6Foot7

LA Live ESPN Studio

2009-09-03T14:21:00.001-07:00

Here are some pics of the new ESPN studio across the street from Staples Center. Most are from our first night on the air back in April.

Master Control

Neil Everett, Stan Verrett & Stuart Scott

Guest Anchor

PT Cruiser SOLD!

2009-08-21T11:54:00.000-07:00

SOLD!

2002 PT Cruiser Limited Edition $5700.00

46,500 miles by one and only original owner. Fully loaded including:

Automatic Transmission
Air Conditioning
Cruise Control
Dual Front and Side Airbags
Power Steering
Power Brakes
Power Door Locks/Keyless Entry
Heated Front Seats
Moon Roof
AM/FM/CD/Cassette
Leather
Cargo Deck & Luggage Restraint
Fog Lamps
Rear Spoiler
Inferno Red Paint
Custom One of a Kind PT Enthusiast License Plate *CRUISR

No Accidents. Well maintained. Driven an average of 6000 miles per year.

Call or E-Mail Randy

randysemel@yahoo.com
818-455-6920

15!

2009-08-07T09:23:00.001-07:00

SB 43 Weekend in Pictures

2009-02-03T16:31:00.000-08:00

BOO!

2008-10-31T21:23:00.000-07:00

I went low tech this year on my Halloween Costume:

Hope Floats, Dogs are Another Story

2008-10-04T20:00:00.000-07:00

Meet Chopper:

Chopper is an 80lb neighbor of ours....actually he is an entire neighborhood on 4 legs. A lady in the area rescues pit bulls and the like and Chopper is one of her charges that she is trying to place. He is mostly an American Bulldog and fell in love with Sandy recently. Chopper and rescuer dropped by to play tonight and despite Black Jack having a hissy fit all was well up until this moment here:

...well, actually 5 seconds after I snapped this. Chopper decided that it was not enough to drink from our pool, he also decide to go for a sink...not a swim!

Rescue lady started to panic as Chopper flailed and sank, so being the chivalrous host that I am, I put the camera down and jumped in after the big bag of cement. Me, in T-shirt, shorts and oh yeah, with cellphone, bluetooth headset and wallet in pockets.

As you can see I saved the pooch with complete disregard for my dryness or worldly possessions. Fortunately, my wallet survived. The headset has a 50 percent chance of making it, and I believe that my KRZR phone is history. Surprisingly, I am not considering replacing it with an iPhone, I am actually considering the new Black Jack II. Kinda of ironic...don't you think?

Update: I bought the iPhone afterall.

Silly Semels

2008-09-15T14:25:00.000-07:00

A moment of levity at Rachel & Kevin's Wedding at Holman Ranch in Carmel Valley.

From Random

Beer Dog

2008-09-03T22:05:00.000-07:00

Apparently a certain four legged puppy is not only a menance, she is also an alcoholic. Minding my own business she went crazy when she got a sniff of my Bud Light. I gave the can to my brother so that I could shoot her....with the video camera I mean.

Attention Anheuser Busch, Sandy is available for commercials and appearances.

5 Weeks...

2008-08-04T19:25:00.000-07:00

...and the house is still relatively unscathed.

Sandy is now 13 weeks old and bringing much joy (mostly) to our home. Come visit and let her nibble on your ears!

Battle Royale

2008-07-28T09:49:00.000-07:00

Scott brought over a friend's Jack Russell terrier that he and Elisa sometimes dog sit. Sandy and Pepe went at it like this video shows for about 3 hours. Talk about puppy power.

Let Them Lie

2008-07-22T15:30:00.000-07:00

Even though Black Jack considers Sandy to be a royal pain in the rear, apparently he didn't seem to mind sharing some ZZZs with her the other night.

One of BJ's cutest traits has rubbed off on Sandy. The sleeping with my tongue sticking out pose.

It's just too cute around our house these days.

The 2nd of Many More Puppy Posts

2008-07-04T18:33:00.000-07:00

Sandy barking at BlackJack. She wants to play, he says no chance!

And They Called it Puppy Love...

2008-07-02T10:59:00.000-07:00

Meet Sandy, our newest addition. Sandy is an 8 week old female boxer.

19 Years Later, This is the Best I Can Do...

2008-06-17T23:52:00.000-07:00

Congratulations Dad. Your Celtics sure knocked the snot out of my Lakers.

You would have loved it. But just wait until next year...

Lakers Memories of My Father

2008-06-01T15:21:00.000-07:00

This post is dedicated to my father, Aron, who passed away two-and-a-half years ago. With the Lakers meeting the Celtics for all the marbles this week his absence is another reminder that we lost him at too early of an age.

I grew up in my father’s hardware stores. As a boy I would go to work with him on Sundays and spend the half-day that he was open at his first hardware store. Ironically, it was called Furst Hardware and was located down the hill from Dodgers Stadium in Echo Park. For years I thought it was called Furst hardware because it was his first store. Later I learned that the previous owner was Mr. Furst. I was four or five so what did you expect. Dad closed that store when I was seven and bought H & H Lumber & Hardware when I was 10 or 11. H & H was located in South Los Angeles at the corner of 112th and Vermont. For those not familiar with this part of LA, let’s just say that it is Watts adjacent. This area was predominantly Black and Latino in the early 1980’s when I started working there on weekends and after school. It scared the shit out of my Mom that I was working down there, but I had grown up around people of different colors, ethnicities and religions my whole life so it did not necessarily faze me. I knew how to keep my nose clean and being 6’7” and scrawny back then most folks figured or hoped that I was a ballplayer. The looks of disappointment on their face of wasted height when I told them that I suffered from a severe case of white man’s disease always amused me. It was also a good icebreaker and the self-deprecating humor did not hurt in getting people to know you…or at least not kill you! In all my years down there I only felt unsafe twice. Once was when as I was driving back to the store and about to make the turn to drive onto the lot there was a running fist fight in the center median on Vermont involving 3 black youths chasing a Latino youth. They were throwing rocks, bottles and fists and I remember wanting to break it up and save the out numbered kid. Courage quickly turned to fear as I realized that it was not my place to get involved and possibly suffer the same fate. The other time I felt unsafe was when Boston beat the Lakers at the end of the 1983 – 1984 season to win the title in 7 games.

Back story time. Dad came to this country after World War II as a 10-year old boy that spoke little to no English. This was around 1950. He grew up here in Los Angeles with his parents in the Adams district. Somehow, he became a fan of the Boston Celtics, New York Yankees and the San Francisco 49ers. Celtics and Yankees I could understand as they were the big boys of their leagues in the ‘50s and the ‘60s. I, on the other hand, have been a die hard Lakers fan as far back as I can remember…which would be 1971 against the Knicks in the finals. More than any other sport, league or team, the Lakers are the one team that I have never wavered from supporting…even through the likes of Nick Van Exel, Benoit Benjamin and Kwame Brown.

Before the Lakers moved into the Staples Center they played their home games at the Fabulous Forum in Inglewood. The Forum was a 15-minute drive down Manchester from H & H, which means our business was in prime Lakers country. My Dad was one of the nicest and friendliest people you could ever hope to meet when you walked into his store. Out in public (meaning, not on his stage) he was quite a bit shyer, much as in the same way I am. Anyone that would walk into our business got a big hello and probably some teasing from my Dad. He knew everyone by name and our customers really loved him and his sense of humor. Everyone also knew that he was a Celtics fan and would not hesitate to proclaim their greatness. He would call the Lakers “the Fakers” and remind everyone how many times the Celtics had beaten the Lakers in the Finals. Seven up to that point. We would all remind him that Boston had not won a title in 15 years and that Magic and the Lakers had just hung a banner after the 1982 season. Plus Magic had beaten Bird for the NCAA title earlier in the decade. Needless to say we were all caught up in the rivalry and hype of the Lakers and Celtics in the 80s. It was a glorious time to be young and competitive with a stubborn father.

As the Finals began in 1984 Dad and I made a bet on the series. The loser would wear the other teams colors the day after the title was secured. Of course my team would win we would both say to each other. Bet on. As history reminds us, the Lakers lost that series to the Celtics 4-3. This was the Kurt Rambis being close lined by Kevin McHale series. This was easily one of the best and most exciting series I can remember. And of course the most disappointing. Losing I could accept. Remember, we could not repeat and had just lost to the 76ers a year earlier. But, what the heck, Dr. J got his title. But to lose to those thugs from Beantown…that ugly Larry Bird…the uglier McHale, that little SOB Danny Ainge…UGH! NO!

Remember I said I only felt unsafe twice while working at H & H? The day after the Lakers lost I had to make good on our bet. Dad brought in a green Robert Parish double zero T-shirt for me to wear for the day. Most of our customers knew I bled purple and gold and was paying off the bet…I had their sympathies and we all just had to eat it, while Dad served up some of the finest smack talk I have ever heard. The problem came after lunch when I had to make the regular bank run. As we were predominantly a cash business we’d always make a deposit before closing time. Since I loved to get out of the store for a while I would go to Bank America on the days I was working. This would be the Bank of America at the corner of Manchester and Western…10 minutes from the Forum…The day after Los Angeles’ heart was broken by the Celtics…Here I am, tall, dorky, scrawny and WHITE, walking into a bank wearing a green Celtics T-shirt. I may have as well have been wearing a James Earl Ray for President shirt the day after Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. I now know how the Christians felt walking into the Coliseum to meet the Lions. Back then, most employees and many customers knew who I was. After all, how many tall white boys are walking around the ‘hood? When carrying large amounts of cash I was always aware of my surroundings and never lingered about until the cash was safely deposited. On this day, I walked as humbly and quickly as possible to the merchant line…the merchant line at the front of the bank. I’d parked behind the bank and come in the back door. And on this day, I think time stopped for an instance as I walked in. Tall white boy in Celtic’s green. Mid-way through, a rather large gentlemen of color waiting in line looked at me and said in a very deep voice, “that’s cold-blooded, Holmes.” I looked at him and as sheepishly and forgivingly as possible I said, “I know, I lost a bet to my Pops and this is the payoff.” He looked at me and said, “Aw, man, I feel for you.” Needless to say the laughter that this story generated when I got back to the store was priceless. I really knew that I was never in any real danger, but it did feel like I was wearing a big target that said “beat me to death, please.” Just to be safe, I stayed in the store the rest of the day and took a fair amount of abuse about being a sell-out and a traitor from the customers that were not in the know about our bet.

Now, lest you think that this story does not have a happy ending, it does. The following season the Lakers and the Celtics met again in the Finals with the Lakers prevailing in 6 games. Somehow Dad and I had not made a bet on the series. It may have been because Dad and my stepmother had gone on a vacation before the pairings were finalized. I do know that Dad was out of the country when the Lakers won their first Finals meeting over the Celtics and exorcised all of those basketball demons. By this time my older brother Scott was working at the store with us and we knew that we had to do something special to commemorate the milestone. Ideas were bandied about with our store manager Pete. Should we fly banners; rename the store; stop carrying green paint? Being a lumberyard we had a big, old forklift. Most forklifts you see today could fit into the bed of a full sized pickup truck. But ours was the size of a farm tractor with big fenders and sidewalls and a singe seat eight feet up in the air. It was big enough that another 4 people could hang onto the sides and ride along. I loved learning to drive this behemoth and unloading trucks. Long before Leonard DiCaprio in Titanic, it really was like being on top of the world. The sun in your face, your scrawny arms straining against the steering wheel (no power assist), riding high in the saddle. It was some of the hardest and most rewarding work I have ever done and I took ownership of the forklift and its duties under the tutelage of Pete. Because this ancient forklift was the biggest, loudest and ugliest piece of equipment we had we decided that it was time to paint over the horrible rust brown color it had and honor our World Champion Lakers.

Scott and Pete went to mixing the worst looking purple industrial paint ever seen by the naked eye. Fortunately, the manufacturer made yellow safety paint so at least one of our colors was spot on. Scott, Pete and I went to work to the delight of our employees and customers and after two days we had the only purple and yellow forklift in South Central LA. We parked it as close to the front fence as we could for all to see…including Dad.

Dad came home from his vacation a few days later and when he saw what we had done to his forklift he was less than amused. Angry? Not really. Just not impressed. We reminded him about the previous year’s bet and promised him that as soon as the Celtics beat the Lakers we would repaint the forklift Green and White for him. When we closed the business in 1989 and sold the forklift, it drove off our property still proudly flying Lakers’ purple and gold. The Lakers and Celtics did meet once more in 1987 with the Lakers winning again in 6 games. The Celtics last won a title in 1986 but it was against Houston. The Lakers have since won titles in 1987, 1988, 2000, 2001 and 2002.

As I prepare for another Lakers Celtics battle, I pause to remember my father and hope that wherever he is, he enjoys this renewal of a rivalry. I know that I will even though it just won’t be the same without him here.

When Good People Do Silly Things

2008-05-07T12:58:00.000-07:00

My son...Billy Idol...

I got nothing else to say on this one......

Wedding Slide Show

2008-04-15T13:10:00.000-07:00

Here is a 7 minute video slide show I made from the pictures of Scott and Elisa's wedding. All photos were taken by Jamie Semel and Kylie Semel. The music is Secret World by Peter Gabriel from his Us album. Enjoy!

The Newest Semel

2008-04-07T16:30:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Scott and Elisa Semel, married April 6, 2008 in Malibu at the Fox house in the Malibu Colony.

Mother Nature gave the happy couple the gift of perfect weather. 90 close friends and family members joined Scott and Elisa to celebrate their special day.

The Best Man trying not to look better than the groom.

All Semels!

Photos courtesy of Rachel Lea Fisher: phoenix@gmail.com / http://photo.phoenixfeather.net/

A Milestone

2008-03-04T19:05:00.000-08:00

Ten. Not Bo Derek and Dudley Moore. Ten. Not fingers or toes. Ten. As in Ten Years with the Walt Disney Company. Last week I hit that milestone and as is tradition at TWDC, this token of recognition arrived today at my house.

I knew that it was coming, but was surprised to see it when I opened the package from my Human Resources department. I thought it was a training manual I had to read before attending a class in Bristol in a few weeks. What a pleasant surprise. Plus no reading required!

I can still remember my second day at Disney (day one is orientation when new employees are christened with pixie dust), getting a tour from my new boss, Martell. At that time the business of Disney Channel was nice and small and it was easy to meet everyone and get a lay of the land. I remember seeing several ten year plaques hanging in people's offices or cubes and thinking at the time that it would be nice to have one of these if things worked out. I felt this way because at that time I had just left a less than ideal job at a non-profit foundation. I had only been there for about a year but it was my first IT job and I learned a tremendous amount about technology. I also learned a lot about how not to run a business and treat people. I had hoped to be there longer since I had just started in this field.

Two years earlier I had turned 30 and made the conscious decision to reinvent myself professionally and learn a new craft. Prior to that I had bounced around in several jobs, taken a stab at screen writing and worked for friends and family. To start working at Disney I felt as though I had a job in the proverbial "real world." Corny as it may sound, I really was proud of myself and excited to be a cast member. I really think that you do a better job for your employer if you like where you work and take pride in representing your company. I know that if I was doing the same job at a law firm or an insurance company I would want to kill myself and everyone else. At Disney we make fun.

When I started on February 23, 1998 I was determined to work hard, learn as much as I could and see how long I could survive in the corporate world with little IT experience. Having a great mentor in Martell and an open mind to his guidance made a world of difference as I survived despite several years of self-doubt. Part of my success in those early years was being patient in my career growth and taking it one day and one year at a time. To this day, I look at my career as a marathon and not a sprint. Many times I have reminded myself that I am in it for the long haul and not the quick kill. At the same time, I never assumed that I would always have a job and actually spent at least the first year waiting for someone to say that I know nothing about technology and get rid of me. That inexperience drove me to succeed and learn my trade. Ten years later, I think I have figured it out but still take nothing for granted.

As I reflect back over the last decade I realize that this plaque is about finding my way in the working world, succeeding in learning a new trade and being a contributor to some of the coolest brands in the world. Whether it be Mickey, ESPN, Disney Channel, Pirates or the Parks, I am proud to root for the home team and be a Part of the Magic.

And just to show you how much job satisfaction I have I was reminded of it today at lunch. As I was paying for my food, the cashier at the sandwich shop saw my ESPN shirt and asked if I worked for the company. I told him that I did and he asked about going to events and meeting our talent and whatnot. I gave him a brief nutshell on what I do, where I have been and who I have met. He told me how much he loved ESPN and asked if I was a sports fan. I said that I was and he got this big envious grin on his face and said, "Man, that is a dream job!"

It really is....

There Was No Rubbing...

2008-02-07T15:31:00.000-08:00

...but it still felt like racing!

150 mph, diving into corners at 100 mph...go ahead and try to wipe the smile off my face. The most fun that I have had since that barrel of monkeys when I was a kid.

SB42 in Pictures

2008-02-05T17:30:00.000-08:00

What a great game to be at. Sitting surrounded by Giants and Patriots fans (and quietly rooting for the Giants) we thoroughly enjoyed watching one of the most exciting games I have ever seen. Being there with hardcore fans really added to the experience. And Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers jamming at halftime was an added bonus. They were great. Loving the new camera. Enjoy the slideshow.

Tattoo You

2008-02-03T07:56:00.000-08:00

Rick and I went a tad overboard at the free spray-on Tattoo Booth yesterday at the big NEXT party in Scottsdale.

See Ya, Mr. Hands of Crap!

2008-02-02T16:34:00.001-08:00

If you were wondering what I thought of the Laker's blockbuster trade, Stephen A. Smith basically says it all. Sorry Kwame, but it is all true.

My Tiny Dancer

2008-01-26T21:58:00.000-08:00

Kylie performing in a recital of Beauty and the Beast at Glendale High School Auditorium.

Photos are from my new camera and all of the ones of her dancing are without a flash using the camera's sports mode. So far I am very happy with this purchase. Oh, and Kylie did a great job!

Here's the link to see the photos individually: http://picasaweb.google.com/randysemel/KylieSDanceRecital12608

Toe, Meet Door Jamb

2008-01-19T16:29:00.000-08:00

Those who know me know that I am not the most graceful or athletic person on two feet. I am basically a recovering klutz. Back when I played sports I was what you call a sideline athlete. At 6-7, 250lbs I look really good as I walk onto the basket court hopefully scaring the other team with my size. However once the game begins, forget it. I suck and I know it. One of the contributing factors to my suckiness is my flat-footedness. As a baby my feet also pointed outward and I had to wear a special brace that point my feet inward...it sucked and I had horrible cramps in the arch (or where the arch is supposed to be) of my feet. Point is, it's a good thing that I was also born smart because it was not until I stopped growing at 21 that I actually got a bit more coordinated with what was then a long lanky body. Now I just grow outward from the middle. Ass and gut, meet chocolate.

Regretfully, some things don't change, which means that my feet still point out a bit. When walking barefoot danger abounds as my toes stick out and bang things. Today it was the door jamb in my closet and the resulting damage is shown here:

The impact occurred after one step, so while not much momentum had built up, the crack of my toe was loud and the pain was pretty good. Not as horrific as if it had been a straight on stub because in this case the entire toe caught and dislocated out leaving me in speechless despair. For you guys reading, it's that same feeling of when you get hit in the nuts and there is no initial pain, but you know its coming and when it does, OWE, OWE, OWE...can't breath...wanna die! When I dared look, sure enough the pinkie toe was sticking out at a near 90 degree angle. Having broken bones too many times for my liking, I took solace in knowing that it probably was only dislocated and not broken. I pulled it out from the top and then angled it back into place. After a bit of ice, I taped it up and went grocery shopping with Deb. Thankfully, the tape job really helped and walking was not that painful.

The photo is the result of about 4 hours of activity on my feet. It aches more now that I have elevated it and am icing it. No need to go for X-Rays today since you can't do much for toes (in this case) anyway and I am also seeing my physician on Monday for my annual physical. How convenient! I did fear the worst in terms of pain and mobility since I leave in a week for Phoenix to work Super Bowl events for the third straight year with one of my best friends at ESPN. Phew! Look for Super Bowl posts the week before the big game.

By the way this photo was taken with my new camera, a Sony DSC-H3, that has a nice 10x zoom and Macro functionality.

Update: My doctor says that the toe is probably broken, but that there is no reason to X-Ray it since there is nothing to do for it. She said I didn't even need to tape it since it is not out of alignment.

Sooner or Later

2008-01-09T17:32:00.001-08:00

This is the photo for our 2007 Holiday/2008 New Years card. The cards finally arrived and are awaiting stuffing and addressing. Just in case you are not on our list...or we never get to it, here you go. Have a great 2008.

Silliness with Jamie

2007-12-06T21:59:00.000-08:00

The new version of Photo Booth in Leopard is a hoot!

One More Thing To be Thankful For

2007-11-20T18:02:00.000-08:00

Older brother Scott proposed to his longtime girlfriend Elisa last Sunday at the end of her ballet practice.

Congratulations Scott and Elisa.

42 and Loving It!

2007-11-12T11:34:00.000-08:00

Apparently I had a birthday over the weekend. It was nice and low-key, just the way I like them. Debby and the girls and I went to San Diego for the day to see "A Catered Affair" at the Old Globe Theater. The show was wonderful but the best part is that one of our friends is the star of the show and we had dinner with her afterwards. What more could a guy want than to have dinner with four gorgeous women? Great conversation, great Italian food and lots of laughs and love.

One of my young punk ass friends (translation: under 30 years old) texted me on Saturday asking if turning 42 makes me feel old or did I come to terms with that when I turned 40. What I already knew was that turning 40 and 41 definitely made me feel old, the old that you think of your parents as. But now, I feel like the adult that I have become. Yes, I am a kid at heart...I hope to never grow out of that, but when I look in the mirror and see some of my father staring back at me I like it. I have arrived at a great place in my life. I have much to be thankful for and despite the loss of hair and expanding waistline I am loving life and very happy to be here.

Rocking Leopard

2007-10-29T20:03:00.001-07:00

My upgrade arrived today, so I am rocking this mother fucker!

Are you? Tell me what you think about this bad ass cat.

"We are Velvet Revolver.....

2007-09-12T19:45:00.000-07:00

...and we play motherfucking rock and roll!"
-Scott Weiland, lead singer VR
Santa Barbara Bowl, 9/11/07

And a mean brand of rock and roll it is. Last night Derek and I saw Velvet Revolver in Santa Barbara. VR features Scott Weiland formerly of Stone Temple Pilots; Slash, Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum from Guns n' Roses and Dave Kushner from Wasted Youth. VR is a band I have wanted to see for the past couple of years mostly because of Slash's guitar playing and showmanship. VR did not disappoint playing most of the hits from their two albums. Surprisingly, we also got Stone Temple Pilot's Vasoline and Interstate Love Song. Mixed in with the set were also three Guns n' Roses songs; Patience, It's So Easy and Mr. Brownstone. Finally, one of the encores was Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here. VR more than pulled off all of these unexpected songs especially the GnR material to the extent that I said to Derek, "Axl who?" Plus Slash is still one of the premiere guitar players anywhere.

If you like rock and roll, see this band. Two hours of kick ass fun. And the Santa Barbara Bowl is a great venue. Cheap parking and drinks. Easy access. Friendly security and ushers. Totally casual and happening vibe last night...just the way a concert is supposed to be.

More Photos from the Vay-Kay

2007-08-22T21:11:00.000-07:00

This batch of photos was taken by our friend Catherine, hence my appearance in many of them. Enjoy!

Pacific Northwest Vacation

2007-08-19T18:28:00.000-07:00

Just back from the San Juan Islands after a week long family vacation with 20 plus of my extended family.

Enjoy these photos of Driftwood Beach, Lime Kiln Point, Friday Harbor and our houses on Brown Island. It was a great way to decompress from a busy summer of work for me. Nothing to do except eat, sleep, read, watch movies and play games.

The local sea otter being hand fed on the fish market dock.

Barry, Do Like Crash Davis...

2007-08-08T20:07:00.000-07:00

..."I quit. Hit my dinger and hung 'em up." From 1988's Bull Durham.

Now that Barry Bonds has hit homer number 756 can he please just go away. I don't dislike Bonds because of alleged steroid use, I dislike him because he is an ass.

It's Not the Having, It's the Wanting

2007-07-14T13:27:00.000-07:00

We walked into the AT&T/Cingular store yesterday to get Jamie a cellphone since she will start riding a bus into Hancock Park next month for school. Kylie pointed at an iPhone ad and said "Dad are you going to get one?" I said that they were sold out but was immediately corrected by a salesperson announcing that the iPhones are in stock just not on display. DAMN....now here's the conundrum. I had declared that I would wait until the iPhone had been in the marketplace at least 30 days before buying one. I also stated to any and everyone that I would not buy this phone until it hit 2nd generation. I choose to be practical and not adopt early technologies. It's just who I am both personally and professionally. So here is the problem. Debby starts asking me if I want it. I tell her that $600.00 plus tax is ridiculous for a phone...are you sure? Jamie at the same time can't decide which phone to get..."don't you like mine?" I ask. "Too narrow" she says. Had she wanted my phone, I could have been tempted to do a swap but practicality and fiscal responsibility won out for now. However, as we were leaving Kylie kept saying that she will take my phone so that I can get an iPhone. I may have to take her up on her offer in 14 more days....

Cruising....

2007-07-04T12:44:00.000-07:00

Carribbean Cruise 07

Enjoy some photos from our Carribbean cruise that we just returned from with Debby's family. Her parents celebrated 50 years of marriage last December and this trip was the big family outing to go with it. It was a great week for all 13 of us as her parents had all three of their children, with spouses and grandkids, on board.

Say Hello to my Little Friend

2007-07-03T08:16:00.000-07:00

My new friend from Grand Cayman.

24 Years Later...

2007-06-21T09:19:00.000-07:00

It was June 9th, 1983. A week after high school graduation that two of my best friends and I saw the Police at Hollywood Park. The 3 of us along with 75,000 more fans, including many from our high school that we would either run in to or compare notes with later on, saw the Police on what would be their final tour in support of the Synchronicity album. At the time no one knew that this would be the last time that they would play together in Los Angeles. We were fresh out of high school and thrilled to see them along with 80's bands, the Thompson Twins, the Fixx and Berlin. It was easily one of the best and longest concerts I had ever been to. We stood on the dirt track the entire day and after 9 or 10 hours my back was done. But it was a great experience, one that we would equal 4 days later when the same trio rolled down to Angels Stadium to see David Bowie with the Go-Gos and Madness. 7 killer bands in 4 days. Those were some great moments and memories.

Fast forward 24 short...long...incredible...years later...24 years...a lifetime. And the Police have reunited to tour again. And last night, not with the same trio, but with current concert buddy Larry, I saw the Police at Staples Center with 20,000 other adoring fans. The show was very good, but not as great as that night in 1983. How could it be? We are all older, have more mileage and probably all lost a step. But it was still a remarkable performance as the Police played all of their classics and absolutely none of Sting's solo music or any new Police recordings (because I assume there are none yet). This was definitely a blast from the past show and it lived up to my expectations, despite Sting's voice cracking on some high notes, and the band getting a bit lost during Synchronicity II. As I said to Larry last night, if they continue to play for the next few years I expect them to get tighter and more comfortable playing together, but it has been a 24 year layoff and this was only their 13th show on the tour. I hope that they will keep touring and recapture more of that magic from 1983 and maybe even record a new album. Either way, it was a nice flashback to a great era of music and memories for me.

Here is the set list from last night:

"Message In A Bottle"
"Synchronicity II"
"Walking on the Moon"
"Voices Inside My Head"
"Don't Stand So Close"
"Driven to Tears"
"The Bed Is Too Big"
"Truth Hits Everybody"
"Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic"
"Wrapped Around Your Finger"
"De Do Do Do De Da Da Da"
"Invisible Sun"
"Walking In Your Footsteps"
"Can't Stand Losing You"
"Roxanne"

Encores:

"King of Pain"
"So Lonely"
"Every Breath You Take"
"Next To You"

Father's Day

2007-06-17T09:24:00.000-07:00

In today's LA Times Sports page, John Wooden is quoted as saying that "parenting is the most important profession in the world." On many occasions I have said that my favorite job is being a parent so reading this quote from Coach Wooden is positive reinforcement about the choices I have made and the path that I have taken in life. I know that I am rich with the love of my family and that my children are the center of my world.

To all fathers, happy day and congratulation on a great career choice. To my father who we lost a year-and-a-half ago, I love you and I miss you.

As the Donald would say....

2007-06-09T10:46:00.000-07:00

...Cricket, you're fired!

We are a one Schipperke family again. Cricket bit Jamie the other night barely breaking the skin but scaring the hell out of her. She was dancing too close to him and he took a nip at her calf which was bruised. The little shit also had bit Kylie and Derek so enough was enough. We had him for six weeks and he seemed to be acclimated in our home, despite having some odd personality quirks. I will put up with a lot of things from a dog, but biting my children is not one of them. Cricket is now with a family in Chatsworth that rescues and places dogs. I hated to do it, but at the end of the day the girls were scared of him and I could not trust him.

Home Again

2007-06-01T18:04:00.000-07:00

I was going to write a long post about the three NBA playoff games I worked, but I am just not feeling it. Instead highlights and lowlights.

Highlights:

-Meeting NBA Hall of Famer George "The ICEMAN" Gervin. A very nice man

-Telling Jalen Rose of the Phoenix Suns not to leave his suit lying around as we are the same size and I like the material. He was a lot of fun to hang out with and had a great sense of humor

-Getting spanked repeatedly by Dan Patrick as punishment for accidentally calling our makeup gal a tranny

-Seeing Derek Fisher and his daughter and hearing that they got good news about her eye cancer that day

-Sitting in First Class with our NBA Game announcing team

-Great Texas BBQ on the Riverwalk in San Antonio

-My 9 foot king size bed in Utah

-Watching the Kobe Bryant news be created and reported on first-hand by Stephen A. Smith, Dan Patrick and others as I was with those folks all that day

-Taking in the first half of game 5 from our broadcast set while eating a Whataburger bought by Jon Barry. Thanks Jon! Here is a photo from that vantage point. Stephen A. on the left and Dan chewing his Whataburger

Lowlights

-Despondent 33 year old who jumped from the 17th floor of the Grand American Hotel hours before game 4. The Spurs and all of our talent and executives were staying at that hotel. The body landed 10 feet from the hotel entrance and cast a pall over the day as we prepared to go on the air

-Idiot Game truck engineers that don't know shit about IT

-The heat and humidity of San Antonio. Makes it easy to not be working the Finals

-Salt Lake City closing on Sunday. All of it

-Feeling like crapola for the first 5 days of the trip

-Missing the long Memorial Day weekend at home with my family

-Coming home to a backed up sink and a dead cable box

Spot

2007-05-27T13:12:00.000-07:00

Meet my freshwater roommate while I am in Salt Lake City. This is Spot, courtesy of the Hotel Monaco.

The hotel is quite nice in an otherwise dull town, and Spot has certainly kept me company. Well, not really. He just swims in circles and looks out the window. My room is a tall room complete with a 9 foot king size bed, high counter top in the bathroom and a tall shower head. Not too bad if you have to travel. Not that I would ever willingly come back to Salt Lake, but at least it's nice to know that there is a good hotel in town.

On the Road Again

2007-05-22T14:45:00.000-07:00

I head out to Utah this Thursday to support the NBA Western Conference Finals. Depending on how the series plays out I will be in Salt Lake City until Tuesday and then either home or in San Antonio for game 5. If the series continues after that we go back to Utah and then back to San Antonio if game 7 is needed. Needless to say it's a bit hard to know how to pack or plan especially with a family at home.

I am having withdrawls of being away from them already. Fortunately the Hotel Monaco is so pet friendly that you can adopt a goldfish for your stay if you did not bring your own pet. How cool is that? Ok, how unique is that? Ok, I like fish so it might be fun to have a little buddy in the room. I can teach him cribbage, make him coffee and watch movies in bed with him. This sure takes the edge off of missing Debby and the kids. And if my per diem runs out or room service is closed.......

Take That You Old Fart!

2007-05-09T14:18:00.000-07:00

New 40 year old Brad did not agree with my last post that I can clean up well. That being said, I present additional evidence to the contrary:

Yes, I will give you that this is many years, fewer pounds and more hair ago, but damn that guy in the middle looks good.

Gala Night

2007-05-06T11:35:00.000-07:00

Once or twice a year I cleanup really well. Debby on the other hand always looks fabulous. I could live the rest of my life in faded jeans, t-shirts and tennis shoes.

By the way, Debby is not getting taller, she is standing one step up from me by our hot tub.

Do Not Adjust Your Monitor....

2007-05-01T20:41:00.000-07:00

...you are not seeing double. BlackJack now has a younger brother. Meet Cricket.

Cricket is the wide-body on the left. He is 7 years old and weighs 21 pounds! He is a fatty and I have taken to calling him Porky. By comparison BJ is 12 years old and weighs only 10 pounds.

Cricket comes to us as a "free to loving home" adoption off of Craigslist. Apparently the owners had taken him in in January for a relocating friend. The adopters have a large rottweiler/shepard mix that wanted to eat Cricket and so they felt it best to rehome him before he became a main course.

I have wanted a second dog for years and have been scanning the pets section of CL for a few weeks trying to find the right fit. I did not want to spend hundreds of dollars and Debby was against a second dog altogether, especially a puppy. Last week I came across the listing for Cricket and showed it to Deb. She had schipperkes as a child and said she always loved having two. I e-mailed the owners with her approval and they brought the Big C over on Saturday to see if we and BJ were a good fit. BJ was basically indifferent about a second schipperke (and another male at that!) which was good since we have tried other dogs over the years with no luck. So far everything is working out and we are working on shedding some of the big guy's girth. He is a sweet dog but either stupid or just still adjusting as all he does is sit by the front door. All day long. The boys don't hang out together but don't mind each other. On walks together they get along fine. It's a curious dynamic that I think will get better as both of them realize that Cricket is staying put with us.

I Dare You To Try To Change The Channel

2007-04-24T07:33:00.000-07:00

No more Lassie, I want Iron Chef and Emeril, damnit!

Self Deprecating

2007-04-19T20:29:00.000-07:00

I'd say this is pretty much the way it is at the old homestead.

Welcome to Phoenix, My Name is Fill

2007-04-02T22:42:00.001-07:00

Another fun NBA weekend saw me wearing multiple hats. Besides doing my normal computer support and helping move camera and lighting equipment, I was also asked to be a fill-in for our live crowd during the pregame show. Initially the turnout was rather poor, so despite my devotion to the Lakers, I made like a crazy sun fried Phoenix Suns basketball fan. I even got a free Suns hat out of the deal. Watch the video and look for me in the bottom right corner wearing a dark gray T-shirt and a white hat.

Don't you just love the Gorilla and Trophyman? It was probably about 85 degrees at 10:00 am on Sunday morning when this was shot and I was cooking with the sun beating down on my back. I cannot imagine how those two guys did not stroke out.

Say Hello to My Little Friend

2007-04-02T21:10:00.000-07:00

I was back in Phoenix working the NBA game again this past weekend. On Saturday I went to Alice Cooper's restaurant, Alice Cooperstown, with a couple of the crew members. Last time I was in Phoenix I also had lunch there and could not help being curious about the yelling by the waiters when someone order a specific dish. Upon further investigation, Cooperstown offers a two foot long hot dog called the Big Unit (named after Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Randy Johnson) for $10.99. When ordered and when delivered the wait staff yells out "BIG UNIT!" Intrigued by the prospects I went for it this time. Here is the offending nitrate missle:

Notice the fork for scaling purposes. This hotdog ran the length of the plate.

In actuality, the Big Unit is about 4 Hebrew National all beef hotdogs in a so-so toasted bun. After some impressive oooohs and aaaaahs from many in the ESPN/ABC TV crew I dove in and attacked the beast. The verdict: Eh...it was a hotdog. It was good but nothing special. I ate the whole dog and about half of the bun. I also had coleslaw and fries with it, plus iced tea. When it was all said and done I still had room for chocolate off the craft service table. Glad I tried it once, but would not do it again since Alice has so many other good things on his menu. It is a really good sports bar and restaurant and I recommend the place when you are in downtown Phoenix.

Great News

2007-03-21T21:51:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to my daughter Jamie, on being accepted to Marlborough School. Marlborough is an all girls school in the Hancock Park section of LA that was founded over a hundred years ago. This is an incredible opportunity for her and we are very proud parents. Three of my siblings attended Marlborough and went on to college at the University of Colorado, Stanford and Cornell. The educational options for Jamie are unlimited and we know that she will thrive in this environment. Way to go Jamie-Girl!!!

Me and DP in Cow Town

2007-03-12T20:11:00.000-07:00

I worked another NBA remote this past weekend. This time in Sacramento as the Kings played the visiting Denver Nuggets. Last week in Phoenix I hung back and tried to stay out of the way and get to know people and let them get to know me. This week, familiarity led to comfort and some of the principles I was supporting were glad to see me again.

On game day, I was walking into the arena trailing almost all of our on-air talent including Dan Patrick. (For those who do not watch ESPN, my wife included, DP is one of our biggest and brightest talents.) Everyone had their credentials out except Dan as we approached the security guard. Dan starts to dig into his bag for it when asked by security, and I am shocked that the guard does not recognize him. Half in jest and half serious I say that I will vouch for Dan. The guard looks at my credential and says, "OK, Randy, I'll remember you if anything happens." Classic! DP then tells me that last week in Phoenix he had similar issues getting onto the floor to do the pregame even though he was all miked up and holding a script. Don't these people know who we are? We are ESPN, kneel at our feet infidels. Sorry I had a 300 moment there. Great movie by the way.

Now that I had a rapport with DP, during downtime he and Michael Wilbon had more direct conversations with me unlike last week when I was the proverbial fly on the wall trying to laugh at all the appropriate times and shut up the rest of the time. For the uninformed, to talk basketball and sports with these two, plus a former NBA player, Jon Barry, it really doesn't get any better than this when you are a sports fan. Talk about job satisfaction, setup computers. Watch NBA game. Talk to sportcasters about the game. Get paid.

By the way, this is a low maintenance gig. One to two hours of setup, one hour of tear down and maybe one hour of actual fixing or supporting things if it is busy. The rest of the time is being on hand in case it breaks. This week to keep busy I was enlisted/volunteered to help the grips and camera folks with the Chinese fire drill where we roll out 3 cameras, lights, monitors, desk, chairs and signage onto the floor for the pregame, halftime report and if needed, post game fill. Because it is live TV you need to haul ass. It's fun, fast and furious, and of course once you are out there you stay out there until the segment is completed. Then you do it all in reverse. All the while you are at half court on an NBA floor watching players warm up and stretch not 10 feet away. You stand BS-ing with the other crew members, checking out the fans in the stands and watching these athletes get ready to play. And these are some large people out there. Talk about feeling small. I am 6'7" 260lbs and I felt little. Finally the best part, as we came back on the air for the post game wrap up, I made it on TV with Dan Patrick. It's a little fuzzy on the picture so I labelled who I am in it.

That's ME with my hands in my pocket.

Phoenix Weekend

2007-03-05T21:23:00.000-08:00

How was your weekend? Not to gloat or brag (much) but mine was too cool. I spent 48 hours in Phoenix working the Suns vs. Lakers game on ABC. My assignment: setup 8 laptops, two printers and a teleprompter laptop and make sure they work. That they did so what did I do the rest of the time, not much. Oh except for watching the game in the green room with Dan Patrick and Jon Barry (NBA veteran) and a cast of production characters that collectively kept the room in stitches. I'm telling you, the "show" behind the show is something else. And they pay me for this!

Just A Good Ol' Boy...

2007-02-26T16:36:00.000-08:00

I spent 3 days last week out at California Speedway in Fontana supporting ESPN's coverage of the NASCAR Busch Race. Contrary to popular belief I did not lose any IQ points (they were already gone!). It was a fun remote and I worked with some folks that were in Miami last month and some from the ESPYs last summer. If this keeps up I'll get to know everyone in the whole world! Ok, not quite. But short remotes are fun and I have the NBA in Phoenix coming up this weekend. Here are some photos I snapped at the race with my new Motorola KRZR K1 phone.

Where the magic of live television happens.

Cool News

2007-02-14T12:10:00.000-08:00

My cousin, Kevin, and his awesome girlfriend, Rachel, have started a new project called News in Haiku. They write a news article every weekday in the short and sweet Haiku form. It is brilliant in my humble opinion.

I will be linking it on my blog shortly. Visit and enjoy. You can also subscribe to the daily News in Haiku mailing list, or add the feed to your Google Homepage, My Yahoo page, or feed reader. Check it out at http://newsinhaiku.com

Going Up

2007-02-14T11:54:00.000-08:00

In October of 2005, ground was broken on the LA Live project across the street from Staples Center in Downtown LA. Part of that development includes a new West Coast Studio for ESPN. Recently a webcam was installed so that ESPN employees can check the progress on our intranet. Since this will be my new work address by 2009, I check the progress on a daily basis. Here is the progress as of today:

Here is the caption from the site which is now a bit out of date:

You are looking roughly northeast at the site from a camera mounted on the Staples Center. The street running in the bottom righthand corner is Chick Hearn Way and the street in the upper right running between the site and the Holiday Inn is Figueroa. In the upper left hand part of the picture, you can see the ESPN billboard on the Hotel Figueroa. The ESPN building fronts on Chick Hearn Way and Figueroa and extends to about the large crane and left almost to the trailers. What you see at present is the main floor of the building. Under that concrete slab are two floors of a parking garage, rooms to house ESPN mechanical gear and a partial third floor for electrical equipment belonging to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. Beyond the building to the top of the picture is a plaza and an office building. We expect to start erecting the steel for the five-story building in mid-January and to open the facility in early 2009. When completed, the LA Production Center will house two large studios, three control rooms, master control facilities, a combined screening-news room, eight edit rooms and associated support facilities. We hope you enjoy watching the progress with us.

Full LA Live details can be found at: AEG Worldwide

Soaked but not Shaken

2007-02-10T12:15:00.000-08:00

Home now and and finally organized. As well as dried out. Enjoy the photos from my trip.

Entrance to the NEXT Block Party, put on by ESPN the Magazine.

The Cadillac Sixteen. 9 to 12 million dollars in development. Lots of precise pushing to get it into the building due to its length.

The RoboBar. More novelty than practicality. My rum and Coke needed more ice.

This car had an actual NASCAR engine in it. Can you say LOUD?

Russian Artwork in the Design District called Saw.

Party Night. The Moore Building, our headquarters for the week, all lit up for the festivities.

If I can't have the car, how about a flat screen TV, please?

I actuallly liked this Cadillac concept car better. The Moore atrium lit up on Party night.

My kind of party!

South Beach at night.

We attended the Miami Heat vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers game. That's Dwayne Wade shooting a free throw and Shaquille O'Neal at half court. LeBron James is down there somewhere.

Out of respect to Shaq's failing body and injuries, the Heat have age appropriate entertainment and cheerleaders.

How about some football? Tailgate party before the SuperBowl at the Orange Bowl, complete with BBQ and tossing the pigskin. Lots of fun.

Dolphin Stadium before the game and the downpour.

Rick, myself and Carl while we were still dry.

No complaints about the view from our seats. Here comes the Colts and the Bears.

Prince at halftime.

A great time in Miami, but glad to be back with my family.

Notes from the Terminal

2007-02-06T05:35:00.000-08:00

Waiting at Miami International to fly home after a week and a half in South Florida. Murphy's Law sure did apply for the weather down here. For most of the week it was sunny and mild in the high 70's, with nominal humidity. Then Friday, the night of the 7 hour block party, it hits 85 with high humidity. Yuck. Too many people in too small a space and not enough AC when indoors.

And of course then there was the game. The game where it lightly sprinkled in the first quarter and then turned into a heavy downpour in the second. Our seats were in the upper deck above the Chicago end zone. The cool thing about Joe Robbie/Pro Player/Dolphins/Dolphin Stadium is that there does not appear to be a bad seat in the place. Of course almost every seat is also exposed to the elements. To say that I got soaked would be an understatement. Put it this way, one of the shirts I wore to the game is still wet. Fish do not get as wet as I was. Water wishes it was as wet as I was. Thankfully my head and feet stayed dried and warm which is why I am not sick today and why I was able to hold out until the game was practically decided. We abandoned ship with about twelve minutes left in the fourth quarter. I had proclaimed that I was staying for the whole thing, and had it been my first SuperBowl I probably would have. Or if the Chargers were playing. Instead it was a cold and wet trek back to the bus where we watched the last five minutes on the TV system. Had we known that the TVs on the buses got broadcast reception we would have left sooner. There were lots of empty seats after Prince did the halftime entertainment.

The game and the experience in the rain were incredibly fun and being treated as a VIP by ESPN Special Events meant that we were well fed and taken care of. The tailgate party this year was on the field of the Orange Bowl where we had a BBQ and played catch with lots of footballs. I have pictures of it to post, but when I thought about the history of the place and the fact that I was running routes and making fingertip catches on the same field that Dan Marino threw to the Marks brothers, I was in heaven. And they pay me to work for them. Damn Cool!

Super Update

2007-02-04T07:47:00.000-08:00

I have been lax in posting updates from Miami but either we have been "working" or recovering. In truth there has not been a lot to talk about of interest but I do have lots of photos to upload which will happen when I get home. The highlights:

LL Cool J midnight concert at the NEXT Block Party was incredible.
Have met Mike Golic, Mark Schlreth, Carl Banks, Otis Anderson, Jeremy Schapp, Matt Leinart and my big boss, George Bodenheimer.
Have seen up close Serena and Venus Williams. Damn!
Going to the big game today!

Lowlights...nada!

More later...maybe.

Wasting Away in Miami

2007-01-30T08:43:00.000-08:00

Not really but I thought the title was catchy. I have been in Miami since Saturday night. Not a lot to report but the heavy lifting is all done and now we are in wait-for-it-to-break mode. I am here with two co-workers supporting a one night block party. We also have an executive suite at the hotel where we are staying that we are responsible for. Basically, we are setting up printers and computers and wiring everything so that the planners and such can throw their party. We are working out of the Moore Building in Miami's Design District. This building has been used for art shows and the like. Much better digs than Detroit last year. Here is a shot of the interior atrium:

Because I want this post to have some humor and redeeming value, please follow this link and read Dave Barry's column from the Miami Herald where he welcomes you to Miami and gives you some tips to getting around town. It's all true and very accurate. Enjoy.

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/living/columnists/dave_barry/16563709.htm

East Bound and Super Bowl Down

2007-01-25T13:47:00.000-08:00

I am off this Saturday for 10 days in Miami to support events leading up to the Super Bowl. This year you can be a part of one those parties if you are in Miami and have $500.00 to burn. StubHub is offering a VIP package at this link:

http://www.stubhub.com/super-bowl-party-tickets/?event_id=363760

VIP Packages include:

* General Admittance to the main event Block Party
* Exclusive access to the Moore Building VIP Party
* Premium open bar and catered food compliments of Benihana Restaurant
* Red carpet walk
* Mingle among the hottest athletes and celebrities (last year's guest included Usher, Jessica Alba, Emmitt Smith and Snoop Dogg)

This is one of the many events that I will be supporting (ok, supporting the staff that puts the event on) while I am in Miami. No plans to attend the game and no connections to get tickets so don't even ask. Keep watching this space for updates and photos from Miami. Go Colts!

Huff and Puff

2007-01-07T21:43:00.000-08:00

We have had some windy days recently that hit too close to home last week. I came home from work on Friday to find that a mini-twister had raced down my street and took out half of my neighbor's tree. As you can see the tree cracked at its base vertically.

Further examination shows dry rot or dead rot in the core of the trunk.

The tree came down into the street and snapped my cable TV line. It also stretched the phone and power lines all the way down to the pavement, ripping them from the house and scaring the hell out of Debby and the girls when they landed on our garden window on the side of the house.

DWP was out within two hours and shut off the power to our house so that they could throw the line over the fallen tree and then reattach it to the house. Total outage time was less than 30 minutes. Saturday, an emergency crew from the city came and cut up the fallen tree and cleared it out of the street, which was two-thirds blocked. They moved it all off to the side so that a reqular crew can come and clean it up at some point. An hour after that an AT&T technician arrived and re-hung and stretched the phone lines that the tree guys had freed up by sectioning up the tree. Total phone outage time was zero. And then came the wait for the Time Warner Cable technician.....

....the long, horrific wait. The wait that required me to find rabbit ears so that I could watch football. The wait that forced me to watch static covered NFL playoffs. The two day wait that endured for an additional tw0-and-a-half hours while the cable tech re-ran coxial from the power pole, down the line, across the street and to my house. Total cable TV outage time 51 hours. The horror....the horror...

Liquid Heaven

2007-01-05T15:13:00.000-08:00

The girls got a chocolate fountain from Grandma for Xmas. We baptized it last night.

Results were delicious and messy.

Yes, we had to peel them off the ceiling at bedtime.

Famous At Last!

2006-12-23T18:06:00.000-08:00

If you were watching SportsCenter on ESPN last night at 11:30 pm, PST, then you saw something that happens only once a year on the WorldWide Leader. Credits! Yes, ESPN does not roll credits after any of our shows except for once a year when they credit everyone in the company. All 4600 or so of us. It took fourteen-and-a-half minutes of waiting before my name showed up.

The best part is that the Senior Network Analyst title is actually from my Disney Channel days. Officially, I am now a Senior Systems Administrator. Big whoop! My name was on the air, that's the cool part.

Happy Holidays

2006-12-18T18:55:00.000-08:00

From my family to yours,

we wish you a happy holidays, good health and a great new year.

Go Ahead, Make My Day

2006-12-11T08:05:00.000-08:00

If this was my basket of clean clothes I might be pissed.

Since it is Derek's, I am just amused. Good dog. Derek should be grateful that Black Jack is keeping his clothes warm...and safe.

Irony in the Flesh

2006-11-15T18:45:00.000-08:00

She may have smiled for the camera but she is ready to go back to school.

Compared to other cases I have seen and experienced, I'd say Jamie has a moderate case of chicken pox.

Irony

2006-11-14T22:49:00.000-08:00

Apparently, Jamie tempted fate on Halloween. Yesterday we learned that she has chicken pox. She ain't too happy about it but she is also not that bad yet. Boredom will probably do her in before the itching does. With her permission, I'll post a photo.

Happy Halloween

2006-10-31T10:26:00.000-08:00

My rock star and my sickie.

World Leaders

2006-10-25T20:06:00.000-07:00

My 6th grade daughter, Jamie, was given an assignment that included the question "Who is a world leader that you admire and why?" Her teacher told her that if she did not know of any she could ask her parents who they admired and use that as an answer. Now there's a question for this age that really put me on the spot. World Leader, that I admire...................I could not think of a single one. Nor could Debby. To Jamie's credit she answered that there are no leaders that my parents admire at this time. Here's the best part, this was part of her Bible homework.

That said, sadly there is no one out there right now that I can say oh yeah he or she is a good one. I mean president ding-dong gets the boobie prize for that question, but are there any standouts in the world these days? Am I missing someone obvious?

Slap Your Co-Worker Day

2006-10-13T10:09:00.000-07:00

Friday the 13th is the official Slap Your Irritating Co-workers Holiday

Do you have a co-worker who talks nonstop about nothing, working your last nerve with tedious and boring details that you don't give a damn about? Do you have a co-worker who ALWAYS screws up stuff creating MORE work for you? Do you have a co-worker who kisses so much booty; you can look in their mouth and see what your boss had for lunch? Do you have a co-worker who is SOOO obnoxious, when he/she enters a room, everyone else clears it? Well, on behalf of Ike Turner, I am so very very glad to officially announce that today is SLAP YOUR IRRITATING CO-WORKER DAY!

There are the rules you must follow:

* You can only slap one person per hour - no more.
* You can slap the same person again if they irritate you again in the same day.
* You are allowed to hold someone down as other co-workers take their turns slapping the irritant.
* No weapons are allowed...other than going upside somebody's head with a stapler or a hole-puncher.
* If questioned by a supervisor [or police, if the supervisor is the irritant], you are allowed to LIE, LIE, LIE! Now, study the rules, break out your list of folks that you want to slap the living day lights out of and get to slapping...and have a great day!

There was a time when I would really take advantage of this holiday, but now that I am in a better place professionally I do not feel the need to do so. Mostly! Happy Day!

Poignant Irony

2006-10-02T12:02:00.000-07:00

One of the hardest parts of growing up for me was having divorced parents. Mom and Dad split up when I was six years old. Hard for a kid to take and definitely something that stays with you your whole life. Like most kids of divorced parents I longed for a reconciliation so that we would all be a family again but of course it was not to be. My folks always got along well when it came to me and my brother, Scott. They were a model for putting all the other crap aside and doing what is best for the children and for that I am grateful.

My graduation from high school and my wedding were one of the few times that Mom and Dad were in the same place together for any period of time. At my wedding I was hoping to have a photo taken of me and Debby with just my parents and no new spouses. Nothing personal against the steps, it was just the young boy in me longing to have a momento of me with just my parents. Mom did not feel comfortable doing so without her current husband and so it never happened. Too bad, but I understood why and continued to accept that they were no longer together.

Last night, because it is the beginning of Yom Kippor, we lit memorial candles for both Mom and Dad. On Yom Kippor my family has always lit a candle to remember those who are no longer with us. Breaking the fast at my grandmother's house would not be complete without a candle burning for my great-grandmother or my grandfather. It's just one of those traditions that you always remember your family observing and there is comfort in that. This is the first time we have lit a candle for my father who died late last year and I could not help realizing that the two candles burning side-by-side sadly reunite my parents in the hardest way possible for me.

The Only Reason to Ever Blog About Paris Hilton

2006-10-01T10:58:00.000-07:00

I was watching House of Wax last night rooting for this to happen and then it did! I love it when a movie pays off the way I am betting.

Thoughts I Try to Live By

2006-09-26T20:20:00.000-07:00

Life is not a dress rehersal.

Things have a way of working themselves out.

When in doubt, don't.

Kill them with kindness.

Never be afraid to ask questions. Even stupid ones.

Do the right thing even when no one is watching. It's the right thing to do.

Mother Nature will remind us that she is the boss.

When you have to say no to a request try not to use the word no.

Play to win, but be graceful in victory.

Set good examples for children.

You are never too old to say please or thank you.

Hard work never goes to waste.

Own anything you commit to.

Never let anyone, including yourself, tarnish your name or reputation.

Chivalry is not dead.

Plan for the future but enjoy today.

If you do not like yourself, no one else will either.

Without action, words are just that.

Don't bring children into this world unless you plan to love them with all your heart and support them with all your might.

I like my children spoiled. Just not rotten.

No one chooses to be stupid but people make stupid choices.

You can have too much education. You can never have too much common sense.

As much as change sometimes sucks, change is a good thing.

Indulge yourself, you deserve it.

Live within your means, but strive as high as you want to live.

If it has meaning in your life, be in it for the long haul and not the quick kill.

No matter how hard you try, some people will need to learn things the hard way.

Ignorance is not an excuse, stupidity might be.

Be honest, but be polite.

Know when you are being petty about things.

If being a creature of habit makes you happy that's all that matters.

Of course we care what other people think of us, but try not to let it go to your head or ruin your day.

Don't criticize the driver unless you are willing to take a turn behind the wheel.

Take the high road. Wait until you get home to gloat.

Play the cards that you are dealt.

Look long enough to see the big picture.

What the heck, try to make them laugh.

Never underestimate the value of a good cliche.

Just Suck, Baby

2006-09-12T20:45:00.000-07:00

That smell coming from Northern California is the hapless Oakland Raiders football team. They stunk up the joint but good last night in one of the worst games I have ever seen an offense play. I sure am glad that they did not draft Matt Leinert of USC with the 5th pick when they had the chance. Aaron Brooks at quarterback is a solid choice. If you like seeing your QB pummeled. Yes the line has to block, but dear God man, throw the F-ing ball away instead of letting them pulverize you. The only upside to this debacle of a team is that maybe the toll of this long season will finally sideline Al Davis once and for all.

Summer X Games 12

2006-08-07T20:44:00.000-07:00

Last night, my two week adventure of supporting this year's Summer X Games ended. Finally! While the four days of the Games themselves were fun, the preparation leading up to the event was long and tedious. Six co-workers from my department flew out from Bristol with a TON of equipment to support both the Home Depot Center and Staples Center. It was our job to wire both facilities for network connectivity back to the mothership in Connecticut as well as provide support to the production trucks during the actual broadcasts. It was a lot of work but the event was successful and I got to experience lots of the Games close up so in the end it was worth it....I think.

Highlights of the two weeks include:

-Full access to all of Staples Center and Home Depot Center
-Seeing Tony Hawk walking around with his family
-Watching Travis Pastrana's incredible double back flip on a motorcycle from the floor of Staples about 45 feet from his landing
-Checking out Sandra Bullock and hubby Jesse James up close
-Standing in the production trucks watching motorcycle racing commercial free
-The amazing number of tattoos and fake boobies on display
-Kick ass car rally ending including the race leader rolling on the second to the last turn, but righting his car and driving to a second place finish
-Standing on the dirt track watching the Moto Step Up finals and getting on TV in the process
-Learning about the Metal Mulisha, Deegan, Twitch and a host of other X Games athletes/characters
-Standing two feet from moto legend Jeremy McGrath
-Being introduced to Patron tequila by my co-workers, Smoooooooth

In all it was one of those experiences that I enjoyed now that I can look back at it. Many days it was "hurry up and wait" which drove me crazy to no end. But once I got into the flow of it all, things improved and I found my way through the days. And now I am fan of many of the events and competitors. Next year you will have to join me for Summer X 13.

Check out my Summer X Games 12 Photos on my Yahoo site. Too many to publish here via Flickr. Let me know if you want any of these in high resolution.

Not Dead...

2006-08-06T15:03:00.000-07:00

...just been working Summer X Games for the past two weeks. Will post photos as soon as I get a day off.

ESPYs

2006-07-14T12:06:00.000-07:00

Normally I do not shill for my company in this space, but today I am going to recommend that you tune in Sunday night to ESPN and watch the 2006 ESPYS with Lance Armstrong hosting. The show was taped this past Wednesday night at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood where I was working for the week supporting the event. I was able to go to the taping and was pleasantly surprised at how good it was including Lance as host. Love him or hate him (I respect his recovery from cancer, but thought that he was an ass after reading his book, It's Not About the Bike). He was really funny including making a joke about giving his left nut to host the show. Will Ferrell and Ben Stiller are equally entertaining and of course the fund raising aspect for the Jimmy V Foundation is what the evening is all about. The V Foundation for Cancer Research is about finding a cure for cancer. A great cause and one that holds a place close to my heart.

Other highlights include the Arthur Ashe Courage award given to two soccer playing teenage girls from Afghanistan who risk everything to play a sport in a country where women have been beaten and killed for doing so in public by the Taliban.

The story of a New Orleans high school basketball team that came together post Hurricane Katrina to win the Louisiana State Championship is another amazing story that is featured.

Overall it was a fun week working the event supporting three locations and a variety of people. We did a few parties, saw the show, walked the red carpet and met Vince Young, the Trojan killing quarterback of the Texas Longhorns. Also spotted up close, Dr J., Alonzo Mourning, Gary Payton, Shaun Alexander, the Flying Tomato Shaun White, Mark McGrath and Sugar Ray (who performed at the after party!) and Biz Markie spinning 70s and 80s rock and roll also at the after party. Perhaps one of the nicest people to support was Howie Schwab of Stump the Schwab. A nice, down-to-earth mensch.

So watch the show and the pre-show and look for me on the red carpet in a black suit trying not to melt or trip on my new slacks that are a smidge too long, if you can believe it!

Living Dangerously

2006-06-29T20:44:00.000-07:00

As a pedestrian and a driver I understand that the pedestrian legally always has the right of way. But let's be real if I run over a jaywalker in the middle of the forest and no one sees it: a) did it really happen and b) who's to say who had the right of way. Dead men tell no tales....

That said, I do not mind yielding to jaywalkers and thrillseekers one bit. Been known to do it myself. But let's be clear about one thing. If you are going to cross a busy street and not use the crosswalk you'd better not take it for granted that I see you or more importantly that I am yielding to you. Make the appropriate deferential eye contact that says "I know that I am illegally crossing this street here and that I morally have no right to ask you to let me pass but I thank you for taking pity on my dumb jaywalking ass." That's all I ask, just a little humility.

So imagine my ire this evening when an arrogant young man yielded not one bit today as I was leaving work and jaywalked in front of my blood red PT Cruiser. The Cruiser that would barely show a drop of freshly extracted blood from the walking ass clown that showed no hesitation in illegally crossing the street in front of me. Because of his arrogance I chose not to slow down until it was obvious that he was not interested in kissing my ass and that I was not interested in vehicle manslaughter charges. I was about 2 seconds from rolling down my window and bitching him out when I realized that the ass clown was actually the nice young Barista that made me an ever so delicious venti passion black tea slightly sweetened this morning. So I swallowed my arrogance begrudingly and let the incident pass like the adult that I am trying to be should.

I go to that Starbucks way too much to make enemies with a Barista...lucky bugger!

Still Going

2006-06-12T21:29:00.000-07:00

I have been lazy of late and not in the mood to write. Things I have wanted to say, I shouldn't share here. Know that all is well and that the creative juices are being applied elsewhere. Plus I really like the pool pictures from the previous post and have been spending lots of time in it. So there you have it: wet, lazy and preoccupied.

Finished!

2006-04-23T21:54:00.000-07:00

All done! Couldn't be happier. Come join us for a swim this summer.

Landscape Preview

2006-04-21T07:31:00.000-07:00

The landscaping will be done this afternoon but here is a sneak peak of what it looks like with the obligatory before picture.

More later this weekend.

Before & After

2006-04-15T12:39:00.000-07:00

On December 12th the backyard looked like this:

This morning it looks like this:

Two days ago I finally jumped into the pool for the first time after moving the big boulder next to the spa into an upright position. For those of you not in Southern California it was sunny and 80 degrees. Yesterday it rained pretty much all day. L.A. weather is pretty kooky, but then that's why we live here and added a pool. Upcoming this week, the landscaping is finally going in...probably.

How Do You Really Feel About It, Ken?

2006-04-11T19:52:00.000-07:00

With baseball season in its second week, good friend Ken has posted a wee bit of a rant about one Barry Bonds and Steroids. Be forewarned that the author is quite colorful and holds back nothing. Kids, this isn't for you.

But Will I Fit?

2006-04-11T16:39:00.000-07:00

Went to the Walt Disney Studios today to meet some friends for lunch and we spotted Pixar chief John Lasseter showing off one of the stars of the new movie, Cars.

When it was started up it actually had a nice throaty roar. I hope the movie is as good as the promotion.

Aron Semel tribute

2006-04-06T21:37:00.000-07:00

My brother Scott has set up a weblog in memory of our father's life. Dad passed away late last year and his wife gave Scott all of Dad's important and historical papers and photographs.

Aron Semel tribute

Dad hid from the Nazis in a cellar with his parents from age 2 until age 5. After WWII they waited in Germany for 5 years until there number was called to come to this country. Scott has posted much of their documentation. His was not an easy life but he was successful and we love and miss him very much.

How to Make My Day, Twice!

2006-04-05T09:42:00.000-07:00

Tell me I look thinner. That's what my doctor said this morning when she walked into the exam room. Then I heard it again from a co-worker in the elevator. Remarkedly, I was not naked either time. I appreciate the sentiment and have lost maybe 5 pounds, but I think the real reason for people noticing is that I shaved off my goatee. Oh well, I'll always take unsolicited compliments irregardless of reality.

Fantasy 'Lanta

2006-03-27T07:11:00.000-08:00

One of the fun parts of working for ESPN is getting to travel for different events. Last week I spent 4 days in Orlando for an Ad Sales meeting at Disney's Grand Floridian. It was fun but corporate. From Orlando I popped up to Atlanta for a fantasy baseball draft party at Turner Field, home of the Atlanta Braves. I was asked to set up 60 laptops so that ESPN the Magazine subscribers could attend a free draft party and start building their teams. It was a lot of work and due to the low number of RSVPs we only deployed 40 laptops (15 would have been plenty!) but the prep took all day Saturday and half of Sunday. Can you say tired?

Once the event began it was lots of hot dogs, hot fantasy girls and talking baseball with the likes of Ron Gant, Jeff Brantley and Bob Horner. Plus trying my stuff at the fast pitch cage. Jeff Brantley coached me and added 2 mphs to my "wicked" fastball, whereby I topped the gun at 50 mph. Pitiful, of course, and since I did not warm up my arm is sore this morning. I'll cherish that strain for at least another day. Off to Bristol, CT to check in with the Mothership.

Yeah, I like my job.

It Works

2006-03-18T16:32:00.000-08:00

We used our spa for the first time this morning. Jamie was the only one brave (crazy) enough to swim in the 61 degree water in the pool. The pressure of the jets in the spa is fabulous. Wish I wasn't leaving tonight on a 2 week business trip. I want to soak with my girls.

E-mail me if you want a hi-res copy of me without my shirt on.

Filled Up

2006-03-15T21:18:00.000-08:00

Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls...introducing our POOL!

Next up, getting the fences painted and landscaping.

Peeble Sheen

2006-03-13T14:02:00.000-08:00

We start filling on Wednesday!

Waiting on the Inspector

2006-03-07T11:28:00.000-08:00

Sitting here as I post, I am waiting for the inspector to conduct his enclosure inspection. I was given a two hour window that he will be here in and of course I am in the last 30 minutes of that window. The guy must double as a cable TV repairman.

An enclosure inspection consists of making sure the property is secure so that no one wanders into your pool and drowns. This means self-latching gates that open towards the street, door alarms on every entry that leads to the pool area and of course a fence around the entire property. This weekend my fence guy finished the new rear fence and a pair of side gates. Here is a sample of his work.

All that remains once the inspector approves is the final plumbing fittings and the peeble sheen surface of the pool. Plus we need to stain all three sides of our backyard fences and landscape the area behind the pool. We may actually be hot tubbing in a week! Par-tay!

Update: we passed the inspection and are scheduled to have our pool surfaced on Thursday.

If it's not broke....

2006-03-05T21:06:00.000-08:00

...I don't have to see it. Since Crash won the best picture Oscar tonight I really don't feel the need or obligation to see Brokeback Mountain. Everyone that I know that has seen it has described it as long, slow, depressing and a downer. Add the gay element to it and nothing is calling out to me to see this movie. I am not homophobic by any means and in fact have some very good friends who are gay and their sexual orientation has nothing to do with our friendship. Live and let live. But when I go to the movies you need to blow something up, give me a good car chase or at least show me some female skin. I want entertainment not a sleeping pill or a new reason to feel depressed. Watching Brokeback's two writers accept the best adapted screenplay Oscar tonight I was underwhelmed by their boring personalities. I guess if the cowboy fits....that was cheap...

Isn't it ironic....

2006-02-24T10:47:00.000-08:00

I have been watching American Idol since season 3 because I enjoy music and watching the judges do their schtick. Mind you, I rarely watch it live. Without Tivo, I would have put a bullet in my brain long ago. The other reason to watch it is because my daughter Jamie loves the show and so it is quality bonding time for us. I get to see her introduced to music that she hasn't heard before and we both usually agree with each other about the performances. If the show is still on by the time she is 16 (that will be July, 2011) I have no doubt that she will seriously consider auditioning.

Watching last night's results show something struck me as ironic. The two boys and two girls that received the lowest number of viewer votes were kicked to the curb. When the judges were asked why they thought these four were cut loose the answer was invariably, "wrong song choice." Ok, makes sense. People chose songs that were too hard or above their capabilities or just didn't make them standout. Now here's the part that I love. After each of the four is given the boot, they say goodbye by singing the song that got them shitcanned in the first place. It's almost as if host Ryan Seacrest is saying "America, just in case they didn't suck loud enough for you the first time, here they are to do an encore of their failure."

Love it!

Footnote

2006-02-20T11:02:00.000-08:00

Just in case you were worried about pretty boy A.C. Slater being unemployed by the end of ESPN Hollywood, fear not. Mario Lopez has landed a job where he probably should have always been.

Mario Lopez Added to the Cast of The Bold and the Beautiful

Whew!

and that's that....

2006-02-18T14:15:00.000-08:00

Bobby's drivin' through the city tonight
Through the lights in a hot new rent-a-car
He joins the lovers in his heavy machine
It's a scene down on Sunset Boulevard
Say goodbye to Hollywood
Say goodbye to my baby
Say goodbye to Hollywood
Say goodbye to my baby

Johnny's takin' care of things for a while
And his style is so right for troubadours
They got him sitting with his back to the door
Now he won't be my fast gun anymore
Say goodbye to Hollywood
Say goodbye, my baby
Say goodbye to Hollywood
Say goodbye, my baby

Chorus:
Movin' on is a chance that you take
Any time you try to stay together
Whoa
Say a word out of line
And you find that the friends you had
Are gone forever
Forever

So many faces in and out of my life
Some will last
Some will just be now and then
Life is a series of hellos and goodbyes
I'm afraid it's time for goodbye again
Say goodbye to Hollywood
Say goodbye, my baby
Say goodbye to Hollywood
Say goodbye, my baby

Chorus:
Movin' on is a chance that you take
Any time you try to stay together
Whoa
Say a word out of line
And you find that the friends you had
Are gone forever
Forever

So many faces in and out of my life
Some will last
Some will just be now and then
Life is a series of hellos and goodbyes
I'm afraid it's time for goodbye again
Say goodbye to Hollywood
Say goodbye, my baby
Say goodbye to Hollywood
Say goodbye, my baby

Yesterday I put all of the ESPN technology equipment on a slow truck back to Bristol. Thus ended my 8 months in Hollywood as a part of ESPN's ill fated attempt to bridge sports and entertainment. Tuesday I move back into my old building in Burbank, ironically on the 3rd floor where I first lived when I was hired by the Mouse 8 years ago. I am looking forward to the shorter commute into a better neighborhood and being closer to lots of friends. The Starbucks in the lobby is a nice plus, too.

I am torn about the end of ESPN Hollywood. I really felt like the show needed to die, much in the same way Joe Pesci deserved to be killed in Goodfellas. But once it happened ambivalence became pervasive for me. I am disappointed that my co-workers were not given a second chance in terms of retooling the show or that the show was shelved but the team kept together to produce something else. It was a great group of folks working in a tough format but with managment changes in Bristol the incoming chief of content did exactly what I would have done. The network had already spent the money for the first year of the show and we only made it six months which made the cancellation all the more surprising for many. But as I learned in college as a TV-Film major, its called the Entertainment Business. And that's all this was. A business decision. Not easy, not fair, maybe not even right, but one that someone else made and that everyone is compelled to live with. It still sucks to say goodbye to so many good people, but it was a fun experience back into TV production for this IT geek.

Home Stretch

2006-02-09T18:26:00.000-08:00

We are almost done. The crews poured the patio, laid the tile and installed the equipment while I was gone. With this weather, we might be swimming sooner than I thought!

Super Time

2006-02-08T20:11:00.000-08:00

It snowed all Saturday afternoon and evening before the game and we woke up to a nice winter dusting at the Residence Inn in Southfield. Southfield is about 20 minutes northwest of downtown Detroit and also the location on the local ESPN office. Apparently, no one lives or works in downtown Detroit and with good reason. The day after the game, downtown was barren of all life forms except for workers tearing down the Winter Blast street scene and the few straggling tourist like myself that were looking for heavily discounted souvenirs. Most stores had 50 percent off of everything so we made out pretty well for our wives and kids.

And now the game report. Sunday morning we drove into Detroit and after some off roading and mud flying in the parking lot we went to the Centaur building to check in. Because we only had one car we had made a great contact with the head of ESPN Transportation. That morning our new best friend Trevor arranged a chauffeur driven Cadillac Escalade to pick us up and drive us over to the Rattlesnake Club for the ABC Sports/ESPN Tailgate party where I gorged myself on Merlot, Polish Sausage and lots of desert. I schmoozed with some Disney execs that I have know for years and thoroughly enjoyed an amazing gospel choir. I ran into Tony Gonzalez of the Kansas Chiefs, one of the best tight ends in the NFL, and said hi and told him he had incredible hands. Getting my coat I also said hi to Antonio Gates of the San Diego Chargers. Talk about a great guy, we talked about the Chargers for a good five minutes and he said that Drew Brees shoulder is doing much better and that Brees is getting ready to sign a long term contract with the club. Gates was truly a gracious and warm man and was engaging with ever fan that wanted an autograph or a picture. A true class act and I am as big a fan as ever.

Once we had our fill of the tailgate party our driver came back and dropped us off at the main security gate for the game. Most people at the party were being bussed in but here we were being limoed in. Talk about feeling like a VIP!

We walked into Ford Field at 4:00pm for a 6:25pm kickoff and the place was PACKED!

What can I say other than we were all in awe of actually being at the game. We were all giddy as hell and Rob and I kept going back and forth with this inane conversation:

ME: "Rob, where we at?
ROB: "We're at the Super Bowl!"
ME: "How'd we get here?"
ROB: "In our chauffeur driven Cadillac Escalade!"

We would then bump chests or slap hands. Talk about two very happy campers. You couldn't wipe the shit eating grins off our faces with a cruise missile. Our seats were 21 rows from the field in the Steelers endzone between the T and the E. Directly above was the largest and clearest stadium display that I have ever seen. Anything 40 yards or closer I watched with the naked eye and the rest of the action I used the monitor. All I had to do was look up a bit. No craning my neck or anything. We were sitting in a sea of yellow Terrible Towels and since we were all rooting for Pittsburgh the experience was incredible. I was so inspired that at half time I plunked down 10 bucks for my own towel that got lots of use in the second half.

In person the Rolling Stones were great. I heard from others that on TV the performance was not as enjoyable. Their performance really exceeded my expectations and it was as good as the other two times that I saw them live. The national anthem on the other hand was pretty bad. So was Stevie Wonder and Friends and the melody of songs that they performed. The NFL can really screw things up.

The game itself was a fun experience. We did not have much awareness of the questionable calls until after the game when we watched the news and read the papers. I am sure it is because the calls helped the Steelers. The crowd was 90 percent Pittsburgh fans and the energy and emotion that surrounded us added to the fun. There were definitely some nervous times as well as lots of highs and lows. It may not have been a great football game, but it was exciting and we all felt very fortunate to experience a Super Bowl in person.

After the game we went to the ESPN VIP after party at the Westin Hotel in Southfield where we ate and drank more free food and desert. I hob-nobbed with more executives and told Terry Porter of ESPN that when he was with the Portland Trailblazers he used to make me crazy with his dead on shooting against the Lakers. Porter was a great guard with such a smooth shot and in person he was another genuine and appreciative man.

In all it was a long, fun and magical day. Had someone said plan the ultimate Super Bowl day, there is no way we would have come up with anything as great as what we experienced. Here is a photo of me with Rob, Cynthia and Rick at the game.

Contrary to popular belief, we did not break Cynthia's arm for walking in front of us during the game. She actually broke her collar bone a week earlier skiing.

Rumors No More

2006-02-04T12:30:00.000-08:00

Houston, the tickets have landed! Ever seen me so happy?

Yesterday I mentioned that I was eating a brat while posting. Well, Johnsonville Brats are being served today on all the floors so of course I have partaked in another. I also scored one of their shirts which we used as a background to take a closeup photo of our tickets. Don't you just love the double meaning of this photo?

The fights last night were a lot of fun. This fight is T-Rex vs. Cobra (they have real names but I couldn't tell you what they are). Cobra in the white trunks won on a 12 round majority decision. It was a fun party at the Antetheum Hotel. The fight was held in the 8th floor ballroom. There was an upstairs area above the ring where we watched the fights. We had a great birds-eye-view of the action and we were probably only 20 feet from the edge of the ring. Lots of good food and free drinks. Four time heavy weight champ Evander Holyfield was there.

After the fight we walked back to the Centaur building and checked out the Motown Winter Blast. One of the cool (literally) parts were the ice statues of all the NFL teams' logos.

The Minnesota Vikings' was the best one.

It started snowing today around 1:00pm. It's colder today but the snow is not sticking. It is suppose to come down all afternoon but stop by tomorrow. It sure is beautiful.

Shook hands with Matt Leinart of USC today and congratulated him on a great college career and wished him the best in the pros. He is almost as tall as me. Good lucking son-of-a-gun too. He will definitely be a star in the NFL.

Super Post

2006-02-03T12:55:00.000-08:00

I have been in downtown Detroit since Monday night working in this building which used to be the Iodent Toothpaste factory.

The downtown Detroit area is the equivalent of Los Angeles' own Coliseum area but with lots of rundown buildings or vacant lots that were buildings three months ago. Apparently the city has torn down about 75 buildings recently as part of a redevelopment effort and to prepare for the Super Bowl. I am working with 3 other ESPN employees from Bristol, CT. supporting this site for ESPN the Magazine. We are about 4 blocks from Ford Field where the game will be played. Our group has installed a wireless network, laptops and printers for ESPN staff and other vendors to use. We are supporting anyone that needs our help plus this scrolling ticker on the front of the building. On the ground floor of this building is the Centaur Bar which has been serving free drinks the last few nights. The only catch is that it must be a Miller or Absolut product. Life is rough.

ESPN the Magazine has turned the building into a big party scene for its big NEXT issue. Several companies have taken over each 1000 square foot floor. Mobile ESPN is on 4, Gillete is on 5, Cadillac is on 6, Miller Brewing is on 7 and the Magazine is on 8. Each floor has various events happening to push their wares. Today I went to the Gillette floor and had my beard trimmed and my face shaved with the new Gillette Fusion razor by a very pretty young lady. Then I walked over to the massage area and had a great 10 minute massage. Last night we watched people get tattoos in Mobile ESPN's floor and got some good swag!

This morning when we got in Joe Montana was doing live TV interviews from the studio setup on street level. I tried to meet him but only got this picture through the glass. He did walk past me when he finished but he looked like he did not want to be bothered so I tried to respect his space.

This morning we went over to the Renaissance Center, which is headquarters to everything Super Bowl, to get our ESPN SB credentials and one of my buddies from Bristol snapped this shot just as my daughter Kylie called me. We all agreed that I had to wear it. We saw Joe Theisman walking in with his posse and said hi to him. Cold Pizza was on live from the big atrium area. It feels really cool to be carrying ESPN credentials for this huge event. Our presence here is amazing.

This is a photo from Comerica Park where the Tigers play. Gargoyles...we don't need no stinking Gargoyles! We have tigers eating baseballs. The facade of Comerica Park is beautiful.

Tonight we are supposed to be going to Friday Night Fights in nearby Greektown. We have also been invited to the ESPN tailgate party on Sunday morning. And finally rumors abound that tickets have been secured for the big game. Believe it or not we are working ten to twelve hour days and climbing the stairs more than not so its not just fun and games. When we are busy we are on the run. I am eating a tasty brat as I finish this post. Scott told that I had to have brats when I got here so this one is for him. Cheers!