"Chirpy Terp"

It's here. March Magic. March Mayhem. March Madness. How do I know? Because ESPN is spending 80% of Sportscenter covering Cinderella-hopeful games and dunks by players in jerseys that from far away look like they belong to a power conference (Green/White - must be Michigan State!?) when instead they come from an unheard-of 13th-seeded Cleveland State. Thank god - because my 3 mile run on the treadmill this morning seemed so much easier with exciting highlights/upset-alerts to tune into, instead of seemingly meaningless NBA games or baseball spring training bouts that don't even count toward the season.

It's the time of year when people complain about things being unfair. Bubble teams that didn't "deserve to get a bid" (Arizona - who proved their worth last night by upending 5th seeded Utah in a typical 12/5 upset). I will admit - I was on the Arizona-doesn't-deserve-to-get-in bandwagon. I was convinced Saint Mary's (plays Monday night against Davidson - still alive in the NIT) deserved that "last spot". But let's be honest - it was more so just the Sun Devil in me lashing out.

People also complain about the placement of teams in the various regions - stating, for example, that it is unfair Villanova was placed in the Philly Regional. I am curious, how this is any more "unfair" than 12,000 fans in attendance at the second day of the first round in the East Regional - cheering with all their might for East Tennessee State, who was inches from becoming the first 16th seed in tournament history to upset a #1 seed (PITT). I mean - isn't that unfair to PITT? It is hard enough for the committee to seed/place 64 teams from ump-teen different conferences in four various regions - let alone worry about whether or not any of those groups of 16 happen to be from that area. And when does it NOT become a home game? Cripes - in the Women's Tournament - you are purposely placed near home in the first 2 rounds. At Maryland, we have hosted the first and second rounds the past 2 years now - knowing if we advanced to the tourney we would play on our home court. I guess I should wait for the complaining to start - although if you ask me - Dartmouth, Utah and Villanova don't stand a chance against the #1-seeded Terps anyway - we could play in Alaska for all I care.

Back to Men's Basketball though. So the 10th-seeded Terps handled Cal on Thursday and as my friend Joe, Director of Annual Giving for the Bears, humbly pointed out to me - we've now officially beat them twice this year. (Who could forget our football victory - shocking the Bears in a game that kicked off at 9 a.m. their time on that lovely Saturday morning back in September). Honestly, however, I do not feel like a 10-seed over a 7-seed victory is really an "upset". In fact, an 11-seed over 6-seed is even pushing it for me. But hey - I'm going to take Thursday's win. Because today's game for the Terps vs. the 2nd-seeded mighty Memphis Tigers would most DEFINITELY be an upset should the Terps somehow manage to pull off a victory...and the sparring has already began.

Contrary to the Maryland team - who knows each Tiger by name and what his tendencies are - None of the Memphis players have been able to name a Maryland player. Instead, they've noted "good guards" and "lack of size" regarding the Terrapin team. One of their players tried to recall the name of Maryland's mouthy Venezuelan guard, referring to him as "some guy named Sanchez." Um...It's Vasquez buddy. Close though - close. And when Mr. Greivis Vasquez was informed of the lack of name-recognition for him - he spouted back, proclaiming Memphis would have a losing record if they competed in the ACC Conference (#1 Ranked conference) instead of Conference USA (Ranked 10th). Awesome. And the fire on both sides has been topped off with plenty of fuel.

Thus...the inferno that has been ignited can now be put out the only way possible - the reason why this time of year is the best time of year. On the court at 3:20 EST.

I just wish Memphis didn't have such an unfair advantage - being that their fans only had to drive 452.13 miles versus the 1074.92 miles that Maryland fans had to travel ;)

How do you pick ONE if the HEART is in many?

A recent question, pondered by my favorite guy in his latest blog, has me thinking. One word - four easy letters - yet a definition so unclear and completely different from one person to the next.

HOME.

Where is it?

He makes a good point - that many times HOME is where you spent most of your years. A place where which you became a Man or Woman, learn life lessons and have fond memories. But, similar to the age-old question of "can you be in love with two people?" - can you have more than one "HOME"? After much thought - I've decided I have 4.

Iowa. The good ole' Midwest. A place where you can go running early in the morning, as the dew still glistens on the blades of bright green grass, and people who pass you by give you a friendly "hello" and a wave. A place where you can visit your old high school, walk the halls and receive warm smiles and even a hug from old teachers and a principal who are all still there. A place where the Panera on the corner of Collins Road and Council Street screams "eat here" and you know you can always count on your mom to come with you. A place where you spent a summer with one of your best friends - dancing at the Tycoon, drinking Martinis from a weird bartender down the street, watching movies in a home theater, laughing at Improv standup from Peter Fuzz and mixing popcorn and M&Ms. Iowa in itself isn't anything special - but the people there are - "Home is one's birthplace, ratified by memory."


HOME for me is Chicago. My favorite city in the U.S. (Gasp - "But it's so cold and windy in the winter there!"). A place where you still get the Midwestern friendliness and strangers offer helping hands. But a place with a bit more culture - more diversity - more of "not the same as everyone else". A place where I danced many nights under a chandelier at the Buddha Lounge. A place where Club 720 was open the FIRST time - and we were the center of attention until 4am. A place where I took art class, salsa class and painted pottery with a dear friend. But I think more so a place where I learned that it was okay to be ALONE - "No matter under what circumstances you leave it, home does not cease to be home. No matter how you lived there - well or poorly."

The Rocky Mountains of Colorado, with their snow capped tops and evergreen blanket, are HOME, too. A place I have traveled with friends, family and solo. A place where you can walk outside and hear absolutely nothing - except for the crunching of snow under your boots. A place where the crisp air and light, falling snow create this sense of peace that cannot be described - you just have to be there. A place where Bob Ross couldn't even do justice - where you are reminded how small you are in a world of so many other things. A place where we frequent Parrot Eyes and the Snake River Saloon - Christy's Sports and Gart - the Dam Brewery and the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. A place where hockey skates swirl around a big Xmas tree and a sleigh ride prompts good ole' country cooking in a cabin far away. It is here I yearn to go sometimes when I'm feeling a bit lost - "I long, as does every human being, to be at home wherever I find myself."

And finally...Arizona. A place where I moved with strong motivation. A place where I learned more in 2 years of school than I had before in one semester. A place where I was reminded of the importance of girlfriends - but also learned a valuable lesson regarding the importance of not forgetting the old. A place where McDonald's became my Monday tradition, I fell in love with Mystic spray tan, I learned 3 miles isn't that far to run - unless it is 120 degrees and that there is no place like downtown Scottsdale. A place where I learned the Elephant Bar cures all problems, Courtney Village was a pretty good deal and the fast lane is sometimes a little too fast. A place where I was humbled, learned self-sacrifice and will never forget those that picked me back up when I fell down. A place where I yearn to go back for the sunshine - but not just the kind that sends warm light from the sky - "Home is not where you live, but where they understand you."

Buzzer Beater - Goes Both Ways

So...you can't wish for the last second play to go your team's way ALL the time. And while it does prove to provide a thrilling game for spectators to remember for a long time, THIS Cardinal fan found herself initially wondering Sunday night if it would feel better to have just got CRUSHED by the Steel Curtain.

I was in denial at halftime - as the Cards with a chance to take the lead by 4 points, 2 yards away from the endzone, throw that fatal interception that is returned 100 yards by someone that should've been caught. Time had expired. Can we just tackle him before he scores for THEM please? Apparently - not in the "cards". So...the rest of the game, I find myself calculating what the score "should be" based off that one turn of the tides. "Cards up 17"..."Cards up 10"... the mindsight didn't really vanish until Larry Fitzgerald emerges across the middle, splitting the Steeler defense in a perfect storm...and we all thought - OMG. We're gonna win. We were actually ahead - not just by my "should've, would've, could've calculations."

Needless to say - as soon as the anti-climatic non-review of the last play occurred (no, I'm not saying it should've been overturned - but cripes, it's the SuperBowl, can we at least give it another look?), I grabbed my coat and was out the door to go home. I didn't want to see the celebration...

Kinda like my boy Kurt.

However, last night as I was lounging on the couch - watching UCONN pummel Louisville and Tennessee fans realized that Pat Summit's historic 1000th win was going to have to wait another game - an interrupted highlight broke in. #9 Maryland Women's Basketball, down 2 to the 20th-ranked host Seminoles with seconds remaining. In fact, apparently the ticker ALREADY said:

Maryland - 69 Florida State - 71 F.

Dear ESPN - the game wasn't over.

And in typical Kristi Toliver fashion (famous for making a fade-away 3 during the national championship game as a freshman that sent the game into overtime - and an eventual win), she throws up a buzzer beater three over the outstretched arm of her defender and...swoosh. Terps win.

ESPN Ticker? Maryland - 72 Florida State - 71 F

Sports Center then ranks it the #2 play of the night stating: "Kristi would have been number one if it wasn't for this guy [insert Kobe Bryant]..." Guess a record 61 points by the NBA superstar last night does beat a 3 pointer for an ACC regular-season conference game...

And while a ACC-conference win doesn't quite hold the same importance as the Super Bowl either (or even close)...at least I felt a little better. :)

Blizzard in the Land of the Terps...

And I don't just mean the weather...but we can start with that. It snowed and rained and iced over two days ago - giving us our first school cancellation of the year. Of course, it was Tuesday at 12:30pm that people were told to go home - at which time I swore a few obscenities and then continued at my desk, preparing for the MBB game that evening. Ah yes....the luxury of working events. THOSE aren't cancelled so easily. Admittedly, I had my fingers crossed for TERRIBLE weather overnight, hoping for a cancellation the next day when I COULD stay home. I wasn't quite so lucky - but a 2 hour delay was nice :)

THEN...the other storm began. Our head men's basketball coach, Gary Williams commented publicly on a few recruits and then Senior Associate Athletic Director, Kathy Worthington fires back....while nasty, it could've ended there. However, we lose a 16-point first half lead to Boston College Tuesday night, drop our 4th ACC game, and after the game when Gary is asked about the whole altercation says: "Kathy Worthington doesn't speak for me. She has never won a national championship. She has never done anything. She is an associate AD."

Enter ESPN ticker last night during the #1 Duke vs. #4 Wake Forest game. Isn't that supposed to be for score updates? Not gossip? Sigh.

Today, a much better article appeared in the Washington Post (click here) and hopefully we can somehow squash the bigger storm that appeared the past few days - and move on. Whew!

In other news, I went out last Friday to see a cover band (Mr. Greengenes) perform up in Baltimore. Main purpose of the outing was to see an old coworker/friend, Matt, who was in town. Much fun was had by all although I was tired by about 11:00pm. :) Here are some pics from the event:

Me and Danielle (one of my roomies!)

This is Matt - the whole reason I went :)

Some more of the Crazies that came with us!

Anyway, not much else to share except I have planned a trip back to Arizona in April. First weekend - and I cannot wait. WOO HOO! :)

Weekend Roundup

Well, the suite at the Capitals game Friday night was fun - the food was completely unhealthy and delicious and of course I had my eyes peeled to my surroundings as I'm always trying to pick up an idea to steal and use at one of my games. Unfortunately, the Caps got shut out 0-3, which was NOT fun...oh well.

Saturday I had to be at work at 8:30am - we played Georgia Tech at Noon in our first ACC game and let me tell you - it was ridiculous. Our shooting woes continued as we shot 25% in the first half. Thank god the Yellow Jackets had 18 turnovers in the first half as well and we were only down 5 at halftime. You know, sitting at the scorer's table gives me a pretty good view of the game but when things get close, our team is rallying and the crowd is going absolutely crazy - the idea that I'm not allowed to show any emotion almost kills me. Gerran, my friend from operations who sits next to me, probably had a sore right quad the next day from me hitting it under the table. LOL. Needless to say, we made a huge comeback and won. It was awesome. A little drama unfolded at the game, however, with our star player. In fact, the Washington Post did an article on it in their Sunday paper yesterday. While our player has a point, I'm not sure this is good press - although they say any press is good press...ha. Click here to read it.

Saturday night a bunch of us from work got together in Bethesda at a "newer" place called Sasso. We probably had over 20 people show up - from all different departments...and at one point our assistant women's soccer coach was standing on a chair whistling SUPER loud, trying to rally the troops to take a group photo. I'm not sure embarrassing was quite the word as we all herded together for a photo op - but it was a bit unorthodox with such a large group at the bar. I'm sure in the long run we'll all be happy the photo exists. :) Sasso was actually a pretty nice place (Thanks Shawn!) and most importantly - it had a large TV tuned into the Cardinals game. At the moment, I am a LOUD AND PROUD Cardinal - no one gave them a chance against the Panthers - with some commentators saying they shouldn't even bother showing up at the game. Low and behold, 4 quarters later the men in red found themselves flying home to prepare for the NFC title game :)

My AZBF Sarah was at a restaurant Saturday night that has a mechanical bull. It also has lots of pictures up on the wall - and apparently one that looks just like me. So much, that she called and said "Are you sure you've never rode the bull here?" Nope - I haven't - but check out the picture. Besides the simple (laughs) fact you can't see my face - I guess it does have a striking resemblance. Mom? Dad? Do you have something to tell me? ;) haha.

Sunday I wasted the day away. Had big plans of cleaning, working out, painting, etc. Instead, I watched the Maryland wrestling dual meet against UNC for a bit, did a little work in my office, napped a few hours away and then watched #4 Wake Forest handle #3 UNC. I can't believe UNC is 0-2 in ACC play to start the season. Better yet, our last three homes games are Duke, UNC and Wake Forest--in that order. Hope we can rack up a few more wins here in the next month because it is going to be a long end of February....Gooooo Terps!

My First Blog

So, I am continuously impressed by the blogging of a few of my good friends and figured maybe it is time I start blogging myself. A good way to have multiple conversations all at once - if of course anyone even cares enough to read up on what I have to say. But I guess if I can market a men's basketball team that loses to Morgan State (really?!) then I should be able to market my own blog.

This week has been busy - 2 mid-week basketball games and our first ACC MBB game tomorrow at Noon. I prefer the earlier weekend games - then at least you don't waste your entire day away. The person that invented 4:00 p.m. tip off times should really be fired. I'm already prepared for our game tomorrow so today at work I'm trying to finish up all of our spring sport posters. As an FYI - that is 10 sports. TEN! Holy coordination and proofing. If I have to see another one before August I just might shoot myself.


Tonight I am going to a Washington Capitals (NHL) game with my friend/coworker Jessica. We are sitting in the Washington Times suite with the rep we work with - should be fun. I think Hockey is much more interesting live - maybe because you can actually see the puck. Needless to say, there is free food in the suite, so let's be honest about why I'm really going.

Tomorrow night a bunch of us are planning on going out in Bethesda so that I'm sure will call for a few stories and Sunday I am looking forward to sleeping in until at least 10:00am.

Okay. Enough for now. I'm sure you are overflowing with fulfillment after reading that - but thanks for dropping by!