I'll take North Carolina over Kansas. Too much power.
And UCLA over Memphis. Too consistent.
With NC as national champion.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Shut Out Already?
We had a great day for baseball at Comerica Park. Tigers vs KC Royals for an afternoon game. Cloudless skies, temps in the low 50s, not even a breeze. Cap and gloves came off when we took our seats.
Smiths went with us and we had lunch at Leo's Coney Island at the ball park (our first choice, Cheli's Bar, had a 45 minute wait 50 minutes before game time).
Seats were behind the visitors dugout, about 20 rows up, and we stayed warm in the sunshine until the ninth inning when the shadows of the upper deck finally covered us.
Kenny Rogers started for the Tigers and pitched quite well. As did relievers. They gave up four runs. But the well-paid offense produced nothing. Three hits--all by Edgar Renteria who was eliminated twice by ground ball double plays. So Royals pitchers faced on one batter more than the minimum--great pitching.
But it's always a treat for us to see the Tigers play in person.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
We Can't See You
We had a great time at the Midwest Regional games at Ford Field. Fairly close to the floor we have fairly good views of most of the play. But it could have been better.
The basketball floor was placed in the center of the stadium rather than in an endzone, a first of its kind. It was also raised about 20 inches above the stadium floor. Risers were built from about the 12th row of the permanent seating to near the floor along the sidelines; some permanent seats were removed to permit the risers. This provided over thirty rows from the floor to the stands on the risers. (Risers were also built from the basketball floor endlines into the endzones--not sure how those seats were distributed nor how much was charges for them, but they could not have permitted a decent view.) In addition to the spectator seats there were the obligatory many rows of tables for media and others along the sidelines.
Our view was from the 23rd row of the risers in a section roughly along a line from the center of he court through the corner of the court.We were fairly close to the court but were obstructed by those seated in front of us from a clear view of the entire court and of the full length of the players. In addition, during parts of Friday's games and during all of Sunday's game students in the adjacent section closer to midcourt than we were and in the first several rows stood so we would stand to see part of the play. That may not have been bad except the rise from row to row was about 6 inches (so many rows were placed in a rise of so few feet) and spectators in front of me more than made up for my extra elevation with their extra height.
The NCAA can boast that record crowds for playoff games were set both days, 53000 and 53500. But how can one spectate from the upper level endzone seats? Or the suites which are set along the outside walls of the stadium. And yet I read the NCAA will keep the same configuration for the 2009 NCAA Final Four at Ford Field except for some tweaking. I suppose this is more evidence (do we need more?) of NCAA greed.
I think Kathy and I can summarize our feelings about the seating. We talked about the conditions and asked each other two questions.
Q1. Are you glad we came and did you have a good time?
A1. Yes, definitely.
Q2. If you could have the same seats for the same price for the 2009 Final Four, would you buy them?
A2. No (even though we would love to see a Final Four).
A Weekend in the D...
for the NCAA Division I Midwest Regional and a DSO Pops Series Concert.
Friday afternoon we drove downtown to the Courtyard hotel on Jefferson at Brush, about 15 minute walk to Ford Field. We dropped the car with the valet and checked in where we were upgraded to a junior suite--bigger room including sofa, this one with a view of the Detroit River and Windsor. Fourteenth floor (but that would change--more on that below). During the weekend we saw several freighters both upbound and downbound, and broken ice--several miles long-- flowing from Lake Saint Clair to Lake Erie.
Left for the 7:10 game between Wisconsin and Davidson. Met a few UW fans in hotel elevator who were surprised we would be pulling for Wisconsin--they seemed very parochial, that only they from Wisconsin would be rooting for THEIR team. But they may not be typical. We eventually went back on our word and became Davidson fans. Tied at the half we wondered if either team would shoot well. Davidson owned the second half. Baby-faced sophomore Stephen Curry took over and shot the Wildcats to a double-digit victory with a great individual performance (later he was named Most Outstanding Player of the regional). Wondering why he was playing at DC, Kathy found out he was only 5'7" as a hs junior and the "big" schools would not touch him. I think it works in his favor that he got to such a selective school. The next morning UW fans at our hotel were like rats leaving a sinking ship. A quiet, somber mood among them.
After breakfast Saturday morning we drove up East Jefferson to Pewabic Pottery to see their store. A building in front of the store is being demolished drawing interested people to take pictures. We should have had breathing masks because of the dust. Interesting store with many fine pieces by a number of different artists. A huge kiln and racks of pottery being readied for firing were found behind the retail space. I saw many pieces that I wanted but the price kept the plastic in my wallet. Then drove through Grosse Pointes and back downtown to look for geocaches. Had many options and chose one at Mariner's Church and another at the Renaissance Center--found neither; will do more research so we can grab them later. Dinner at Fishbone's Rhythm Kitchen on the edge of Greektown, followed by a walk back to the hotel to dress for the DSO concert. A great concert featuring six singers belting out songs of the sixties accompanied by the DSO.
Let's get a good night's sleep. And we did, until 4 am when the smoke detector began chirping like it wanted a fresh battery and then went full blast like I was back at school! Called the front desk and was told, "Just remove the battery." I don't think so. "You should send someone up here soon!" was my reply. And a rent-a-cop showed up without a clue as to what to do. He called the front desk and, I suspect from hearing his responses, was told the same thing. Eventually, after we spent about a half hour in the hall protecting our ears from the noise, we were told our room would be changed to the twelfth floor. We packed it all up and, dressed in our finest robe and pj's, lumbered off to our new room led by one of the late night parking valets!!! Finally, back to bed.
After rising later than we planned and dressing for the day, we checked out and were given some accommodation for our inconvenience. Breakfast in Dearborn? Why not. Found a good family restaurant, Leon's, near one of our favorite burger shops, Miller's Bar. We were hoping for a good IMAX movie but nothing that interested us was playing at either the Henry Ford Museum or the Detroit Science Center. So let's just bum around Fairlane Shopping Center. Back to Ford Field where we found a parking spot where we normally park (could have used the hotel parking but thought we would get away from the stadium easier). Went into the stadium for the pregame color. And what a game! The best of the three. Close the entire game though I thought Kansas would begin to pull away from Davidson midway through the second half. But Davidson would not go away and could have won on a last second three-pointer had Kansas not played such tough defense that final 16 seconds. And, again, the star of the game was Stephen Curry. We look forward to seeing him next year.
Stopped by Pat Morrow's on the way home to pick up Tiger tickets we are buying through her son, Brian, for Wednesday's game. Let's get home and get some sleep--without a smoke alarm failure.
Friday afternoon we drove downtown to the Courtyard hotel on Jefferson at Brush, about 15 minute walk to Ford Field. We dropped the car with the valet and checked in where we were upgraded to a junior suite--bigger room including sofa, this one with a view of the Detroit River and Windsor. Fourteenth floor (but that would change--more on that below). During the weekend we saw several freighters both upbound and downbound, and broken ice--several miles long-- flowing from Lake Saint Clair to Lake Erie.
Left for the 7:10 game between Wisconsin and Davidson. Met a few UW fans in hotel elevator who were surprised we would be pulling for Wisconsin--they seemed very parochial, that only they from Wisconsin would be rooting for THEIR team. But they may not be typical. We eventually went back on our word and became Davidson fans. Tied at the half we wondered if either team would shoot well. Davidson owned the second half. Baby-faced sophomore Stephen Curry took over and shot the Wildcats to a double-digit victory with a great individual performance (later he was named Most Outstanding Player of the regional). Wondering why he was playing at DC, Kathy found out he was only 5'7" as a hs junior and the "big" schools would not touch him. I think it works in his favor that he got to such a selective school. The next morning UW fans at our hotel were like rats leaving a sinking ship. A quiet, somber mood among them.
After breakfast Saturday morning we drove up East Jefferson to Pewabic Pottery to see their store. A building in front of the store is being demolished drawing interested people to take pictures. We should have had breathing masks because of the dust. Interesting store with many fine pieces by a number of different artists. A huge kiln and racks of pottery being readied for firing were found behind the retail space. I saw many pieces that I wanted but the price kept the plastic in my wallet. Then drove through Grosse Pointes and back downtown to look for geocaches. Had many options and chose one at Mariner's Church and another at the Renaissance Center--found neither; will do more research so we can grab them later. Dinner at Fishbone's Rhythm Kitchen on the edge of Greektown, followed by a walk back to the hotel to dress for the DSO concert. A great concert featuring six singers belting out songs of the sixties accompanied by the DSO.
Let's get a good night's sleep. And we did, until 4 am when the smoke detector began chirping like it wanted a fresh battery and then went full blast like I was back at school! Called the front desk and was told, "Just remove the battery." I don't think so. "You should send someone up here soon!" was my reply. And a rent-a-cop showed up without a clue as to what to do. He called the front desk and, I suspect from hearing his responses, was told the same thing. Eventually, after we spent about a half hour in the hall protecting our ears from the noise, we were told our room would be changed to the twelfth floor. We packed it all up and, dressed in our finest robe and pj's, lumbered off to our new room led by one of the late night parking valets!!! Finally, back to bed.
After rising later than we planned and dressing for the day, we checked out and were given some accommodation for our inconvenience. Breakfast in Dearborn? Why not. Found a good family restaurant, Leon's, near one of our favorite burger shops, Miller's Bar. We were hoping for a good IMAX movie but nothing that interested us was playing at either the Henry Ford Museum or the Detroit Science Center. So let's just bum around Fairlane Shopping Center. Back to Ford Field where we found a parking spot where we normally park (could have used the hotel parking but thought we would get away from the stadium easier). Went into the stadium for the pregame color. And what a game! The best of the three. Close the entire game though I thought Kansas would begin to pull away from Davidson midway through the second half. But Davidson would not go away and could have won on a last second three-pointer had Kansas not played such tough defense that final 16 seconds. And, again, the star of the game was Stephen Curry. We look forward to seeing him next year.
Stopped by Pat Morrow's on the way home to pick up Tiger tickets we are buying through her son, Brian, for Wednesday's game. Let's get home and get some sleep--without a smoke alarm failure.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Thursday, March 20, 2008
My Picks...
For the sweet sixteen.
East: North Carolina, Washington State, Louisville, Tennessee
Midwest: Kansas, Vanderbilt, Southern Cal, Georgetown (Kathy and I will be there)
South: Memphis, Michigan State, Marquette, Texas
West: UCLA, Drake, Purdue, Duke
Next week, I'll give my final four.
East: North Carolina, Washington State, Louisville, Tennessee
Midwest: Kansas, Vanderbilt, Southern Cal, Georgetown (Kathy and I will be there)
South: Memphis, Michigan State, Marquette, Texas
West: UCLA, Drake, Purdue, Duke
Next week, I'll give my final four.
Desert Southwest Basketball Trip
On Wednesday, March 12, Bade, Dupuis, and I arrived in El Paso to bright, sunny skies and temperatures in the 60s. We had lunch at a local Mexican restaurant with Gerry McCool who graduated from Stevenson HS in late 70s. Gerry played basketball at Central Michigan, went to Chicago to podiatry school, and eventually bought the second office from his original partner in El Paso. After checking in to the hotel we took a ride along the Transmountain Road that crosses a mountain on the edge of El Paso, seeing beautiful desert mountain scenery. Later we visited UTEP to see the Sun Bowl and Don Haskins Arena--beautiful setting cut into the mountains.
It's a small world. I was making small talk with another guest in the hotel elevator. Eventually he asked me if my name is Jim. Well, yes, then if my last name is Reagan. He is Bob Langham who Brenda knows very well in the business world and was in El Paso on business.
Jeff McCool drove in from Hobbs, New Mexico to join us for the week.
Thursday we drove up to Las Cruces, NM to New Mexico State University for four quarterfinal games of the Western Athletic Conference men's basketball tournament. Winners followed the seedings. Attendance was light except for the last game of the day when host NMSU beat Idaho (located in Moscow where Joey lived). This is where Jeff played his college basketball. We met up with Dean Carmichael for dinner and the second session; Dean is a former student at Jeff's junior college who Jeff mentored mentored and now teaches in Las Cruces.
The next day we drove up to Albuquerque. Mountains on either side and desert as far as the eye could see. Four hours and nothing but desert. Actually we went through Albuquerque to Sante Fe and after seeing the state capitol had lunch on the square (plaza) and then drove back to Albuquerque. That evening we attended a college baseball game at Isotopes Park, the home of Albuquerque's AAA baseball team, between U of New Mexico and UNLV. Glad I took a jacket since the temperature dropped about 10 degrees in the hour after the sun set. Later, Mark Golda, who taught at SHS with us twelve years ago before returning to Albuquerque, joined us at the hotel for war stories and a nickel-dime poker game.
Saturday morning found us at the first of eight high school basketball final games, both boys and girls, played at the Pit, UNM's famous basketball arena. Jeff and Jim stayed for all eight games, but Ken and I took our breaks from the action. After the last game ended (Jeff's Hobbs team beat Clovis for the 5A championship) we went to get a bite to eat. And in this college and hotel area most restaurants were closed, including Fuddruckers and Burger King--amazing. Not yet ready for bed we took a ten minute drive to Sandia Casino where I lost playing video poker -- get this Brenda -- one whole dollar. Here's an industry that is flourishing! New casino, new hotel in the middle of the desert.
Sunday we drove back to El Paso through a sandstorm. Driving winds kept us from relaxing at the wheel. When we took our pit stop we got sand in our eyes and mouths. We got back early enough so Jeff could have a lot of daylight for his return trip to Hobbs. Watched a bit of the NCAA tourney selection show, then had dinner where Brenda recommended, Dominic's. Great food and ambiance. I now know why she likes this place.
Great weather through the whole trip except for the winds--sunny, temperatures from 40s to 70s, We returned Monday to 30s and snow still on the ground in Romeo.
It's a small world. I was making small talk with another guest in the hotel elevator. Eventually he asked me if my name is Jim. Well, yes, then if my last name is Reagan. He is Bob Langham who Brenda knows very well in the business world and was in El Paso on business.
Jeff McCool drove in from Hobbs, New Mexico to join us for the week.
Thursday we drove up to Las Cruces, NM to New Mexico State University for four quarterfinal games of the Western Athletic Conference men's basketball tournament. Winners followed the seedings. Attendance was light except for the last game of the day when host NMSU beat Idaho (located in Moscow where Joey lived). This is where Jeff played his college basketball. We met up with Dean Carmichael for dinner and the second session; Dean is a former student at Jeff's junior college who Jeff mentored mentored and now teaches in Las Cruces.
The next day we drove up to Albuquerque. Mountains on either side and desert as far as the eye could see. Four hours and nothing but desert. Actually we went through Albuquerque to Sante Fe and after seeing the state capitol had lunch on the square (plaza) and then drove back to Albuquerque. That evening we attended a college baseball game at Isotopes Park, the home of Albuquerque's AAA baseball team, between U of New Mexico and UNLV. Glad I took a jacket since the temperature dropped about 10 degrees in the hour after the sun set. Later, Mark Golda, who taught at SHS with us twelve years ago before returning to Albuquerque, joined us at the hotel for war stories and a nickel-dime poker game.
Saturday morning found us at the first of eight high school basketball final games, both boys and girls, played at the Pit, UNM's famous basketball arena. Jeff and Jim stayed for all eight games, but Ken and I took our breaks from the action. After the last game ended (Jeff's Hobbs team beat Clovis for the 5A championship) we went to get a bite to eat. And in this college and hotel area most restaurants were closed, including Fuddruckers and Burger King--amazing. Not yet ready for bed we took a ten minute drive to Sandia Casino where I lost playing video poker -- get this Brenda -- one whole dollar. Here's an industry that is flourishing! New casino, new hotel in the middle of the desert.
Sunday we drove back to El Paso through a sandstorm. Driving winds kept us from relaxing at the wheel. When we took our pit stop we got sand in our eyes and mouths. We got back early enough so Jeff could have a lot of daylight for his return trip to Hobbs. Watched a bit of the NCAA tourney selection show, then had dinner where Brenda recommended, Dominic's. Great food and ambiance. I now know why she likes this place.
Great weather through the whole trip except for the winds--sunny, temperatures from 40s to 70s, We returned Monday to 30s and snow still on the ground in Romeo.
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