years ago. In fact, if anything, players have become quicker and more nimble now as a necessary response to today's prevalent offensive style of play predicated on spreading the field and isloating mismatches, much like in today's NBA.

However, tackle football at every level, from peewee ball to high school, from college and to the pros, is a violent sport. To maintain the integrity of the sport, this can not be allowed to change.

Now, I understand and appreciate protecting players, especially those who are in defenseless positions - and the NFL and lower levels of football have correctly and admirably outlawed dangerous "horsecollar" tackles, chop blocking, etc. - but the NFL should not legislate against hard hits.

As an 8 year old association player and throughout my high school career, I was taught to move at full speed and to tackle with my head up, more for my safety than my opponent's. High speed hat-to-hat collisions were, and should be, discouraged, but "knocking your opponent's block off" and "puttin his you know what in the dirt" were encouraged and praised, as they should be.

Maybe helmets need to improve - perhaps everyone in a Steve Tasker helmet - and whatever happened to wearing neck braces to prevent whiplash?

I am all for enforcing punishment on dirty play, and the Merriweather (Patriots) helmet hit on Todd Heap was dirty and suspending him for a game would be justified, but fining and suspending professional football players for hitting too hard is antithethical to the spirit of the game.

Ronnie Lott's finger would roll in its jar...or wherever it ended up.

My thoughts on Broncos after Week 6 loss to the Jets

I thought Denver played well vs the Jets and would've won if not for the questionable PI call on Cox (Holmes put his hands on Cox first to get position which could have cancelled out the facemask) and even still had a chance till the bad shotgun snap to Orton by a rookie center. Still, I would’ve loved to win that game.

I’m cautiously optimistic about the 2010 Broncos, though, and think that in this year’s AFC West, with the Chargers playing poorly, the team has a chance eclipse 8-8 for the first time in 4 or 5 seasons.

At the start of the season, I said I’d be happy w/9-7 or 10-6 but could not reasonably expect any better. I mainly wanted to see improvement, and I have…especially w/the run game stepping up last week.

2011 is the bellweather year for Coach McD, and though I was critical of the young coach and the wholesale moves made by the team early on – I was admittedly angry at Bowlen for canning Shanny when we had the #2 offense in the league and really just needed a defenisve overhaul – I am now in his corner and buying into his system.

I think Josh McDaniels will be an outstanding coach and have a great career and hope he has the success in Denver to make it a long run and restore my Donkeys to the caliber of our glory days teams of the 80s and 90s.

I don’t expect to ever have another Elway come along, and we’d be lucky to get a second coming of TD in the next 10-20 years, but I feel good about the team and I'm looking forward to the rest of the season and coming down to the wire with at least a chance to play a 17th game. That’s all I’m asking for…just a chance!

Go Broncos!

Get off your soapboxes, Boise Haters! aka, Hokies...

What is with all this vitriol I've seen spewed at the Boise State football team after beating Va Tech on Monday? It was a great game, Boise took advantage of early Tech mistakes (a fumbled qb exchange under heavy pressure from the Boise D-line), a block on a punt deep in their own territory (Beamer Ball?) and fell behind by 17 before managing to come back and take the lead. Boise St, though, came through down the stretch and won the game. It's called football. As for the Broncos' ranking...it's deserved based on what they've done in previous seasons and esp last season w/20 starters returning after an undefeated season and BCS bowl victory.

I still say, let's have a playoff of some sort, but don't hate on Boise State. Va Tech, you could've at least won what was essentially a home game in your own backyard.

Football Season is here

College football season officially kicked off tonight and I couldn't be happier to watch games that actually count. I began the night watching USC East (the Gamecocks) demolish Southern Miss and now watching a tight Pitt v Utah game. USC West is playing Hawaii now over on ESPN, so once this Big East/Mt West nail biter is over, I'll be sure to switch over. Looks like this one could go to overtime, though.

Towns

Oh, Charlotte, NC. You're a tempstress. I'm a resident. I'm a lover of all you have to offer. Your golf courses. Your weather. Your major professional sports teams. Your music venues. And even your lakes. Try as I may to think I'm too far from the water, your lakes are right there. In my face.

Oh Richmond, you're so romantic, though, at least in my eyes. You host my family and many of lifelong friends. My traditions. The James River. The sunshine (not that Charlotte doesn't have it!). No matter what, you're still my "home." Or, at least, my hometown.

Who knows where I'll end up. Oh Denver. Oh San Francisco. Oh DC. Oh New York. Oh...Charlotte.

People are the connections to my hometown. Richmond. The town I miss and long for, though Charlotte has at least as much to offer. If only I could make the James flow a few hundred miles to the southwest. Lord.

Lord have mercy! There's something worse to ask for than choosing b/t a great place or 2 to spend your time.