I'm So Sorry, It Was In The Heat of the Moment...

First off, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!  Hopefully I can carve out some time in my busy schedule in 2013 to put fingers to keyboard and sound off on the latest happenings of the sports world.  What you won't catch me doing is saying something, only to turn around 24 hours later and apologize because I wasn't thinking clearly, or that I was caught up in the moment.  That seems to be becoming the norm for any professional athlete (or their significant others) who have the need to hit the Send button before thinking about what they're about to say.  
There were two instances of that this weekend alone- Phil "I almost bought the Padres" Mickleson and Anna Burns "My hubby drops everything" Welker.  Mickelson was so worried about his money that he told the media on Monday that there would be "drastic changes" coming soon, only to then turn around and come back to the media Tuesday with his tail between his legs, regretting he opened his mouth in the first place.  What I can't understand is why pro athletes don't give complete thought to what they're saying to the media before they decide to spew the first thing that comes to mind when the cameras or recorders are jammed in their faces.  Then there's this gem by Mrs. Welker:

(courtesy of USAToday.com)

Now everyone is entitled to their own opinion about Ray Lewis's past, but to be a poor sport about it, not too long after her husband's team was eliminated by Lewis's Ravens, is just plain wrong.  But wait- look what happened no more than 24 hours later... she apologized in a statement to Larry Brown Sports.  I'm 100% positive that she shocked NO ONE by turning around the next day and owning up for a poor decision.

Those of you who tune into ESPN regularly have heard Herm Edwards utter the three most important words in this age of social media- DON'T HIT SEND!!  Many athletes have gotten themselves in trouble because there was very little thought put into how followers would react to their 140 or so characters of "brilliance" on a computer screen.  If athletes (and their spouses) only heeded Coach Edwards's advice, they wouldn't have to keep pulling their feet out of their collective mouths to make an apology.  Until then, we'll just have to count down until the next one decides to hit that Send button and launch themselves into the 24-hour news cycle.

Until next time...

The Olympic Spirit (I think)

So the Olympics have been going for just about a week now, and I can honestly say that I have thoroughly enjoyed the broadcasts, practically watching them all day every day. Between reading my Twitter timeline (@VBallCoachDoug for you tweeters) and my Facebook feed, I kept seeing everyone whining and complaining about how NBC aired events on tape delay and that results were already posted before the broadcasts even started. Honestly, I don't care that I see the results online before the broadcast because that's all they are- RESULTS. I am one of those people who enjoys seeing everything (well, mostly everything) unfold even if I already know what the results are. Last I checked, the previous two Summer Olympics were broadcast on tape delay and I don't recall hearing a peep from anyone. I even remember watching SportsCenter and the anchors warning us to change the channel if we didn't want to know the results. It didn't faze me one bit then, and it doesn't faze me one bit now. So, for all you whiners and complainers, if you can't appreciate viewing how events unfold, stick to the slow live online feed and I'll continue to enjoy the tape delay in my living room. Then there's Hope Solo. The goalie for the U.S. women's soccer team seems to have been outspoken from the second she left the womb. I remember her criticizing her teammate (and fellow goalie) Brianna Scurry years ago and being reprimanded by her coach. Back then she was on the lower end of the totem pole, so you know that didn't sit well with the veterans. Then, after Brandi Chastain, a former player known for her game-winning penalty kick in the '99 Women's World Cup and current analyst for NBC, criticized one of Solo's teammates last week, Solo took to Twitter to voice her displeasure for Chastain's comments. I'm sure I speak for a lot of people on this side of the pond when I say PUT A SOCK IN IT, SOLO!! I know everyone is entitled to their opinion, and I'm not faulting her for speaking her mind. However, if I'm chosen to represent my country at the Olympics, you better believe I'm going to devote all of my energy and focus into competing at the highest level to give my team a chance at a gold medal, NOT complain on Twitter about an analyst's comments. I have even more respect for Chastain for deciding to move on from Solo's digital outburst and not igniting a war of words. If I were Solo's teammate, I'd sit her down and remind her of the reason why she's in London in the first place- and it's not to get busy in the Olympic Village after hours. Enjoy the London Games everyone!! Until next time...

Sports Guy... The Relaunch Part II

So yeah, I blogged about a year and a half ago that I would be chronicling our family's journey to welcoming our twin boys into the world. Sadly, they were only with us a very short while and I've been doing my best to move our family forward ever since. This post isn't about our collective grief- we do miss them tremendously- it's about getting back to what inspired me to start blogging in the first place- SPORTS. Back when I was a student at Endicott College, I was an assistant editor for the school newspaper, The Endicott Observer, and that position morphed into me becoming sports editor. The new title inspired an editorial I called "The Sports Guy Speaks." I offered my take on everything around the world of sports, not caring how anyone felt about my opinion whatsoever. Ten years later, now with a 6-year-old busybody, I haven't been able to put in the time I felt I needed to get my opinion across. Being a teacher and a coach, along with it being my summer break, allows me to get back to blogging. With that being said, the Sports Guy speaks... again!! My inspiration for today's post came from a Facebook post from ESPN, who mentioned that Kobe Bryant felt that the '12 USA men's basketball team going to London in a couple weeks could beat the original Dream Team that blasted through Barcelona back in '92. Ummm, Kobe... REALLY?? You mean to tell me that this generation of "Big Three" wannabes could run circles around MJ, Magic, Larry, and their cast of Hall of Famers (Laettner excluded)?? Maybe you should be reminded of the fact that if they beat a team by 30 points or LESS, it was an off night!! There was better competition during their intrasquad scrimmages than there was during the entire Olympic tournament. Their opponents were more in awe of the fact that they were playing against legends, so they knew walking into the arena that they were gonna get blasted, and without mercy at that. My friend, you might want to take a closer look at your squad and reconsider that statement. No matter how many more NBA players are assembled to represent the USA at the Olympics, there will NEVER, EVER be another cast of superstars ever put together like the Dream Team. You had guys like Karl Malone, John Stockton, and Clyde Drexler coming off the bench!! Need a 3-pointer?? Chris Mullin could handle that if Bird wasn't on the floor. Need a huge rebound?? Patrick Ewing or the Chuckwagon at your service. These guys going across the pond couldn't hold a candle to that crew. If you couldn't figure it out, I may only be 32, but I'm old school. I grew up with the Dream Team. I don't care what anyone says about this latest group visiting Big Ben and the Queen. You can choose any squad you want from this generation, and I'm throwing the Dream Team on the table EVERY SINGLE TIME. So, Kobe, next time you make such a ridiculous statement, be careful what you say. I guarantee you that today's international squads are licking their chops to do nothing more than to take you guys out, and not lose any sleep doing it. Until next time...

Rising Again...

So it's been 18 months since I last posted here, and the word SLACKER doesn't even begin to describe my efforts to keep this blog updated. As 2010 came to a close, I thought about doing what I called "reactivating" my blog because we're entering a new year and it was time to rededicate myself to putting my thoughts and feelings in cyberspace. I sit here now, watching episodes of Card Sharks on GSN (the Bob Eubanks era by the way), beginning my "reactivation" when I should probably be sleeping. Eh, I still have another day or two to get my sleep pattern back into "grind" mode, so who cares, right??

The year 2011 has many changes coming for me. The biggest change won't happen until sometime in the spring, when I go from being a father of one to a father of three (Note: I will definitely post the sexes of our twins when we find out later this month.). When I found out we were having twins back in October, I called my mom, having not fully grasped the concept that I would a father of multiples. Before I continue, let me give you some backstory. When I was in high school, maybe 16 or 17 years old, I hatched this master plan that would take me through college and into my early 30s. I sat down at the kitchen table with my mom and proudly told her the following:
1) Graduate college at 22
2) Get married at 25
3) Have 3 kids: 1st at 27, 2nd at 29, 3rd at 31
I accomplished the first one on time, graduating from Endicott College in 2002. I also accomplished the second one on time too, albeit very uniquely. The third one- well, let's just say I accomplished it, just not on the terms that I set in 1996 or 1997. Ethan joined us when I was 25, and I will be 31 when the twins join us this spring.

Now back to that phone call. Mom had no idea (so I thought) that we were having twins because she was the only immediate family member I hadn't called that day, since she was flying home to Orlando from Kenya. Here's the conversation in a nutshell:
Me: Hi Mom.
Mom: Hi Patrick!
Me: Are you sitting down?
Mom: Yeah, I'm sitting down.
Me: Good, because I've got some news for you.
Mom: You're having twins.
Me: HOW DID YOU KNOW? I TOLD STEPHIE NOT TO TELL YOU!
Mom: Patrick, I've only been on the ground for four hours- Stephie didn't tell me anything. I just kinda knew.
Me (in total disappointment): Geez Mom, way to steal my thunder!
Mom (trying to be consoling and reassuring): I'm sorry, Patrick. Moms just kinda have that sixth sense that their kids will never understand.

Needless to say she was still excited that she was going to be a Nana for three now. After my disbelief, I reminded her of the conversation we had back in '96 or '97, adding that I knew I wanted three kids, but didn't think I would end up going the 2-for-1 route to round out the crew. At that point she reminded me that the Lord hears everything we speak, so He wanted to bless us twofold.

I'm going to have my hands full soon, between getting to know the twins and keeping Ethan's routine as normal as possible while becoming an awesome big brother. But throughout this next stage in my life's journey, I know that I'll have a strong support system of friends and family to keep me as calm and collected as I can be through the onslaught of changes that will hit me within the next few months. I hope those of you that take the time to check out my blog will join me in sharing my life experiences this year and beyond. While I may be off to rest and recharge for the year ahead, the title I chose for this post symbolizes my "reactivation," like the phoenix rising from the ashes. I, the Sports Guy, will too rise again.

Until next time...

The End Is Near

Being a teacher, I've sensed that the end of the school year was near right after Memorial Day. This should be nothing new to any teacher because that's when everything slowly starts wrapping up. Being a grad school student, we reached the last day of our latest course, EDT 532. Outside of the pizza party that capped off the 9-day intensive course, the highlight was publishing my podcast "On The Sidelines" that I did with my classmate John Gormley. Given it wasn't exactly the full podcast that we edited yesterday, but it was still sufficient enough to publish on my new podcast site: http://patdouglas.podbean.com. Now that I have my own podcast site, I'm excited that I'll be able to produce and publish podcasts about sports and for my students. If you get a free moment, please take the time to listen to our "premiere" episode. Also, I've been revamped my 10-year-old website as part of the course as well, so feel free to check out the amazing changes I've made and leave me some feedback: http://www.geocities.com/pdbraves2080. Tonight's a short blog because tomorrow's a long day, so I'll try to post another one soon. Until next time...

Hooked In...

So I've spent the better part of my day watching the Women's College World Series (which I've been hooked on for years), but I also spent it in anticipation of the phenomenon known as Kimbo Slice fighting in prime time on CBS.  Little did I know that I would be in for a treat in the four fights leading up to the main event.  To think, game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final was on tonight too, and I barely watched it because this MMA show completely hooked me in.  It also helped that Crush from American Gladiators was fighting tonight and ended up blasting her opponent.  As I type this blog, I just watched Kimbo come from the agony of defeat to win by TKO in the final round.  He has that Mike Tyson-type ability to capture an audience without the sideshow antics, not to mention he could knock you out cold just by looking at you (this dude is BIG!!).  Anyway, if you didn't watch any of the fights tonight, I recommend checking out Youtube (I'm sure there'll be clips on there within the next 24 hours) to see for yourself.  Until next time...

What I Want To Know...

So I'm taking my EDT532 course for grad school and was asked to start posting a blog during our course. Yesterday's entry was to respond to the following questions: "What do you already know?" and "What do you want to learn in this course?" Two very simple questions, but me being the supreme procrastinator that I am, completely forgot until I was on my way to class this afternoon. So, without further ado, here we go...
Question #1: What do you already know?
Well I've had my own website on Yahoo since I was a freshman at Endicott College in '98, but I've also been using Microsoft Front Page as my webpage editor in the ten years that I've had the site. As a teacher, I wasn't using the Internet for more that just research for my technology classes, but when I was given the title of Technology Resource Coordinator (read: Internet NERD), I began researching for more than just my class. Just last school year ('06-'07) I was intrigued by a Class Homepage Builder provided by Scholastic.com, so I began posting assignments and various websites for my students to my newly-created Scholastic homepage. Now, whenever they come into the computer lab, unless I send them to other sites, I usually have them log immediately into my Scholastic homepage and direct them to specific websites from there. I've also learned how to create podcasts using Audacity, as well as various projects using Adobe Photoshop and Flash. All three programs have allowed me to be creative in utilizing educational materials to benefit my students and others.
Question #2: What do you want to learn in this course?
Since part of its focus deals with creating websites, I would like to learn how to create one using Adobe Dreamweaver, as well as explore other possibilities for hosting my website. I really don't want to move it away from Yahoo if I can avoid it, but if there's another place that offers me more for less, I'll definitely take a peek at it at the least. I also would like to learn how to publish my podcasts to a site for others to download and listen to, which could hopefully lead to my students downloading specific lessons to do on their own.
I guess that just about answers both questions, but we'll see just how much I find out in these nine class sessions. Until next time...