The Stadium

On Friday I went with my friend Dave to "the House that Ruth Built." On our way over to Yankee Stadium we both talked about how much history the stadium has and that we couldn't believe this will be the last year baseball will ever be played in the historic Yankees Stadium ever again. Granted the Yankees have a new stadium across the street but it's just not the same..

It was great to watch the Yanks play at the Stadium. We soaked in the history and smiled knowing that at least we got this memorable time to watch a Yankees game in this great place one more time. I know I am definitely going to try to make some more games this year. Such a good time. Oh, and by the way, it's really hard to take a "piece" of history with you. Those stadium seats are bolted tight into the cement. I was trying to figure out what else one would want to take but couldn't quite figure out what else there is worth taking in the stands besides old beer cans. Haha.

Yankee Stadium. What a great place full of history and where legends were made.

Nadal vs. Federer

What a finals match at Wimbledon between the top two players currently in the world. I believe the rivalry Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have at the moment is currently the best one we have in all of sports at the moment and continues to grow to one of the best of all time.

On Sunday the two squared off in the Wimbledon finals in a match that will go down as one for the ages if not the best one has ever seen. I began watching the match when Nadal was up 2 sets to none and was on serve in the third set and I figured Nadal would win the third set and show the world he should be ranked #1 as he had just beaten Federer in the French Open and winning Wimbledon would a feat that hadn't been accomplished since Bjorn Borg did it in 1980.

I was wrong to think there would be such a speedy outcome..Federer was able to win the tie break in the third set and extend the match to the fourth set which the crowd and television audience wanted to see. Who wouldn't want to see the two best players in the world play against one another for as long as possible?

In the fourth set both players held serve again and it came down to the tiebreaker yet again. Federer has been much better in tiebreaks than Nadal in his career and again was able to beat Nadal in the tiebreak and win the fourth set. On to the fifth set...

Both players held serve to 6-6. However at Wimbledon there is no tiebreak to decide the match. Instead one player must win two games more than the other to win the set and ultimately the match. With both players trading sets to set the score at 7-7 in the fifth set, Nadal was able to break Federer and take an 8-7 games lead and have a chance to serve for the match. Nadal ultimately was able to win the 16th game and his first Wimbledon title and keep Federer from winning his 6th straight Wimbledon title.

Both of these players were incredible and I have to say this was the most exciting tennis match I have ever seen. I think this rivalry and especially this match today will do wonders for the sport in regards to sparking interest as these two play in more grand slam tourneys and will most likely face off again in the future. Congratulations must go out to Nadal though. He has worked soo hard to restructure his game to beat Federer and he finally has beaten Federer at Wimbledon which is an accomplishment for the ages. Seeing him fall to the court and Federer hit the ball into the net and lost the match was priceless. The happiness and joy he had and the way he leaped into the stands to hug his parents was a great sight to see. Will this be the changing of the guard in men's tennis? I think it very well could be.

Wedding at the Fronny Homestead

Last weekend I headed upstate New York to go to the wedding of one of my suitemates from freshman year at Cornell. It was a weekend that brought back together the Floor 4, suite 5 of Jamison Hall that came to be in the Fall of 2000. This group consisted of the individuals Dan Fronhofer (Fronny), Keith Jamison, Dave Mikulik, Brad Hilton and myself.

I met Dave at Penn Station on Saturday and was really excited to see him as I hadn't seen him in a couple years. After an initial greeting we started telling each other jokes and just goofing around on the subway on our way to meeting Keith in Brooklyn. It was just like old times, sort of like riding a bike, when we were exchanging stories and just catching up in general.

When we got to Brooklyn that morning seeing Keith brought a big smile to my face. I hadnt seen him in over four years and it was just really nice to see the formation of the group reunion taking form. Along with Keith and his girlfriend, we all headed upstate on our way to see Dan and to share in the celebration of his marriage to Melissa.

On the way upstate it was quite an interesting ride. Along the way we saw a kayak fall off of a vehicle. It was basically just laying in the middle of the road with the owner trying to manuever his way back to retrieve it. I then spoke to Dave about some new terms that I currently use. Ever since we were freshman at college the group of us always had funny terms/words that were the basis for inside jokes. It was all in good jest and was a way that we bonded at times. Fast forward to today and my co-workers have now taken part of my interest in coining terms for usage at times that just make us all laugh. Anyways I told Dave how I came up with word carpetbagger when describing someone who is dishonest. He replied, "so sorta of like a carpetbagger?" This began quite an interesting conversation which led to me posting a blog about scallywags and carpetbaggers recently. So by all means make a point to read and enjoy.

When we were nearing the Econolodge we were staying at close to Glens Falls it really brought back vivid memories of ten years ago when my high school basketball team took two trips upstate to play in the state and federation finals respectively. Basically gave me goosebumps seeing signs for Glens Falls etc and it also brought a smile to my face to remember those good times.

When we reached the Econolodge and saw Brad again it just made me plain ole smile. Brad was the first of my suitemates that I met and was just soo nice in helping me move in freshman year after my parents dropped me off at Cornell that Saturday afternoon. It was different to be living away from home for the first time in a new place and he really put me at ease that first day. Also we had a common bond in that his chinchilla liked to sleep in my bed at times lol. Anyways after we all caught up and dropped our stuff off it was off to the Fronny Homestead in Fort Edward for the big day!

It was really scenic on our way to Fronny's house. Rolling hills and just soo much green around made it seem like such a peaceful place and one where relaxation would be enjoyable. When we reached Dan's place it was really cool to see. I really enjoyed the bar Dan's dad had built in the back behind the house. It was rustic in a sense from what you would see out of a western movie but to experience one in person that was such a cool thing. Seeing Dan was awesome. I hadn't seen him since graduation as well and it was nice to see him on his wedding day and to share in his special day with Melissa.

It felt soo good to finally have the whole group back together again. Conversing with one another was just like second nature and it really just felt like yesterday that we all were back at Cornell hanging out and enjoying ourselves together. The wedding was great. Sharing the day with the guys that were my first support group and group of friends at Cornell and seeing the first of us get married was priceless.

After leaving the wedding and saying goodbye to Dan and Melissa late that night we headed back to the Econolodge where we were all starving. Nothing was open except for Taco Bell. So off we went to get some food before we went to sleep. Eating and just hanging out before heading off to sleep was soo enjoyable as it was something the group of us hadn't done in more than 4 years.

As we headed back to our lives as they currently are we all made a pact that once a year we need to get together for that Jamison Hall, Floor 4, Suite 5, Class of 2000 reunion. After Keith dropped Dave and I off at the PATH station in Jersey and Dave's train came I just smiled and told him we'll definitely be hanging again soon.

Life sometimes takes you in directions you never would have expected. But being able to relive memories and good times with friends is priceless and personally having Dan, Dave, Brad and Keith as a part of my live from the onset of college until now has been really special and is something I will always value going forward. Thanks guys.

Beijing Olympics

8.8.08 is when it all comes to a head when the opening ceremonies for the Olympic Games in Beijing commences. But right now are the Olympic Trials which are exciting as ever. The reason I enjoy the trials is because no one is guaranteed a spot on the Olympic team without competing no matter how good they are. Take track and field. If you qualify for the trials and are the best in the world but do not finish in the top three in the 100 meters then guess what, you are not going ot the Olympic games. I like this because it makes the top athletes perform under pressure to just make the Olympic team.

I am excited to see the Olympic games come August. It's always cool to see the top athletes from the U.S. compete against the world's best. It gives me a sense of pride when the American athletes are out there competing for this country. Some of my favorite sports to watch at the Olympics are basketball, swimming and track and field.

Basketball for obvious reasons as it dominated my life for a while. Though I don't play that much anymore I still follow the NBA and college game closely and really enjoy seeing the top players on a day in and day out basis in the NBA season. The Olympics are great in that you get to see the top american players from each NBA team play with one another for the Olympic games.

Swimming is also a favorite of mine because it's amazing to see how fast these guys/girls swim in these different events. I don't know a lot of the swimmers right now except for Michael Phelps so I will be following his performance closely in the Olympic Trials as well as the Games in Beijing. I have heard though that if he wins a few more medals that he will be the most decorated Olympic athlete from the U.S. ever. Also I feel if he swims well and brings home some medals again that he will become more of a household name. However swimming is rarely ever on TV except for the the Olympics once every four years.

Track and field is by far my favorite sport to watch in the Olympics. I love the 100 meters, 200 meters, 400 meters and the 800 meters. I also love the hurdles. The reason why this sport is soo great to watch is because it's basically mano on mano with the best man winning. If you are faster you win, simple as that. Also the races I mentioned are fast and short so they have a lot of drama. Some athletes I am looking forward to seeing are Tyson Gay in the 100m and Bershawn "Batman" Jackson in the 400 meter hurdles. I am also excited to to see the U.S.A. 4 by 100 meter and 4 by 400 meter relay teams as well. Some of the female athletes I am excited to see are Allyson Felix in the 200 meters and Tori Edwards in the 100 meters.

So sit back and enjoy the Olympic Trials and Games. It should be a great one!

USA Basketball

Soo... The time is year for the USA Men's basketball team to show the world if they have what it takes to bring home the gold from Beijing. It will be very interesting in my opinion. The USA team has a great nucleus of players like Lebron ,Kobe, Melo, D Wade, D Howard. However, who knows how they will perform when the game is on the line and they are in a tough battle.

I think the team will win the gold but I am a little worried that they only brought along three big men (Carlos Boozer, Dwight Howard and Chris Bosh). So if any of those players get hurt or in foul trouble the U.S. will be at a disadvantage size wise against big teams like Argentina.

However this will be exciting to see all of the great basketball players on the same court playing together. Kobe Bryant I believe will be the face of this team but Carmelo Anthony always plays well in the Olympics and Lebron and Dwayne Wade will be a great supporting cast on the perimeter. Carlos Boozer will be a big help inside to Howard and Bosh and Michael Redd will have free reign to hit three after three from the perimeter.

So now that the U.S.A. basketball team is assembled its time to sit back and watch them play against the rest of the world and hopefully bring home the gold medal. Best of luck guys!

NBA Draft 2008

So three out of the four past years my co-workers and I have made it a yearly ritual to go to the NBA Draft which is held at Madison Square Garden in the Theatre. This year the draft was going to be an exciting as all of last year's top prospects from high school had to go to school for a year to be eligible for the draft under the new NBA guidelines. So all the superstars were in the draft this year that might have otherwise been in it last year.

One of the reason I love the NBA Draft is because all of the top players are in one place at one time and you get to see the whole draft unfold live. You get to see Jay Bilas, Mark Jackson, Jeff Van Gundy, Stuart Scott and Stephen A. Smith talk to/about the players live while the draft is going on and the suspense as to who will be selected is breathtaking.

The first few picks went as I expected. Derrick Rose to the Bulls, Michael Beasley to the Heat and O.J. Mayo to the Timberwolves. However when it came to the sixth pick the Knicks were up and the crowd was excited. I really thought the Knicks would take Jerryd Bayless from Arizona as he was an explosive guard who could really help them out. Instead they went with Danilo Gallinari. He is an Italian who supposedly is going to be a great player in the league but he is unproven. The crowd, me included, booed the pick loudly. After all the discontent from the crowd I felt kinda bad for the guy in a sense but if he proves himself New Yorkers will suppport him like no other.

We stayed for the rest of the first round of the draft and watched the remaining picks. The next day I turned on Sportscenter and saw the reaction of the crowd when Gallinari was picked. Long behold there was Dave and I on the screen caught booing the poor guy. However, it was pretty neat to be on TV at the draft and all in all it was a great experience with the fellow co-workers once again. I look forward to next year's draft already!!

U.S. Open Drama

A few weeks ago Tiger Woods added to his already phenomenal career with an incredible win at the U.S. Open. I began watching the tournament on Friday. Because it was at Torrey Pines on the West Coast I had the luxery of being able to take advantage of the 3 hour time difference to watch most of the round in full at night on the east coast. Tiger had a few incredible birdies on the back nine to put himself in contention. Mind you he was playing on bad knee and leg...Saturday was more of the same. Woods held strong and stayed in contention by continuing to hit incredible shots at opportune times.

Then we come to Sunday...Woods was on the 18th hole and was down one stroke to Rocco Mediate. If he made the birdie they would go to a playoff round the next day and if he missed the birdie putt Rocco would be the U.S. Open champion for 2008. Talk about pressure!! Anyways Tiger took his time, studied the putt and buried it. The roar that he let out along with the crowd was priceless. Seeing him yet again in the clutch come through really brought a smile to my face. It's really awesome to see great athletes perform at their best under pressure. Rocco said as the putt went in, " I knew he'd make it." Tiger just has the knack for making the key shots time and time again.

Watching the playoff round on Monday was soo exciting. Tiger was in control for most of the round until Rocco started hitting key shots on the last few holes and Tiger had some bogeys. With a couple of holes to play Tiger was down one to Rocco. Yet again Tiger made a key putt on the 18th hole to push the playoff into a sudden death overtime where Tiger was able to beat Rocco on the first hole.

Rocco put up a valiant effort and for that he should be applauded. However Tiger should be applauded as well. He basically won the U.S. open on a broken leg. It's incredible that he was able to fight through it and still beat the best players out there when he was far from at his best. It just shows the true champion and how much better he really is than everyone else on the tour.

Tiger announced he will be getting surgery to fix his leg/knee and will be out the rest of the season. This is sad in a sense because Tiger is such a big draw for the Tour and him not playing for the rest of the season will definitely hurt TV ratings. However it is a chance for others to step up and make a name for themselves in his absence.

This surgery will only make Tiger better as he stated he hasn't felt healthy in 10 years! He really is an exciting player to watch and I enjoy every moment of it. I liken him to Michael Jordan as he has that "it" presence about him where you become entranced by every shot he take and it can be really exciting when he is in contention for a major.