2011 In the Rearview Mirror

Enjoy the simplicity and beauty that awaits in 2012.

As the final minutes of 2011 tick ever so slowly towards the stroke of midnight, I always like the fresh start that a new year brings. It generally hits me when the Times Square ball finally lights up to display the numbers of the new year.

A fresh slate, a new outlook that makes you want to dig right in and be a better person and that good luck is sure to follow. 

While there are many good things to look back upon as we bid adieu to 2011, I think its a general consensus by many that it was a year to forget.  We lost a loved member of our family (be sure to pour a cup of tea for Deborah, Hope!) 

The sports world had quite the rocky year, with college teams abandoning conferences, horrendous campus scandals and cowardice in Syracuse and State College, Pa, professional teams demanding more millions of dollars, and the loss of a coaching genius in Mr. Dave Gavitt.  

Just Do It Already

There's a simple line, but a good one, in Ocean's Eleven when Elliot Gould (Reuben) and Casey Affleck (Virgil) were at McCarron Airport in Las Vegas toying with Terry Benedict's goons and the remote controlled van:

"Just do it already."

Well, that brings us to the current state of the Big East. My favorite league of all time. Or is it the Big East-West?  The Big USA? The Big Country?   

College sports has entered a new era with the recent new conference alignment.  Schools are throwing away long time tradition and rivalries for the promise of greener (as in money) pastures.  Television and football are the driving forces behind these moves. 

The lure of a big payday for the opportunity to play in one of the four coveted Bowl Championship Series (BCS) games has schools looking like a teenager in love. Forget your conscience, forget your long-term goals, forget your family (hello student-athlete welfare), it’s a dream date that so many schools are hoping for the chance.

iCloud Comes Back to Earth

This just in:  The iCloud from Apple is a dud.

Did Apple rush to push out iCloud?

For a company that I have always admired in its simplistic thinking, so far advanced over those folks from Redmond, Washington who have taken the Apple Operating system and modeled it’s various Windows platforms after.

Apple is always thinking outside of the box and light years ahead with new technology, but there is one thing that the Cupertino Capuchinos have stumbled on in its latest venture: the iCloud.

What a dud.

Cloud computing is the not just the future, it is the present. Online storage, online printing, online file sharing is so much more dependable than old-fashioned jump drives (would you trust an important document on something 2 inches long that you could easily lose or throw away?)

All Roads Lead to Where You Are ...

Since driving across country by myself in the summer of
1993, I have had the chance to visit many places. 

My career of college sports has allowed me to see many parts of the country and some of the great sporting venues and historical sites. Since graduating from the University of New Hampshire in 1994, I have had the opportunity to visit nearly every state during my 18-year career so far. While there are many places I have not seen, here's a list of a few of the places and things my travels have taken me: 

• Traveled across country (twice)
• Visited nearly every state
• Sat courtside at the Thomas & Mack Center for a UNLV basketball game
• Body surfed in Manhattan Beach
• Dined on the beach in Malibu
• Ate a steak dinner in Missoula, MT
• Put my toes in the water at midnight on Waikiki Beach, Honolulu
• Rode the train system in Portland, Oregon
• Shot hoops in Reno, Nevada
• Replayed the Tyus Edney end-to-end drive to beat Missouri in Boise during a shoot-around 
• Enjoyed a sushi dinner in Salt Lake City
• Tried tasting alligator in Miami, Florida
• Feared for my life in Joliet, Illinois
• Drove through the Mojave Dessert near Area 51
• Stood before Touchdown Jesus on the campus of Notre Dame
• Drove around Rich Stadium in Buffalo, NY
• Watched a hockey game in Burlington, Vermont
• Sat in the press box writing a story at the Fabulous Forum in Los Angeles, California
• Drove down Lombard Street in San Francisco, California
• Witnessed an upset victory in Las Cruces, New Mexico
• Lost a tailpipe in St. Louis, Missouri
• Fixed a tailpipe in Indianapolis, Indiana
• Can say I've been to Tiffin, Ohio
• Enjoyed popcorn during shootaround at the old Glass Palace in Portland, Oregon
• Enjoyed a cigar and glass of pinot noir in a jazz club in New Orleans
• Saw the Grand Canyon during Thanksgiving
• Picked up my luggage at the Pullman Airport in Washington State (if you've been there, you know)
• Stood on the grassy knoll in Dealey Plaza in Dallas
• Soaked in the fresh air of the Puget Sound in Seattle, Washington
• Broadcast six baseball games from Blair Field in Long Beach, Calif.
• Stood on the stage at Red Rocks in Denver, Colorado (not under a blood read sky)
• Enjoyed ribs on Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee
• Visited Graceland
• Watched a basketball game in an ice arena in Orono, Maine
• Flew on a charter jet to Grand Forks, North Dakota
• Kept score at the history Memorial Auditorium in Kansas City
• Watched the Bellagio Fountains in Las Vegas
• Traveled on a bus 12 hours through the Arizona dessert
• Said a prayer outside the Memorial in Oklahoma City 
• Saw the Mexican boarder in El Paso, Texas
• Scored a volleyball game at Gonzaga
• Walked the golf course in Savannah, Georgia
• Drove through a blizzard on the Donner Pass in Truckee, Calif. on my way to Reno
• Put my toes in the icy water of Lake Tahoe, Calif.
• Made 18-straight free throws at Lawlor Events Center in Reno, Nevada
• Strolled State Street in Santa Barbara prior to a game at the Thunderdome
• Watched Wayne Gretzky play the 18^th at Sherwood Country Club
• Attended media day at UConn’s new football stadium
• Sat courtside Maryland’s new Comcast Center
• Made a three-pointer at the old MacArthur Court at the University of Oregon
• Walked the Washington Mall in the District of Columbia
• Got a media pass for the Big East Basketball Tournament at Madison Square Garden

Should be a good one

Bulldog Stadium on the Bryant University campus. 

I'm a basketball junkie. Always have, always will.  But there's something I've loved about the fall sports season, and mostly football. I've never played organized football growing up as basketball and baseball took my full attention.

But that's not to say I didn't enjoy playing football with my brother and the kids in the neighborhood.  Wearing old sweatpants, maybe a football jersey, clearing away the falling leaves to show the "end zone."  

It was a lot of fun, and football has always been a love of mine in many ways.  Working in college athletics has allowed me to be a part of many teams through working with individual players and coaches during the year and in the off season too. 

It's a Fumble: Anything Goes

Anything goes in the pile following a fumble. 

There aren't many things in sports quite as nasty as the fumble. It's such a violent sport these, regardless of the level. But it's hard to compare something like what goes on when the ball comes loose and it becomes up for grabs.

It's not quite like a loose ball on the basketball court where you might get a few floor burns, but on the gridiron, it looks like you may want to count the number of fingers on your hands to make sure they add up to 10.

Things can get pretty ugly down on the field. As a running back would attest, when you're running with the ball, anything goes.  The defense has its eyes on not just tackling you, but trying to strip the ball as well.

And if it comes out, it's on.

When that ball comes out, the players pounce. It's hard for a referee to see who in fact has recovered the ball. In fact, many brave officials wearing just their zebra shirts, will dive into the pile trying to identify who has the ball.

But its during that time that really nobody knows, that it can get ugly. Players bite, scratch, tug and maybe even punch amidst the dust and mud.  One player may have a firm grasp of the ball, but in the pile, another may wrestle it from him only for the referee, when finally sorting out the scrum, award that player with possession.

It comes down to who wants it the most.

And it can be nasty.

"... hey, I'm Jason."

It's a story that comes back to me once in a while, but might be one of the all-time greatest of just how small this world can be at times. It's a story that my dad still cannot believe. 

But it's true. 

The year was 1994 and I was returning to New England after spending a year interning at Cal Poly University in San Luis Obispo.  The flight was not direct so we made a quick stop in Cincinnati before heading up to Boston's Logan Airport.  

While on the second leg of the flight, I entered a pleasant conversation with the businessman seated next to me by the window to my left. Our conversation touched upon the usual reasons for our travels, and somehow found out we had a few things in common. 

Like myself, we had both graduated from the University of New Hampshire and shared a similar interest in Wildcat sports.  The conversation continued with where we had lived during our times at the University.  Of course, he was about 10 or so years ahead of my class, but it was just good plain conversation. 

But then it started to get really weird, yet very interesting. 

He mentioned that he and a few of his friends lived on Central Avenue in Dover, N.H.  At first I figured that this is possible seeing how the street is the main thoroughfare through town and leads directly to Durham where UNH is located. 

But having grown up on Central Ave as a boy (132 was the address), along with my younger brother Dana, I just thought I would ask if he remembered where. 

And this is where it really gets fun. 

He said, "If I remember right, it was 134 Central Avenue." 

"Wow, that is quite interesting as I grew up in a house at 132."

As you can guess, the conversation became quite fluid and fun, and even stranger. 

"If I remember right, when we were living there attending UNH, our neighbors next door had two little boys, and I'm not sure if I have it right, but they were fun kids and we really enjoyed interacting with them," said the man. 

"I'm pretty sure the names were Jason and Dana."

Without hesitation, and quickly blurted out with a shocked grin on my face:

"Hey, I'm Jason."

Talk about how small the world can be at times.  It was such a great visit and trying to look back at some memories as I was only in the first or second grade at the time while living on Central Ave., but I do remember the "college kids" next door.  

As does my dad who still, to this day, cannot believe it.  I mean, who would have thought back in 1978 that two decades later, we would once again meet up on a flight back to Boston. 

Wake me when the lockout ends ... or not

“We make a lot of money, but we spend a lot too.”

Out of touch: Patrick Ewing (right) provided the most ridiculous
quote in profesional sports history.

That was the gem provided by none other than resident bonehead Patrick Ewing back during the previous National Basketball Association labor dispute. Latrell Sprewell, owner of a three-year, $21 million contract tried to reason with the public with a similar beauty: “I have a family to feed,” when a lockout threatened the NBA season.

So here we are today with yet another dispute between the billionaire owners, and the millionaire players. The owners claim they lose millions of dollars each year ($300 million to be exact).  Officially, 22 out of 30 teams lost money (CNBC).

To counter that, the owners have asked the players to take a pay cut from their previous 57 percent of basketball related income, to a nice, clean, 50-50 split. Not to mention a $45 million salary cap (down from $58).

Well, that hasn’t really gone over too well for the players, as you can guess. And so here we sit today with the preseason and first two weeks of the season cancelled. Now there’s talk that the NBA season might resume by Christmas if both sides can come to some conclusion.

Well, in my opinion, you have a better chance of seeing Santa come down your chimney than you would seeing the much awaited L.A. Clippers – Oklahoma Thunder matchup that I know you have circled on your calendar.

What is strange is to see the lack of concern by most sports fans. I saw a quote that the country needed the NFL (the league went through their own lockout this summer before finally coming to an agreement), and really could care less about the NBA. This speaks volumes and is true.

The NFL is America’s Game. Bypassing Major League Baseball (quick, name the two teams that lost their respective league championship series).

The NBA. Well, the general population could care less about billionaires and millionaires fighting over money. Especially with today’s economic worries with families struggling to survive and their faith in Wall Street about on par with the Celtics’ offense at the end of each quarter.  Zero.

I do feel for those that are affected: the front office personal including a few of my former students, concession workers depending on actual games at arenas to make a living, parking attendants and the many others.

Think the NBA players care much.  They’re off in Europe already playing.

Just tap me on the shoulder when the season starts. I’ll be watching football.

Stella's ambush

Official sponsor of the U.S. Open?  Not quite.

There's a thing I've been reading about in my marketing class called Ambush Marketing.  Meaning exactly that.  Marketing products or services by a company to create and illusion that these products or services are associated with a specific event. 

This "association" is without the permission of the sport endeavor or its official partner(s).  The intent is to deceive the consumer into believing they are, in fact, affiliated in some way. 

But how would a savy consumer know whether this is true or not?  Well, one thing to look for is the official logo or trademark of an "event" that would relate the product or service to.  Perhaps one of the best examples occurred this past September when when the beer Stella Artois, the Belgian beer owned by Anheuser-Busch In, ran a series of banner advertisements all around the US Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y., site of the US Open Tennis Championships. 

Thoughts from a former Red Sox fan

Red Sox fans demand change!

I thought I would give it a few weeks, collect my thoughts, gather as much information as I can before being considered irrational. But enough is enough. I'm about ready to toss in the towel with being a dedicated Red Sox fan.

Being a native New Englander, that's not easy to do. The Red Sox were, and still are, a part of growing up in this area. There was nothing like the good 'ol days of spring training kicking off with the annual departure of the moving van from Yawkey Way in February. The hopes that this could be the year, and knowing in the end, it really wasn't going to be the year, but there was hope. 

Silicon Valley's Picasso

Steve Jobs: An Inspiration for Generations

The world lost a true innovator. The modern day Thomas Edison, Leonardo DaVinci, and even, his own admirer, Pablo Picasso.  The founder of Apple and the computer genius Steve Jobs passed away at the tender age of 56 today, after an eight-year battle with pancreatic cancer.

To put it simply, Jobs changed the world. What we take for granted today: laptop computing, portable iPod music players, tablet computers, and even the computer mouse, we owe to the legacy of Steve Jobs.

He took the computer experience, for everyone at all ages, and made it simple. From the stuffy, boxy, and heavy personal computer we once knew, he made Apple, not only user-friendly and simple to use, but most importantly, he made it cool too.

Time to Pronk? I don't think so.

India Point Park will never be the same.

You know, sometimes you think you may have seen everything there is to be seen. Life is full of bananas and people who act like bananas, but on this particular evening, I just wanted to stop and get a cup of coffee at the my favorite spot on Wickenden Street on my way home. 

It was, after all, a cool October evening and it was a fairly long day. Cruising through town, laughing to myself about how I must have missed the so-called, over-hyped Traffic Tsunami that never materialized with an event at the Dunkin Donuts Center, I thought I was in the clear. 

Boy was I wrong.  

Airplanes in October

The calendar may say it's fall, but recently it's been pretty hot and muggy around Providence, but that's okay, we know a winter is coming. So we welcome in the new month of October on this Saturday and waited out a little morning shower and headed down to the kids park at Wayland Square.

Liam loves this park as he and Cheryl frequent it quite often during the summer months. It's great because of the numerous toys and the safety of a fence around the perimeter, and not to mention a great sandbox with lots of Tonka toys to plow through the sand with.

On this particular afternoon, Liam came across a pretty cool airplane that someone kindly "donated" to the park for kids to play with. Minus the rather dangerous propeler blade, the plane was a bike and Liam loved taking it for a spin around the park.

I am sure the weather will start feeling more like fall, but despite the muggy and soggy feel, it sure beats the winter months.

JRS

Remembering a legend

I was a sophomore in high school when Jerome Lane of Pittsburgh drove the lane against Providence on Big Monday and shattered the backboard all over the place with a thunderous dunk.  A moment perfectly captured by Bill Rafferty's infamous "Send it in Jerome" during the broadcast.

That same year I fell in love with the Big East Conference. Growing up in New England in the 80's, it was my connection to big time athletics.  I loved Syracuse and Derrick Coleman, Sherman Douglas, The Pearl.  I loved St. John's and its stars Walter Berry, Willie Glass, and of course Chris Mullen.  I loved Georgetown with Michael Williams, Patrick Ewing and "Hoya Paranoia."

Villanova.  Boston College.  Seton Hall. Providence. Pitt.  And of course some upstart program in Storrs, Conn. under new coach named Jim Calhoun. 

Apple picking

It was a beautiful, fall Sunday afternoon. Sure the Patriots were playing just up the road in Foxboro, but it was a great day to get out of the house and travel up to Cumberland, RI to do a little apple picking with Liam.

The brisk air and bright sunshine would make anyone think of falling leaves, hot apple cider, and tossing the football around. But don't forget about apple picking.

After paying $10 for a bag, Liam went to work, filling up the bag with as many apples as he could find on the ground. Some weren't too bad, while others were best to be left alone. But the ones in the tree were especially fun to pick.

With Liam on my shoulders, he reached high and far and smiled from ear to ear when he finally got his hands on that bright, shiny, and very delicious, red apple safely in the bag.

Seeing how it is still early, and technically not officially fall just yet, I am sure we'll be making a return visit.

-JRS

Van Wickle gate, Brown University

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Picturesqe day on the bay

India Point, Providence


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Happy Wheels Final Skate

Happy Wheels "Roller Skate Newington" Final Skate on Sunday, July 31, 2011

Great time and brought back a lot of memories.

ZBar Wickenden Street

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Narragansett Vacation

Narragansett Lifeguard Chair at Sand Hill Cove

Enjoyed a wonderful week in Narragansett with my family in early July. Liam loved the sand and building sand castles.  It was a great time and look forward to returning again.

Our 'ol Buddy House

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Concert under the Elms

John Brown House, Providence


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Thayer St on a summer night

Providence


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WBRU 95.5

Benevolent St.


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The Edge

Wayland Square, Providence


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Tattoo you

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George Cohan #Wickenden Street

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Foggy morning on the bay

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East Side Original

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Wickenden Pub

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George St through the mist

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Thayer Street on a summer night

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Newport Harbor at sunset

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Vibrant Governor and East George

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Storm in the distance

Traverse and Wickenden


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Quiet Street

Sunrise

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Benevolent Street

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United BBQ on Ives Street

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Castle on Cooke

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City at nightfall

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Williams and Benefit at dusk

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Sunset on Sheldon Street

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Vertigo

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Serene morning on the bay

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Apple blossoms on Brook

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Williams Sunrise

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Trees on Williams

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Wickenden Street morning of 2010 snowstorm in December

Oh how we quickly forget. 

With today's temperatures reaching the high 70's, there's no doubt that spring has finally reached the East Side of Providence.  Though it did take awhile as just the week prior, the temps were in the low 30's and of course cold wind and rain seemed constant.  This photo was taken on the morning of December 27, 2010 on my way back from picking up a couple of cups of hot coffee from the Coffee Exchange. This is looking up Wickenden with the Z Bar on the left. 

Lower Thayer Street in bloom ....

Early spring morning on Thayer Street between John and Arnold

Foggy start to the day ...