2011 in review...

We've had a busy off-season, from buying a house and finally moving in, to work and my making partner at my clinic, to finding out about our sweet little babies that God has blessed us with. My work schedule didn't allow me to make it to as many college football games with Tony, and with the various stomach ailments that have accompanied pregnancy, we missed the annual Borelli Bowl (Auburn vs Georgia) for the first time since we started dating. But we still got to a bunch of games, made it to several cities that I've not visited, and Tony was able to scratch a few more arenas off his NHL list. So here is our year in review:

We attended twelve baseball games, three NBA games, three NHL games, one college basketball game, and six college football games (including the BCS Championship game). I know, we really slacked off. Here are my best of:

Best City to Visit: This was almost a toss-up but I'm giving it to Boston over San Francisco; we had a great time in San Francisco in July visiting family and watching the Giants and the A's, but Boston is truly unique: great food, lots of history, easy to walk around and maneuver via the T, and the Monster ("MAHNstah"). My favorite part of the city? Mike's Pastry in the North End (the red velvet cheesecake was delicious!). Sorry, my stomach wins over my sportsfanaticism.

At Fenway



Tony doing his best Samuel Adams impersonation

Bobby Orr statue outside TD Garden

At the Massachusetts State House

  
Best Facility: AT&T Park in San Francisco. If I wasn't such a new baseball fan (I've only been truly following the game since 1995), I'd have to pick Fenway. But the spoiled newbie baseball fan that I am, I love the creature comforts of the new parks. It has such a cool atmosphere, and definitely has to be one of the more scenic parks in the major leagues. Everybody has a giant Coke bottle or Chick-fil-A cow in the outfield. Only one has McCovey Cove.





Best Fans: Red Sox Fans. "Sweet Caroline" before the bottom of the eighth inning. Need I say more?

Best Individual Performance: Unfortunately, this goes to LeBron James versus the Hawks on March 18, 2011: 43 points, missed only 5 shots and one free throw, 5 of 7 from behind the arc. Too bad he didn't have that type of game against the Mavs.

Best retired baseball player -who is the father of a college football player- not in the Baseball Hall of Fame: Just as I was starting to feel the effects of the first trimester of pregnancy, we took a trip out west to catch games at both BYU and Utah. As they were about to kick off in Salt Lake, I frantically tried to get Tony's attention as I spotted Dale Murphy, whose son is a backup tight-end for the Utah Utes. During halftime, he was nice enough to chat with us and pose for a picture. Though the writers still ignore him in regards to Cooperstown, he continues to be a class act, and is easily one of the nicest athletes I've met in person.

Me and the Murph

Best Game: Since we weren't able to attend the Auburn-Georgia game, I'll give it to the 2011 BCS National Championship game between the Oregon Ducks and the Auburn Tigers. This game went back and forth and was much better defended than one originally would've thought. The play of the game? Michael Dyer rolling over a DB in the fourth which led to a great run and the winning field goal. Auburn wins 22-19. Well, enough about Auburn....

It's been fun blogging about the different places we've been to on our sports trips. I'm still determined to finish the other half of my Major League Baseball Stadium tour, and Tony still has a few hockey arenas to visit, but I imagine with the babies due in May, it'll take a few more years. So if the next time you hear from me is from Cooperstown in 2014, then I'll leave you with these two sweet words: GO DAWGS!

I'm thankful...

Here's my second try at an annual giving of thanks (a la the great retired AJC sports journalist Furman Bisher. Obviously I am not a sports journalist, but since I act like my opinion actually counts in the wide world of sports, I guess there's not much of a difference.)

I'm thankful for Larry Munson, the one and only voice of the Georgia Bulldogs, who may have been less than accurate on his play-calling ("he gained about 3, 4, 5 yards"), but had a unique way of unfolding into a story what transpired on the field. "He’s running all over people! Oh, you, Herschel Walker. My God Almighty, he ran right through two men. They had him dead-away inside the 9. Herschel Walker went 16 yards. He drove right over orange shirts, just driving and running with those big thighs. My God, a freshman!"

I'm still thankful for coffee, and very thankful that I cut back to only one cup during residency.

I'm thankful for Mapo Tofu, the comfort food of Szechuan cuisine, and that our favorite Chinese restaurant in Columbus serves it.

I'm thankful that when I got to meet Dale Murphy at a college football game in which he was a father watching his son, he was just as nice as you would've thought. (He still belongs in Cooperstown.)

I'm thankful that Coach Richt ended up proving me wrong this year. It may not have been pretty, and we may get the silver beat out of our britches, but we're heading to the Dome. GO DAWGS!

I'm thankful for the faithfulness of Colby and Emily McLaurin, which continues to challenge me every day.

I'm thankful that my husband has brought/made me go to different sporting events all over the country and beyond. Sometimes I may have gone with a little kicking and screaming, but I've been able to see a lot of places that otherwise, I never would have visited.

I'm thankful that because of the above statement, I'm now halfway through my Major League Baseball Stadium Tour.

I'm thankful that the game on the field is still pure. Well, kind of.

I'm thankful for my niece, Carrie Victoria. There are times when I will always think of her as a five-year old singing from her booster seat to herself, but she really is growing into a mature young lady.

I'm thankful for the Scott Van Pelt show on ESPN radio. Six months ago it would have been Mike and Mike. A year ago it was Pardon the Interuption. Well, I'm just thankful for ESPN.

I'm thankful that Major League Baseball and the Players Association have assured me that I will be able to continuously watch baseball through 2016. Now if the NBA would just follow suit.

I'm thankful that the fact that nothing fits and that I have horrible reflux and nausea everyday are temporary, and a price worth paying for our two adorable babies. Yes folks, I said TWO. (Surprise!)

I'm thankful for the medicine Zofran.

I'm thankful for my wonderful husband who keeps doting on me, the loving God who gave him to me, and for our family and friends that make life so much sweeter.

O, Canada!

So it came to my attention today, thanks to my lovely wife Liz, that I had yet to post to our blog, and that it would be greatly appreciated if I blogged about our recent sojourn to the Great White North to view a couple "little hockey games," as she likes to call them. And so, here we are. Earlier in April, we flew to Calgary, drove up to Edmonton to watch the Minnesota Wild take on the hometown Oilers, and then returned to Calgary for a season-ending clash between the Vancouver Canucks (winners of the 2010-11 President's Trophy with the best record in the NHL) and the Team Formerly Known as the Atlanta Flames. In between, my personal quest to see a live moose gave way to settling for some sea lions, a penguin, and some ducks, while I also learned that former Auburn pitcher Tim Hudson supposedly owns a chain of coffee/sandwich shops throughout the confines of the Canadian borders.

Let's start with that. We stopped in Red Deer, Alberta, halfway through the road trip on Friday and chose to stop at "Tim Hudson's," as Liz initially called it. Upon further review...

Upon our arrival to Edmonton, we took a detour to the West Edmonton Mall, the largest mall in North America, complete with a beach...


...an ice skating rink...

...a pirate's ship...


...and a live penguin and sea lions...



From there, it was on to see the Wild and Oilers. We found the Wayne Gretzky statue outside of Rexall Place...


...as did another almost-as-interesting conglomerate of characters...

We then trekked inside...

...for a night of Canadian patriotism, marked by the final performance of "O, Canada" by vocalist Paul Lorieau, a longtime staple of Edmonton Oilers lore (click here for a sampling)... and for "Fight Night" in Edmonton. The clubs dropped their gloves for 4 different fights, including one just 7 seconds into the game...

When the dust had settled, the Wild bested the Oilers with a 3-1 victory. The following day, we made the return trip to Calgary, again stopping for lunch in Red Deer, at a place called Glenn's Tea that had over a hundred different types of tea, much to Liz's delight...


Upon our return to Calgary, we made our way to the top of the Calgary Tower...


The tower offers some great views of the city skyline...


...and a chance to feel like you're walking on air with its glass floor, if you are so inclined...


We found a park to stroll around before the game...




Then it was on to the Scotiabank Saddledome to see the Canucks and Flames...




The Canucks have had a great season, so you can't blame their fans for feeling just a little excited about their chances of winning the Stanley Cup...

They spotted the Flames a 2-0 lead, but came back to win 3-2 in overtime...

Our brief but busy weekend in the province of Alberta had come to an end. We never did come face-to-face with a live moose as I'd hoped, but we nonetheless got a decent snapshot of what Edmonton and Calgary have to offer. Thanks for taking the time to read this post and until next time, War Eagle and God Bless!

Spring training and Magic!

And off we go! Spring is finally here! In March we headed down to the Magical Kingdom that is Orlando for baseball, basketball, and friends. The Orlando Magic opened up Amway Arena this year, and it is definitely keeping par with the fan-friendliness of new sports facilities.  I even got a picture with Atlanta's own Dwight Howard (or his likeness).

Next up was Walt Disney World. We're very thankful to still have our Disney connections and went to Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom, and we capped it off with a great dinner with Disney's own Clay Price (a friend from UGA) at the Columbia, one of my faves.

Of course, you can't leave Orlando without taking in a Spring Training game.  Unfortunately, the Braves came up on the losing end.  But I did get to watch baseball with two of my favorite and most knowledgeable baseball fans, my hubby and my friend Tiffany.  I have to admit I have a terrible record at Spring Training, but thankfully it doesn't count.

Next blog... look out (pronounced owht) Canada!

Deep in the heart of Texas

For our pre-Valentine's weekend trip, we went to Austin, Texas for a basketball game. We tried the same trip last year, but snow in Atlanta delayed our trip by a day, and we ended up getting there too late to watch the Longhorns game, but made it in time to drive up to Cowboys Stadium to watch the NBA All-Star game. This time around, we were treated to a beautiful weekend in Austin, had a great lunch with Tony's uncle Paul and his fiancée Rhonda, and watched a good game between the Longhorns and the Baylor Bears. Texas had pretty good defense throughout most of the evening, before Baylor's LaceDarius Dunn scored 22 points in the second half.  The Longhorns ended up with a win, and Tony finally got a game in at the Drum. The evening ended with a horse carriage ride and dinner at the Driskill Hotel. Basketball in Austin, how romantic!

You're looking live from Arizona!

Happy New Year! It took us until January 8th to attend a sporting event, and then we went to three over three days. I have to begin with thanking the wonderful folks over at Continental Airlines. After our connecting flight from Houston to Phoenix had already boarded and the door closed, they reattached the jetway to let a handful of Auburn fans (and one avid Georgia fan that loves her husband) board the plane. I know it's unlike the airline industry to be this helpful, so thanks!

Our first three sporting events of 2011 included an overtime game between the Phoenix Coyotes and the Buffalo Sabres, a poorly-defended game between the aging Phoenix Suns and the post-Lebron Cleveland Cavaliers, and some little college football game between the Auburn Tigers (aka Plainsmen and War Eagle) and the Oregon "we-have-more-Nike-uniform-combinations-than-Auburn-has-nicknames" Ducks. The "Home Team" was 2-for-3, with the Coyotes making it close bringing the game to OT, and the highest scoring game (Suns vs Cavs) was probably the least entertaining.

Hockey is not one of my favorite sports, but USA vs Canada in the Olympics did catch my interest. We got to see Ryan Miller (the goalie for the US Hockey team) goaltend for the Sabres, and a close game kept me engaged. Buffalo prevailed on a goal in OT, and the final score was 2-1. I'm starting to appreciate the sport.


I have to admit, I'm a frontrunner NBA fan. In the MJ days, it was the Bulls. When the Admiral was at the helm, it was the Spurs. And a few years ago, when two very talented but ringless players joined another to wear green, it was the Celtics. But I LOVE defense in sports. So as long as that's how the Celtics play their game, I'm "All In". (Yes, this is an intentional foreshadowing of the topic to come.) So even though it was the highest scoring game we attended, the geriatric Suns against the Cavs was disappointing. The defense was miserable (the offense was too, otherwise there would've been more points). Nash is getting old and looks it. Grant Hill is breaking down. And Half Man-Half Amazing (Vince Carter) is not so much anymore. Suns beat the Cavs 108-100. LeBron's talents are still in South Beach.


And for our last little game of the trip.... in September 2010, Alabama looked to repeat for the SEC West, when a little-heard of talent from the south Atlanta area went a few hours down I-85 to Auburn. (Maybe he got there in a new car, who knows.) And the rest, as they say is history. With Cameron Newton taking the snaps, Auburn went through a tough SEC West and a weak SEC East to win the SEC Championship. They took their 13-0 record to face the 12-0 high-flying Oregon Ducks. I expected a basketball score; after all, I had watched Auburn score 65 points against a pretty good Arkansas team, and average around 500 yards a game. And I knew the Ducks were capable of the same. What I got were two teams that looked like they hadn't played in a month, a 'fairley' well-defended game, and a few impressive drives.

At the end, the quarterback from College Park, Ga was not the star. With Michael Dyer's knee never touching the ground after rolling over a defensive back, he had a stop and go run which eventually led to a Wes Bynum field goal. I would've loved to see Urban Meyer's face at that moment. Remember him trying to freeze the little freshman kicker back in 2007? Auburn wins 22-19, its first National Championship since 1957. Though I still say they would've put up a better game against USC in 2004 than Oklahoma and very well could've won the game. Let's hope that Auburn doesn't have the same fate as the 2004 USC team. Nonetheless, congratulations! It was a great game to cap off a great season. Damn War Eagle! (Oops, did I say that wrong?)

Football, basketball, and the tree

Today we are at home. For every Saturday during the past three months, I have either been working, or we have been off watching some type of sporting event, primarily college football. Today Tony is doing laundry, I vacuumed, the tv is fixed to one of the sports channels, and the Christmas tree is in the process of being trimmed. We watched the Jayhawks win a close one against USC, the Dawgs (the Mark Fox version) won another game to quietly get to 7-2, and now one of the 35 college bowl games is being played. No blog today about a sports trip, just wishing everyone a Merry Christmas, and a wonderful time with family, friends, and football. We'll see you from Arizona in a few weeks...