It Can't Get Here Soon Enough!

Dates are funny things...and I'm not talking about those akward nights out that your "best friend" set you up on or the self-inflicted obligitory date with that random girl/guy you made a few bad decisions with last night!  I'm talking about important dates.  Dates like when that new movie you want to see comes out, when spring break starts, the big game, and pay day.  Sure you've got birthdays and holidays but those are overrated and come around the same time every year.  But everyone has that ONE date that they circle on their calendar every year (you know the one I'm talking about...the one you circled in giant red marker?!).  For me that date this coming year is February 13th.  The best way to describe the feeling I get when this day comes around is the feeling you get on Christmas morning.  But unlike Christmas, there is nothing you want to return or exchange when its all over and there is definitely none of the uncomfortable family drama.  This day was so important to me especially when I was a kid that on several occasions I remember "having to stay home sick from school".  Every year grown men get to play a boys game and it all starts with Pitchers and Catchers reporting to Spring Training.  It doesn't matter the time of year or what is going on, when I think about Spring Training everything else seems to go away. 

And if you didn't realize that spring training, opening day, or baseball was so important to me then you may excuse yourself from following my blog at this time...no I'm serious...stop reading.

Now that we have gotten rid of all the riff raff, we can move on.  I apologize.

I realized today during a meeting at work, that there is something else that tickles my feel goods (easy now...I'm trying to keep this blog PG and don't need your dirty thoughts blemishing my reputation as a wholesome family author).   I've got a pretty incredible job that allows me to do alot of fun things but the part I love most about my job is summer camp.  There are only a few memories and events in my life that I remember as vividly as COL 2010.  Camp Outer Limits is more that just a summer camp, a job, or a place to leave your kids for a day.  Camp is a place where you can be yourself yet be who you never are normally.  It's a place to be around people who understand you better than anyone else can.  Camp is a place where best friends and families are met and memories are created.  It is impossible to completely understand or grasp the power of the experience with out being a part of it, so you will just have to trust me on this one.  And for several moments today I got that feeling all over again, in the middle of November...

It doesn't matter if you are working on budgets or if you hear a song that reminds you of the night in staff training where it all came together.  Nobody can take away what COL 2010 still does for me three months after it ended.

February 13th when the 2011 MLB seasons kicks off, teams will come together with only one goal in mind...to win the World Series.  June 20th when COL 2011 kicks off (besides being the annual celebration of my glorious life), our team will come together with the privilege of creating another unimaginable summer for everyone involved.

Until then count your blessings and just know that when we get back together it'll be...

BACK TO RUNNIN' CIRCLES AROUND YOUR CAMP  LIKE U. BOLT...

"A unique approach to independence where adventure meets tradition"

                                                                                       - COL 2010

My First Time...

So as I sat here tonight watching ESPN and a special on George Steinbrenner (and although I hate the Evil Empire, this special truly got at Steinbrenner's love for baseball, and that I can respect), there was no question in my mind what I wanted to write about.  There aren't any sports metaphors or clever jokes (at least I haven't thought of any yet!).  This is simply an opportunity for me to share some memories of the best friend I have ever had...my dad.

There are countless stories from my childhood that are worthy of my Pulitzer Prize winning blog (hey...a guy can dream right?!?!) like our white water rafting trip to West Virginia, or camping with Cub Scouts.  Making home made power tool paint stirrers or me spilling drinks at any sporting event I EVER went to with him until the age of 18.  But the best memories always come back to baseball.  I think it's fair enough to assume that everyone has that one special experience that they share with their best friend, and with my dad and I it's anything baseball.  Playing catch, going to the batting cage, double headers on Easter Sunday at Doak Field...you name it, we did it.  But the absolute BEST memory ever starts like this...



June 20th, 1995...my 12th birthday.  I don't remember much about this day but thats ok because there are only two things you need to know.  First, my dad and I got up and went to breakfast, just like we did every year.  And I can tell you right now that we went to Biscuit Time in Cary.  I got a sausage and cheese biscuit with a Dr Pepper and some hashbrowns and dad got the same except he got his biscuit with mustard and a coffee.  After breakfast, dad went to work and I probably spent the rest of the day playing baseball with Doug Ransdell and Josh Floyd.  That night we ate dinner (probably spaghetti or bbq porkchops) and birthday cake (most definitely yellow cake with chocolate icing) then I got to open some presents.  I only remember one present from that birthday...tickets to my first Atlanta Braves game (I am pretty confident that the excitement and smile on my face could have ended any civil war if given the opportunity).  July 18th couldn't come fast enough.  I remember we loaded up dad's red Ford Ranger and headed down I85 bound for Fulton County Stadium.  There are so many random things I remember from our trip...the Radison Hotel was the nicest place I had ever stayed, eating at the Hard Rock Cafe AND Planet Hollywood, the Coca-Cola Museum, the CNN Center, and the Underground.  Dad probably spent alot more money than he should have that trip (our money tree had died in the drought of '92) but to him money wasn't an issue.  This was about a right of passage every boy and his dad need to take...I remember like it was yesterday (and I am actually getting chills right now writing about it) when we walked through the tunnel for the first time and I saw the most beautiful grass in my life.  The smell of a ballpark is something nobody can recreate.  Of course like any other respectable fan, we were there as soon as the stadium opened to watch batting practice and get autographs.  After batting practice we scouted out our seats and then I went exploring the stadium.  I remember walking to the top of Fulton County Stadium and looking out at Turner Field being built for the 1996 Summer Olympics and thinking "why are they going to tear down this perfectly good baseball stadium?!?!".  

  

I got three autographs that day, Pedro Borbon, Mark Lemke, and Luis Polonia.  And as John Smoltz was coming in from the bullpen he tossed a ball in the stands about 5 feet from me that I missed grabbing by a half step.  Dad and I got our standard hotdog, soda, and peanuts combo (cold adult beverage for dad of course) and we headed to our seats on the first base side just under the second level awning.  The Braves went up early but eventually lost in 10 innings.  I didn't care though because nothing could ruin the excitement of my first Major League ball game.  The next day the braves got the win behind a strong performance from Greg Maddux and before I knew it we were on our way back to North Carolina.  That trip was absolutely the best memory I have of me and my dad.

Fast forward a few years to 2007.  It was my turn to try and repay my dad for the most incredible baseball trip of my life.  Father's Day comes around and through my connections working with the Durham Bulls and USA Baseball, I was able to score some home plate tickets and 744 Club passes for my dad and I to the Braves and Cardinals game on July 21st.  The Braves won 14-6 behind Willie Harris's 6 for 6, 6 RBI day but none of that mattered.  This was the first time I felt like I was able to do anything that resembled a worthy "thank you".  I know he never wanted or needed a thank you, to him...going to a ball game with his boy was enough but I had to try.  Those two baseball games in 1995 were the best two games I have ever been too.  Not because I witnessed a no-hitter, a 3,000th hit, or a 300th win but because I got to spend my first big league ball game with my dad...

Thanks Dad...

Dunlap's Corner

So if you haven't sold your soul to the devil and you actually root for the good guys, you know exactly what the title of this post refers to.  It was September 23, 2006 a normal college football Thursday in the great city of Raleigh at the Mecca of college football in the ACC...Carter Finley Stadium (alright alright...give me a break).   Well to make a long story short, NC State was down 15-10 with less than a minute to go.  With sophomore Daniel Evans leading the calvary, the Wolfpack marched down the field and with :08 left, Evans connected with John Dunlap for 33 yards and the TD in the corner of the endzone for the winning score.  At that moment, NOTHING else mattered, not how I was getting home, not the three random guys I awkwardly hugged after the score, and definitely not the test I had the next day (i wasn't going anyways and honestly that had nothing to do with the aduly beverages that were consumed tailgating before the game).  All 50,000+ Wolfpack fans had the exact same feeling...complete euphoria!  That kind of feeling only comes around when someting special happens and you never foget it.

Fast forward 3 years 350 days to September 8, 2010.  I got that same feeling today.  But not from a football game but from seeing a smiling little face who has no idea what he does for the others around him.  I spent all summer with this little boy from El Salvador and was always excited to see him but nothing like today.  Today was like Christmas morning (specifically Christmas morning 1991 when I got my Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Pizza Van...so you know it was a big deal).  You know it's coming and you can hardly stand it.  All day I was waiting until 4:10pm for the bus to show up but of course it was late.  And then it happened...his sister and cousins got off of the bus first but he was nowhere to be found (and that's not the most comforting thing to see considering his english is mediocre at best and this child doubles as Tarzan in his free time...).  And then out from behind a group of kids jumped "Tarzan".  From about 20 yards away here he came in a dead sprint (cue Chariots of Fire music in slow motion) screaming Hola! Hola!  I barely had enough time to clear a path for him before he jumped up and gave me the biggest hug I have had in a long time.  It was Dunlap's Corner all over again.  That feeling of excitement that only comes around when something special happens.  So my journey with "Tarzan" started over again today and it promises to be an adventure all year.  My only hope is that I can impact him half as much as he has already impacted me. 

Never forget your "Christmas mornings" or "Dunlap's Corners"...keep those feelings with you all the time and remember  "the best things come in small packages!"

Joga Bonita!

So I'm not gonna lie (cause God doesn't like liars) but I have a pretty sweet job.  Working with kids is a special opportunity that has made me who I am today.  I could spend hours going over all of the incredible parts of my job and how rewarding it is but I will save those hours for another day (I know...you can thank me later)!  All I want to talk about tonight is fun and I don't mean the "yea I had a good weekend because I went to my friend from school's birthday party" fun, I am talking about the "my parents picked me up from school early on a Friday to surprise me with a trip to Disney World fun" (btw that never happened to me, that's just how I always pictured my non-existent trip to Disney World going). 

I digress...

One of the biggest reasons I love my job is the fun that I get to have.  For example, yes I run a summer camp, but it is unreal the hours i chalked up playing soccer this summer.  I figure with 44 days of camp, I must have logged a solid 30+ hours of game time.  And when I say game time, I mean USA against Algeria in extra time to advance in the World Cup...game time.  This was serious stuff, yes it's true that I work with a population of kids that care more about soccer than anything else especially when it comes to Mexico and their beloved Chicharito but never the less, these were the most fun, and meaningful, games I have EVER played.  For those 30 hours (and thats just the soccer I played) nothing else mattered to me or those kids (except what the next goal celebration was going to be...I am partial to my very own shirt off slide across the field and no I don't have the body to be taking my shirt off).  These kids loved soccer so much that they would run off the bus every morning to get 5 minutes of game in on the soggy field before morning snack...I don't know many kids that would sacrifice wet socks and shoes for 4 hours for 5 minutes of soccer but these kids did...everyday...and loved it. 

Now I know that not everyone can be me, be as lucky as me, have as much fun at work as I do but that doesn't mean that you can't look for that fun in things that you do.  Take a look at your day tomorrow and try and take something from "birthday party fun" to "skipping school to go to Disney fun"!

Destiny

Sometimes things just happen for a reason...the perfect reason and there's no explaining it.  In a world where everyone is so caught up with superficial happenings we often lose sight of the subtle yet obvious signs right in front of our eyes.  And the worst part of it all, is that it usually takes a life changing experience to put us back in our place and realize what we have been missing all along. 

There are tons of examples all around that you might chalk up to destiny and as you might expect I am going to highlight a few in the world of sports!

Exhibit 1) The Cardiac Pack

Unless you have lived in cave for the last 27 years you have most definitely heard of the 1983 NC State Wolfpack.  They defeated the mighty Phi Slamma Jamma and the rest of the Houston Cougars in the most unforgettable National Championship in the history of the NCAA.  The Pack put together an impressive run to end the season after losing Dereck Whittenburg in January to a broken foot.  A victory against UNC in the ACC tournament semi-finals set the tone for what was to come.  Houston had been dominating teams all season and that didn't stop in the tourney.  But that all came to a screeching hault when the Cardiac Pack beat Houston with its very own strategy...getting above the rim.  With the score tied at 52 with three seconds on the clock Whittenburg threw up a desperation 3-pointer that was carried by angels into the hands of Lorenzo Charles who slammed it home to beat the mighty Cougars at the buzzer.  Everyone goes crazy, Jim Valvano is looking for someone to hug and the rest is history.  So what is the lesson to be learned from the '83 Pack?  "Don't give up, don't ever give up" would be an appropriate slogan...and how ironic that that quote will forever be remembered as Jimmy V's legacy in his fight against cancer...destiny or just a coincidence?!

Exhibit 2) Reverse the Curse

By no means am I a Red Sox fan but I am ultimately a sucker for history (as long as the Yankees are on the short end of that stick) and a good playoff series.  With the Red Sox down three games to none they had been written off by the baseball world and everyone had started looking towards next year.  Until the most unlikely of heroes, Dave Roberts, came in to pinch run, stole second then scored on a Bill Mueller single to tie the game.  Cue Big Papi who wins the game with his first of two walk offs in the series to give the sports writers something to write about.  The rest is history...walk offs, extra innings, bloody socks and the World Series trophy back in Beantown.  What a way to end an 86 year championship drought...being the first team in the history of baseball to come back from a 3-0 deficit to win the ALCS and then sweep the Cardinals in the World Series.  There is absolutley no other way to explain the 2004 ALCS than destiny.

We all have our own examples of what we think is destiny.  Whether its in our own personal experiences or vicariously through our sports heroes.  And wherever we find happiness in destiny let it be just that...happiness.  Appreciate the comfort that destiny can give you.  Remember that moment in time where you knew it was destiny and hold on to that feeling when things get tough.  Know that no matter what happens there is a plan for you and in the end its destiny.  So thank you destiny for easing the stress in my life.  Thank you destiny for making things right when everything seems to be wrong.  And thank you destiny for what you have in store for me...

So what is your perfect comeback story?

PICKLE!!

And no I don't mean Mt. Olive or Vlasic.  But I do mean don't get caught in between decisions.  There is nothing more frustrating in life when people can't commit and make a decision.  I just don't understand why it is so hard to take a stand for something that you believe in and stick with it.  Part of making decisions is knowing who you are, where you come from, and where you are going.  And here goes my obligatory baseball reference.  One of my favorite scenes from a classice baseball movie is the "pickle" scene from the Sandlot.  The concept may seem trivial but all I am trying to get at is if you get caught in a pickle it's because you weren't able to commit.  Either you took too big of a turn around first base thinking you could maybe stretch that single to a double only to realize you were a sitting duck scampering back to first OR you got hung up trying to score from third on that grounder to the shortstop who made the heads up play to gun you down in your indecisivness.  From my first post you already know that I am an Atlanta Braves fan and fortunately growing up I had the chance to see alot of great Atlanta Braves play for the Durham Bulls (and don't argue with me when I name these players...I was a kid and they were 100% the best players to ever step on a baseball field) i.e. Ron Gant, David Justice, Jeff Blauser (yes I had the sweet Easton flip-ups), Steve Avery, Andruw Jones, and Javier Lopez just to name a few.  But like most 20 - 32 year old Braves fans would say Chipper stands out as arguably the greatest.  Without a doubt, throughout the years my reasoning behind the "man crush" or "bromance" (or whatever else TMZ and Perez Hilton may have deemed when guys admire other guys) between myself and Chipper Jones has definitely changed but it's strong today as that first game at the DAP back in 1992...and in case you have any doubts about my man Chipper, check out these stats...

-He's a career .306 hitter with over 2,500 hits and 400+ homeruns.   
-2nd place in a totally rigged Rookie of the Year vote in 1995 to Hideo Nomo who posted a mediocre (at best) 13-6 record with a 2.54 era...while all Jones did was hit .265 belt 23 HR's, drive in 86 RBI's and help the Braves win the World Series.  (I have nothing against foreign players but that's the only reason Nomo won)
-6 time All Star, 2 time Silver Slugger, 1999 NL MVP

BUT...the biggest reason I would carry his bastard child (Hooter's waitresses are not trashy no matter what his first wife says!) have respect for Chipper is that he has stayed with the same organization for his entire 20 year professional career.  In the era of huge paydays...A-Rod 10 yr/$275,000,000 (ARE YOU KIDDING ME!  He should be funding all of these government bailouts.  I mean if he wouldn't have taken steroids we probably wouldn't have lost faith in our athletes, stopped going to games, which inevitably sent the housing market, auto industry and the entire United States into economic turmoil...GOSH no wonder the call the Yankess the Evil Empire! ) Chipper has stayed true to his roots and stuck around in Atlanta his entire career.  Now sure, he has made PLENTY of money himself  ($141,000,000 give or take a few hundred thousand) but his commitment to the Atlanta Braves should be a lesson to everyone.

It all comes down to passion and your desire to succeed.  To me, indecision is a direct result of a lack of confidence.  No matter if you hit a baseball, bag groceries, or sell Sham Wows for a living (you know the Germans make good stuff), you better do it and have the swagger to do it better than anybody else.  Now eventually you are going to come to a crossroads where everything you believe in and have been doing is going to be questioned.  This is where the men are seperated from the boys.  Because if you have the drive to commit, you're going to stand on your beliefs even if it's not the popular choice (cue up the Kirk Gibson video...that's guts!).  So I have come to the realization that in order to be remembered as an extraordinary person nothing can be done without gusto...nothing can be done without passion...nothing can be done with any doubt that you have made the right decision.  Have opinions, have beliefs, question "the way we've always done it", and take a stand...

Now if I could only get certain people to think like this!  

Heroes

So here it goes...for the first time in my life (well maybe not the first time, but definitely for the biggest audience) I am putting my thoughts out there for everyone to read, criticize, scrutinize, and judge.  Hopefully this blog wont come back with as many red marks as my junior year research paper (who actually reads in high school anyways?!?!) but my hope is that it will at least be a bit entertaining to anyone who might stumble upon it.  I'm not sure how often I will post, what direction they will take, or the tone of which they will come accross but I can tell you that they will be nothing but the truth and exactly how I feel.

Sorry for the boring disclaimer but I assumed that every respectable blogger out there at one time started with something similar to get the creative juices (mmm juice...) flowing.  Now back to the lecture at hand...

Heroes are a funny thing.  You find in the most unlikely of places when you truly find one.  Of course growing up being the huge Atlanta Braves fan that I was, and still am, there were a number of heroes to choose from, but none more important than Sid Bream.  I know you guys are thinking "did this guy really just say Sid Bream?!?!"  And yes I did.  I know there was a team full of guys to choose from but how can you overlook the guy that sent the Braves to the World Series with his epic trip around the bases (I think he stopped halfway between 3rd and home to tighten his standard issue Terminator knee brace usually reserved for offensive linemen) which culminated with him sliding under Mike LaValliere's tag.  And as a 9 year old that was OK.  But now it would be totally cliche, and unacceptable to say any hero of mine was a modern day sports superstar, actor, or individual who has had or is enjoying their fifteen minutes of fame. 

But instead I prefer heroes who don't realize they are heros.  People who make a difference everyday to others that don't even realize that the aforementioned person is actually their hero (get it?)  I am lucky enough to work with these types of people everyday.  People who do their job like they're on a mission and if they don't complete that mission Santa is going to cancel Christmas (man wouldn't that be a disaster?!).   If you can't already tell, I like the unsung hero.  But not because I know the difference that they are making with those around them but because of the difference they make in my life.  Some would say I wear my heart on my sleeve, (I like to think I'm equal parts Jack Bauer, Jay-Z, and Charmin Bear) and that may be true but it is only when someone, something, or some experience has impacted me in such a meaningful way (this blog is truly ironic if you know me and the summer i just had the privilege to experience).  And there is one hero out there I want to say thank you too quickly.  This hero is one that challenged me today to do this very thing.  They think they're a dork because they blog and have practically a million followers (ok so its only 796) but if you read their blog and the comments that are left you would quicly realize they are exactly the person I described above.  Someone who is both a hero to those that know them personally and just as a random blogger.  But I think the thing that makes this person such a hero is that they are going against the grain and doing things becuase it makes them happy.  And ironically the things that make them happy have impacted a huge group of people over the past few months.  So here is my "Thank You" for pushing me to do something that I never thought I could actually do with any type of success (and time and followers will tell) without even realizing you did it. 

So who is your Hero?!?!

Now about that 1/3 part Jay-Z...
"Here's your entertainment for the rest of the evenin'...cause I'm a bigger deal than LeBron leaving Cleveland...How's that possible?  What's this guy got worth readin' 'bout?  All I can say is, LeBron's got no rings but hes still the only thing they talk about!"