Colorado Rocky Mountain High

Denver.


I'll admit I was concerned about our summer vacation. Marie-Hélène and Callie had returned from Québec less than 48 hours before we set out for Colorado. Not one but two freeway closures caused us to be 10 minutes late to our 430am meeting with a taxi in El Segundo so thinking quickly, I decided to use Wally Park and hope my friend Dave could come through for me. If not, I'd pay the tab upon our return but at least there would be no way we'd miss our flight.


Soon after arriving at Denver Airport we drove our rental car off the Enterprise lot and were on our way. Knowing we'd be hungry, I'd picked out a restaurant on the Internet in Aurora, the Bent Fork Grill, which was on our way to Colorado Springs. The Bent Fork Grill came through with some delicious burgers and we were off to Garden of the Gods Park.

Garden of the Gods was beautiful. Many people were rock climbing, some up ridiculous sheer walls, but we stuck to the walking path. Amazingly this popular tourist destination is free. The jagged red-orange crags were mesmerizing. I felt like we should have paid at least $10 or $20 a person for admission. We were certainly quite a ways from Burbank and our vacation was underway for real.

From Garden of the Gods we drove to the Manitou Cliff Dwellings. This did cost some money, $26.50 for the 3 of us. The Cliff Dwellings were fascinating and Callie had spent much of 3rd and 4th grade learning about Native Americans such as the Anasazi who had once lived there. Located right at the base of Pike's Peak, which was the inspiration for the song "America the Beautiful", the dwellings have been there for centuries and it's fun to imagine what people's lives must have been like there, the last outpost for travelers heading west who ran smack into the Rockies, above the fruited plain indeed.

After downing an icy snow cone to try and beat the formidable heat, we went to Old Colorado City to see if we could get an Old West feel. We were charmed by the main street lined with antique shops, bars, eateries, art shops, and dessert places. We were tempted to sample more of the town but we were due at our friends' Bill and Marie Nolan's house.

I met Bill my very first day working at Foto Kem 24 years ago. We hit it off immediately despite the fact Bill can be quite imposing. Well read, well spoken and chock full of interesting stories and experiences, one can see the rebel biker reflected in the myriad of tattoos on Bill's person but upon closer inspection, one soon realizes a good person exists underneath the layers of muscle. We grew close and ended up having so many conversations over the years, some light and airy and some serious as death, while we earned each others' trust and respect and I'm proud to say Bill became a mentor to me, a great person to learn from and a great friend.

Bill first married Marie in the early 90's but a love that was right had happened at the wrong time and the two of them drifted apart for a few years, both knowing they'd eventually reunite and they did, getting married a second time and relocating to Colorado Springs to be closer to Marie's family.

You can see some people after a while and it feels awkward whereas you can see other people and it's like you were never apart. Bill and I are like that. We immediately fell to talking and all the reasons why we love each other were renewed and reaffirmed right away. I grabbed a shower and Marie made the best meal we had the entire vacation, spaghetti with Italian sausage and salad, not surprising really when you consider Marie's Italian heritage.

After dinner, we set out for Seven Falls in nearby Cheyenne Canon. There was a long wait to get in letting Bill and Marie know for sure that tourist season was in full swing. Bill and I, two peas in a pod, calmed our inner selves while we inched forward at an unbearable pace, practicing our patience and meditation techniques so as not to blow our stacks at the slow progress. Once inside we were rewarded by the sight of the brightly lit waterfall. We all took an elevator up to an observation deck and soaked in the sight. Callie wasn't satisfied with the deck and declared she wanted to climb the stairs directly adjacent to the Falls so we did, very slowly and carefully we did, for it takes a little gumption to climb this staircase, so much so MH decided to stay at the bottom. We saw a live hummingbird in the gift shop afterward which in it's own way was as beautiful as the Falls.

We slept like logs and Marie fixed us a sustaining breakfast of bacon, eggs, and biscuits before our short drive north to Denver, the capitol of Colorado. Bill had told us it was clean and throughout our stay we remarked time and time again how clean the downtown area is. Even alleyways are void of any sort of wrappers or trash on the ground.

Our destination was the Warwick Hotel, home to Denver's only rooftop pool. After checking into the hotel, we went on a quick stroll part way down 16th St Mall. 16th Street Mall isn't really a mall. It's a long street, shop after shop, restaurants, cafes, markets, gift shops, specialty shops all serviced by a free mall shuttle which runs down the center of the street in both directions. This first afternoon we spent some time in Barnes N Noble and only walked a few blocks down the mall because our dear friends, the Biggs, were due to meet us at the hotel.

The Biggs family is made up of Lori, RJ and Hunter. Callie and RJ were kindergarten classmates at McKinley Elementary in Burbank. A close knit group of parents with kids in Mrs Olin's class started a bond and Lori, RJ, and Hunter have sort of become the glue. A couple of years ago they moved to Denver, where Lori is originally from but when they come back to visit, the party is ON. Callie said of Lori, "everyone loves her, you can't not love Lori" and MH and I agreed. A triathlete who diets and trains, she's one of the most positive people I know. Her boys are chips off the old block. RJ is cheerful, funny, and friendly all the time while Hunter is a little bit more rambunctious and playful but just as sweet on the inside.

RJ and Callie experienced none of the shyness a young boy and girl might feel around one another, especially after a separation. I missed their initial greeting because Callie insisted on running to the elevator when she heard they were on the way up. Lori told me the hugs were special. RJ and Callie basically started talking and didn't stop for the entire 4 days we were together. Hunter kept up with the older kids as he always does. Several times I remembered back to my early attempts to befriend Hunter. Day after day I'd have a comment or a gentle poke in the ribs for him. I truly believed I annoyed him into loving me but I'm so glad I did. His hugs, spontaneous bursts of love, and rides on my shoulders are some of my favorite memories of the vacation.

That lazy Sunday we hung around the rowdy pool at the Warwick which is located on the roof of the hotel. There was a barbecue with a bar and a broiling young crowd including one or two characters so intoxicated we kept a wary eye on the kids. The sun was blazing and the skyscrapers of downtown Denver were seemingly right next to us as we drank Coors lights and scarfed down cheeseburgers.

Later, we played some in-room volleyball with an inflatable ball, the 6 of us batting around the beach ball as many times as we could. I marveled at Hunter's athleticism, not so much in the volleyball portion of the game but in the way he scampered around the hotel room after the ball when we'd miss it. He was like a gymnast hopping on or vaulting over the beds, chairs and ottomans, landing softly and surely as if it were nothing and putting the ball back in play.

For dinner, we walked down 16th Street Mall looking for a place to eat. Again, we'd stopped in Barnes N Noble and the kids became so engrossed in books that we lost track of time a bit and left there hungry. We decided on Chili's because MH had never eaten at one. Dinner was good but Callie seemed to know it was going to rain and repeatedly asked us to move inside. When it did start to rain we finally took her suggestion.

I woke early Monday and took the shuttle down 16th Street Mall to Blake St and walked a few short blocks to Coors Field, the Colorado Rockies' home ballpark. I bought 6 tickets for that night's game vs the Arizona Diamondbacks, picked up a chunky strawberry at Jamba Juice for Callie and went back to the room.

The girls were up and waiting for me so we could head over to the Denver Botanical Gardens. Monday was a free admission day and we strolled along and through the paths, admiring the flora as well as the dinosaur reproductions located throughout the gardens.

From there we drove back toward downtown and the state Capitol building, Civic Center Park and the Public Library. On the 13th step of the Capitol building, there's an inscription letting you know you are exactly one mile above sea level.

A childhood friend of mine now living just outside of downtown Denver, Don Rhoades, stopped by to pay us a visit. Don and I chatted for a while in the library and he walked us outside to a hot dog cart where we bought some dogs for lunch.

After an afternoon rest, the Biggs' clan showed up just after 4pm so we could get to the ballgame. We rode the shuttle to Blake St and had a quick dinner at Noodles & Co before walking east down Blake toward Coors Field. Like Wrigley Field in Chicago, Coors Field has several bars along Blake St where Rockies' fans can whet their whistle and I convinced everyone to stop for a photo op and a quick cold one at the Celtic Tavern.


The game was all Rockies but we walked around the stadium eating almost anything in our path despite the pregame noodle meal. We had peanuts, ribs, hot dogs, nachos, and dippin' dots before we were through.

Coors Field was Callie's 22nd major league baseball park and she has a mini-helmet collection of each home team. These helmets are usually used to serve ice cream sundaes in. Coors Field is no different but the kids didn't want ice cream sundaes. They wanted dippin' dots (think little mini rocks of ice cream). While Lori waited in the dippin' dot line and MH waited at the seats with the kids, I channeled my inner Olga Suppa and managed to charm a man at the concession stand where they sold the ice cream sundae mini-helmets for a couple of helmets WITHOUT the ice cream. By the time I'd successfully completed my mission, Lori had already bought the dippin' dots but at least the kids also got Rockies' mini-helmets!

After the game, we walked back to our hotel. I walked Lori and the kids to their car and it started to rain. What started as a little drizzle becameone of the worst storms Denver had seen in the last 40 years. Callie, MH, and I were tucked away safely in our room but Lori got caught in the maelstrom on the way home. It got so bad her windshield was peppered with Lemonhead sized chunks of hail and at one point she took refuge under a freeway overpass for about 15 minutes. We'd learn the next day the tempest was a national story.


Despite what must have been a harrowing experience, Lori and the kids picked us up at 715am the next morning. Our destination was Rocky Mountain State Park. Driving through Boulder we ignored the gray clouds looming ahead and forged ahead despite a light drizzle. Miss Positive(Lori) didn't bat an eye and we arrived at Estes Park hungry for breakfast. After a bite at the Egg and I, we meandered down the sleepy streets of Estes Park. Lori had vacationed there with her parents as a child and we salivated over fresh strawberries being dipped in hot churning chocolate. I found the music store I'd been searching for and picked up a John Denver CD with "Rocky Mountain High" on it.

Finally, we entered the park and headed for Bear Lake. Broad expanses of land with the ever present mountains looming in the distance welcomed us as we rose steadily to a higher elevation. About 7 miles in, we came to a shuttle area which people use when the lot at Bear Lake is full. We turned in and our enthusiasm dimmed as we saw the length of the line of people waiting for the shuttle. Thankfully, it was a really well run operation and within about 15 minutes we were on the way. While we waited, a deer crept down near the waiting crowd on the other side of the parking lot.

The shuttle took us to Bear Lake and here words fail me. Bear Lake was THE most beautiful place I'd ever seen. The sun had come out and there was no longer any threat of rain. In fact, it was downright gorgeous. We took a lot of pictures as we walked along the trail circling the lake. In several spots you could step out on solid rocks jutting out slightly into the water. At one of these spots, MH's inner mama bear came out and as Callie climbed on a slippery rock, MH, in her excitement, exclaimed "Per....Don't...Tell her to come back". It came out like "Per, don't tell her to come back" and to RJ and Hunter, not used to MH's broken English, it was the height of hilarity.

After Bear Lake, we went back to Estes Park and stopped at a place for kids that had a couple of huge slides and bungee jumping among other activities. The kids went down both slides and Callie and RJ tried bungee jumping. They both had a great time but at the end of her time, the teenager helping propel Callie up into the air had his hand slip on the strap and whipped Callie's shoulder. I felt her pain but she bucked up and the Moms made me get the $8.00 bungee price refunded.

We had lunch at an Estes Park pizza joint, listening to music and showing Hunter how to catch quarters off the tip of his elbow like the Fonz or Chachi used to do on the 70's sitcom "Happy Days". After lunch we walked down the tourist filled street that is Estes Park one more time. We had ice cream, cookies, and lolled about the town without a care in the world but Denver was calling us and we piled into Lori's car and enjoyed the easy listening sounds of John Deutschendorf, that is Denver, on the way home.


Lori and the kids dropped us off as they had a dinner engagement so we relaxed in the room for a while. I went down to enjoy the happy hour at Randolph's inside the Warwick. The beer was cheap and ice cold and the appetizers were half price so I called to the room and had the girls come down and join me. Later on we went for our usual walk to 16th St Mall and hopped on the shuttle in search of the giant blue bear that peers into the convention center. We took some pictures and continued on to Larimer Square and ended our walk with some Oregon Blueberry frozen custard at Good Times.

Wednesday morning we slept in a while and met Lori and the kids at the Buckhorn Exchange, Denver's oldest restaurant, open since 1893 on 10th and Osage. I heard about the Buckhorn on the television show "Man vs Food" and I was determined to sample Rocky Mountain Oysters, one of the Buckhorn's specialties. All 6 of us enjoyed the thinly sliced, lightly breaded, deep fried cow testicles with cocktail sauce and horseradish. I don't think any of us will order them again but they weren't horrible and we managed to finish most of them. I guess RJ wasn't really sure what they were and upon learning what he'd eaten, his facial expression was priceless. Our lunches were quite good. Hunter wasn't a big fan of the decor which featured head after head of every type of beast which ever ate a bullet on the frontier.

After lunch it was back to the pool. Since it was now Wednesday, the pool scene was far more quiet than it had been on Sunday. We mostly had the pool to ourselves. We talked, we tanned, we snacked, we played as the sun beat down on us high above the streets of downtown Denver.

After a few showers we decided to return to Noodles and Co for dinner. We LOVED Noodles and Co to the point where we considered opening a Burbank franchise. The Wisconsin Mac and cheese is yummy!! After dinner we showed RJ and Hunter the blue bear statue and took them to Good Times for frozen custard.

Back at the hotel we said good bye to our dear friends, consoled slightly by the fact the Biggs' are coming to Los Angeles in a couple of weeks. We can't thank them enough for showing us around Denver and sharing our vacation experience with us. After four wonderful days together we were really more like one family than two.

Our flight the next day was in the afternoon so we slept in, grabbed a couple of subs from Fontano's, checked out of the hotel and left Denver behind. We all agreed it was our best vacation ever not because of the many sights we'd seen but because of the good friends we'd seen, from Bill and Marie Nolan to Don Rhoades to Lori, RJ, and Hunter. The only casualty might have been John Denver. I don't think Callie wants to hear "Rocky Mountain High" again for a long time.

Soup's #1 Seeds

March madness addicts are strewn across the country tonight waiting patiently for selection Sunday. Anyone hooked on the NCAA tournament as long as I've been knows to be done mowing the lawn or playing catch with the kids by 255pm so you won't miss a minute of the festivities on CBS.

The 2009 tournament is starting to become clear to me at the top. The #1 seed in the tournament has to be the Louisville Cardinals. True, they caught a break getting Pitt at home in Louisville and not at the Petersen Events Center but they won the Big East regular season title AND the Big East Championship. That's enough for me.

FYI-When you hear basketball cognescenti talk about an "NBA body", they mean a body like Earl Clark. Clark and Terrence Williams, boosted by the solid inside contributions of Freshman Samardo Samuels, have put it together.

I thought this team had a solid shot to win the NCAA championship but winning the Big East Tournament doesn't help toward that goal, in fact I think it hurts their chances but they've earned the #1 seed.

The second #1 seed goes to North Carolina. They were ranked higher than Pitt going into the conference tournaments and they won a game in the ACC tournament whereas Pitt lost their first game in the Big East tourney to West Virginia.

Pitt then becomes the third #1 seed. True, Connecticut showed tons of heart in the 6-ot thriller that rocked Manhattan Thursday night but Pitt beat them twice head to head, both times when UConn was the #1 team in the country.

Connecticut or Memphis is tougher to call for the last #1 seed. I understand people not giving Memphis much credit for steamrolling through Conference USA but they've won 25 straight games and they did reach the final last year.

Memphis nudges UConn to a #2 seed but those two teams should be placed in the same bracket so they can settle it on the floor. Oklahoma and Pitt should be in the same bracket so the clash of the titans, DeJuan Blair and Blake Griffin, can become a reality.

I like Gonzaga as a dark horse but I think Pitt wins the NCAA tournament over Memphis (if they're on opposite sides of the bracket). As a Pitt fan, the team I don't want to play is Connecticut. It's hard to beat a great team like that three straight times and I'd prefer a new challenge so I'm hoping someone else will knock of the Huskies but I'm not a sadist, it's okay if they lose in regulation.

Pitt beats UConn again

Sam Young played his last game at the Petersen Events Center today. He went out in style. Against #1 ranked Connecticut, Young poured in a season high 31 points on 13 of 23 shooting from the field and chipped in 11 rebounds.

Young could be drawing an NBA paycheck right now but he decided to stick around for his senior season, perhaps out of loyalty to coach Jamie Dixon. Dixon, you see, has a habit of finding players who are deemed too small or too slow or too unrefined for the rigors of the Big East, but he manages to mold them into a cohesive, winning unit, greater than the sum of its parts.

For 2 years, Young had to be patient. As a Freshman and again as a sophomore Young scored under 8 points per game. Last year, as a Junior, Young broke out leading the team at 18.1 ppg.
The NBA took notice and many feel Young could have been a first round draft pick, guaranteed money according to the Association's bylaws.

One has to believe Young is happy with his decision to stay. He's been a part of several firsts this season. This year was the first time Pitt ever beat the #1 team in the country(which they've now done twice after today's victory). Pitt was also the #1 team in the country for the first time in their history this season(which they also did twice and might do a 3rd time).

Young has been an integral part of their success. Again, he leads the team in scoring, this time at 18.4 ppg. His unorthodox pump fake has drawn national attention. Any advance scouting report on the Panthers has to note Young's uncanny knack for getting opposing defenders to leave their feet yet players still fall for the fake, game after game, as Young drives around them for dunks, lay-ins or soft pull up jumpers.

One reason the fake works so well is that Young can shoot. Last year, he led Pitt from beyond the arc at 38.3. This year, his percentage is slightly lower at 34.8 but the NCAA moved the line back a bit from last season. One gets a sense of Young's work ethic by looking at his 3 point percentage as a Freshman(19%) and a sophomore(31%). This guy has worked on his game and it's paid off.

Teaming up with sophomore DeJuan Blair and classmate Levance Fields, Young and Pitt just might have locked up a #1 seed in the NCAA tournament today with their 70-60 win over UConn. With only 3 losses, all on the road, the selection committee will have to consider Pitt a #1 seed even if they suffer an upset in the Big East Tournament in New York next week.

I'm sure Young and his teammates still have their sights set on bigger goals but Young's unselfish decision to stay in school has made that all possible. In this era of one-and-done, take the money and run college hoops, Jamie Dixon, the winningest coach percentage-wise in Big East HISTORY has inspired loyalty in his charges and shown the rest of the nation you don't have to have a roster full of McDonald's all-americans(or any McDonald's all-americans for that matter) to compete and succeed at the highest level of college basketball.

Dejuan Blair draft position

I'm guessing Pitt's Dejaun Blair is vaguely familiar with the 80's band The Clash and their 1981 hit "Should I Stay or Should I Go". Soon, the 6-6 sophomore will have to ask himself that very question about whether or not to leave his beloved Pitt and apply for the 2009 NBA draft.



The question is where would Blair go in the draft? Is he a first rounder? Is he a lottery pick? The answer could surely affect his decision but it wouldn't necessarily be the only factor.



There are plenty of reasons for Blair to stay in school. First and foremost, Blair is from Pittsburgh. He went to Schenley High School about a mile from the University of Pittsburgh campus. His upbeat personality combined with his on the court exploits could make Blair one of the city's most famous sons but Pittsburgh doesn't even have an NBA franchise so he may decide to stay home as long as possible.



Some people didn't feel like Blair, at 6-6, was big enough to be effective in major college basketball, especially the rough and tumble Big East conference. Perhaps they didn't take into account his 7-foot wing span or the tenacity that makes Blair college basketball's best offensive rebounder. His loyalty to Pitt coach Jamie Dixon could well be another factor in his decision.



After last season, Pitt forward Sam Young was faced with the same question. Young elected to stay and now teams with Blair to form one of the nations best tandems on one of the nation's best teams. Young, a senior, will no doubt go in the first round of the 2009 draft.



There's no doubt, Blair is under-sized yet the list of taller big men whom Blair has outplayed continues to grow. Blair has erased the doubt in the minds of those who didn't think he could dominate D1 hoops but now the same sorts of questions will arise about his ability to do the same thing in the pros.



I haven't seen all of the NBA prospects. Indeed, I don't watch as much college basketball as I'd like to and I know practically nothing about the European players which creep their way into the draft every year. I watch Pitt religiously and I'll catch a few other games during the course of the season but until March Madness gets underway, my viewing oppurtunities are limited. From what I've seen though, I'd consider Blair as the #1 pick overall. No one, with the exception of Oklahoma's Blake Griffin, another sophomore, is dominating the college game the way Blair is.



One NBA mock draft I found on the internet had Griffin going #1 overall while Blair was way down the list at #23. Granted, the NBA draft is about "upside", a term used to describe what a player will or could be rather than what he currently is. In the same mock draft that had Griffin going #1, UConn's Haseem Thabeet, all 7-3 inches of him, was penciled it at #2. For those of you who saw Pitt and Blair dismantle Thabeet and his Huskies this past Monday, you might question that assessment. Let's just say it's easier to imagine someone 7-3 developing into an NBA star ahead of someone who's 6-6.

Still, some of the players on the list ahead of Blair are ridiculous(Arizona's Chase Budinger?). I have a hard time imagining there are 22 players out there I'd rather have on my NBA team than Blair. The problem for those who search too hard for upside is they sometimes forget to see what's already there.

Success at the college level doesn't necessarily equate to success in the pros. Duke's JJ Redick and Gonzaga's Adam Morrison are two recent players that come to mind. They were in programs which took maximum advantage of their skill sets and I'm surprised they were drafted as high as they were(Morrison #3, Redick #11 in 2006). A long, NBA like body, also doesn't guarantee NBA success(Patrick O'Bryant, Saer Sene, and Hilton Armstrong-#'s 9,10, and 12 from 2006).

NBA teams would be wise to look closely at Blair. Look at what he's done, how quickly he's improved. As a Pitt fan, I certainly don't want him to leave for the pros, but when he does, I've begun to expect him to gobble up offensive rebounds by the dozen, put in the easy put backs, and continue to display the work ethic, attitude, and selflessness that make him an excellent teammate.

Pitt beats up UConn

There's no truth to the rumor a member of the XL Center janitorial staff in Hartford picked up Hasheem Thabeet's ulna bone off the court after Monday's game against Pitt but it was a little scary to see the ferocity with which Pitt's Dejaun Blair ripped down a rebound with Thabeet's arm caught in the proverbial cookie jar. The sheer force of Blair securing the ball lifted Thabeet completely off the ground, up and over Blair's head where he landed, hard, on the other side. Free advice to Big East big men: if you're contesting D.Blair for a rebound and he gets his hands on the ball, scream "you, you, you" and run down to the other end.

Blair finished with 22 points and 23 rebounds and Sudden Sam Young led the Panthers with 25 points to help the Panthers upset #1 ranked Connecticut on the road 76-68, the first time Pitt had beaten a #1 ranked team.

Levance Fields, held scoreless most of the game, came to life with back to back treys late in the game. Fields leads the nation in assist to turnover ratio, an underappreciated statistic ignored by the casual fan. The form on Fields jumper is far from perfect but the senior never fails to rise to the occasion. He had a couple of shaky possessions down the stretch yesterday but he also hit the aforementioned three pointers. The fact is the ball will end up in his hands down the stretch of a close game and he's proven time and again he'll make the right decision.

The difference though between Pitt now and Pitt early in the season is the maturation of junior college transfer Jermaine Dixon. Dixon has gotten better in Big East play and he's just what Pitt needed, a ball handling athletic shooter who can take some ballhandling pressure off Fields and/or hit a big three as he did late against the Huskies.

Right now, this Pitt team looks like a #1 seed but with games against Marquette and UConn again before heading into the Big East tournament, their work isn't done. Still, I can't help but imagine a Pitt-Oklahoma game with Blair and fellow sophomore Blake Griffin flexing their games with the national championship on the line. Don't bet against the man who will most likely be the mayor of Pittsburgh when his playing days are over. Pitt's first local recruit in years, Blair is a great teammate according to Coach Dixon, but he is absolutely not a great opponent, just ask Hasheem Thabeet.

My Favorite Sports Movie

It's pouring! It doesn't pour often in Los Angeles. Being so close to Hollywood, we automatically migrate to our local movie theaters on a rainy day. I got out of actually seeing "Confessions of a Shopaholic" at my daughter's 10th birthday party yesterday. First, I had to wait outside for a late arriving guest. The cake and gift bags needed to be taken to Fuddrucker's which didn't open up for a half hour after the movie started. My friend Gerry was with me after dropping off his daughter for the movie and there was already a 3 to 1 adult-child ratio since two of the moms couldn't wait to see it.



Now had there been a great sports movie on the schedule instead of "Shopaholic" I might not have ended up drinking Bloody Mary's at Barney's Beanery. Why are there so few really great sports movies? Sure, you've got Rocky, Hoosiers, Pride of the Yankees, Bad News Bears(the one with Matthau and O'Neal as if there was any doubt). I enjoyed "Cinderella Man" immensely and I'm still hurt it wasn't one of the favorites for "Best Picture" the year it came out. You see, I lost $50.00 on an internet gambling site betting on it to win the award at a good number.



I'm not writing about "Cinderella Man" today however. The movie I'm touting is not very well known. It came out in 1986. Perhaps the most amazing thing about the film is it has not one, but two major stars. It's titled "Best of Times". I'd like to start a fan club for this film and turn it into a cult classic. Maybe someday we can dress up like members of the cast and have a big viewing party or a "wrap party". Ok, sorry, too exuberant.

The movie is set in central California oil country, specifically the towns of Bakersfield and neighboring Taft between whom exists a lopsided high school football rivalry in Bakersfield's favor. Kurt Russell plays Reno Hightower, Taft's star quarterback from 1972. Reno's buddy, Jack Dundee played by Robin Williams is trying to garner support for a rematch of the 1972 game between the two schools in which Taft was poised to upset Bakersfield but a beautifully thrown bomb by Hightower in the games waning seconds fell innocently to the turf after slipping right through the hands of Dundee.

Everyone's moved on except for Dundee who manages to convince the Taft misfits including good friend Hightower. Russell's portrayal of Hightower is excellent. He manages to come off humble, not cocky, but confident. He's lukewarm at best, at least until halftime of the actual rematch. With Taft getting smacked in the mouth, embarrassed, and humiliated by arrogant Bakersfield, Reno decides to put on his old white cleats for the second half and leads Taft to a second half comeback.

The football scenes are so-so. Criticisms can certainly be made. The Bakersfield domination depicted in the first half would have led to a far greater lead than the 20-0 score we're given in the movie. Still, I enjoyed it enough to buy a copy and Reno Hightower gets my vote for best fictional sports name of all time. So, if it's ever raining in your neighborhood you could probably do worse than "Best of Times".

Welcome to my blog. My name is Perry Suppa. I am and always have been a bit of a sports geek. I'm in a fantasy league for each of the 4 majors. The only 4 majors. I'll watch Tiger in a golf major or a Federer-Nadal final but there are 4 major team sports, basketball, hockey, baseball and football in no particular order.

As for my street cred, I was a 3 year varsity basketball player at Notre Dame High School, one of only two players to play alongside both Nigel Miguel, class of 81' and Jamie Dixon 83'. If Jamie's name sounds familiar, it's because he's the head coach at the University of Pittsburgh, currently the #4 team in the nation.

Yesterday, Pitt defeated the University of Cincinnati. In truth, they put on a show. That show appealed to both basketball purists and the hyperbolic park-pick-up game crowd.

There was a sequence where Pitt worked the ball around the perimeter, including a textbook bounce pass into sophomore superstar Dejuan Blair after which Blair refusing to force a bad shot, kicked the ball back out. Two passes later a Bearcat defender lost sight of Gilbert Brown for a moment, he motioned to point guard Levance Fields and Fields through a slick lob pass to the rim for the emphatic slam.

Minutes later all 5 Pitt players were in the lane as a defensive rebound came off. Somehow they broke out 3 on 1 and it was Fields again finding Sam Young shooting down the middle for an even more EMPHATIC SLAM.

Ok, your favorite player is Tim Duncan. Maybe you'd like the play where Pitt went around the horn as if all 5 players needed to touch the ball before a shot went up, which culminated in a Tyrell Biggs three.

Pitt got me so darn fired up yesterday. Incidentally, my high school sweetheart was Charli Turner Thorne, the women's basketball coach at Arizona St, and I taped the Pitt game because I took my daughter's 4th grade basketball team to see the Sun Devils beat UCLA at Pauley Pavilion, thanks to tickets from Charli.

It's pretty amazing to think two of the people I was closest to in high school, actually 3 if you count Cy Young Award winner Jack McDowell, a teammate and friend as well, have reached such great heights in the sports world. I'd like to think my presence helped them in their journeys. Indeed, mix a healthy dose of alcohol into the equation and I often become solely responsible for their success.

I'm certain all 3 would attest to the fact I'm a true sports geek, pure and simple. That sports love has fostered a love for fantasy sports.

People ask me all the time "what's your favorite team?" Except for Pitt(men) and ASU(women) in college hoops, I'm not really a diehard fan of any team. I hop on any bandwagon that appeals to me; the Chargers(my older brother's team), UCLA men(a favorite both before and after Jamie's mentor-Ben Howland got the job), the Lakers(I live in Los Angeles and grew up a fan but I'm honest enough with myself to know that I love the Lakers over the Cavs but prefer Lebron James to Kobe).

My real favorite team is the Corleone Family, the name I've adopted for all 4 of my fantasy teams. I follow the players on my roster as well as "scout" other players in order to assess their value. I won my football league and both my hockey and basketball teams are in first place right now so I definitely have some fantasy game.

I hope you enjoy my blog. Thanks for reading.