What's Happening to my Teams?

The Cavs have gone from being the first-half darling of the NBA's Eastern Conference to within one game of missing the playoffs. They have an interim coach, are in a funk, and have the toughest remaining schedule of the three teams in contention for the final two spots (the other two teams are Philadelphia and New Jersey). Many people were excited when new owner Dan Gilbert purchased the team, because he promised to keep LeBron in Cleveland and infuse money into the organization. So far, he's only muddled things up, by firing his reputable head coach, getting ready to fire his GM, and impacting lineup and game management decisions (supposedly). Yeah, I'm real excited about his arrival.

The Tribe is off to their typical slow start. They're under .500, and getting handled by their main competition in the AL Central. If they dig too deep of a hole, it will be tough to climb out against the likes of Minnesota, Chicago, and much-improved Detroit. The good news is that the bats look like they're starting to come out of the doldrums, and with CC Sabathia coming back this weekend, they might start to play more consistently.

I shouldn't be surprised. I've been a Cleveland fan all of my life, and rarely do my teams experience success. I guess I should be used to it. Statistical probability would suggest that at least some point Cleveland should win a Championship of any kind, right?

At least my Crew are off to a 2-1 start. They played a spirited match against defending champion D.C. United last night and held off Freddy Adu and the boys 1-nil. Usually, the Crew play sloppily, and end up with a decent result because of brute force or sheer will. Last night, I think they looked as skillful as I've seen them in the last two seasons. I had to crack a smile when Frankie Hejduk, our resident hothead defender (but I love his pace and his style of play) got all over Adu for flopping at midfield. Evidently, Freddy's learning the fine art of faking fouls (to be fair, the Crew's Kyle Martino has a knack for that, too - every squad has at least one person that "flops").

It Caught Me

After dodging the flu bug successfully for a month from my wife (once), my son (twice - once was bronchitis), and my daughter (twice), it finally got me today. My throat's on fire, and I alternate from chilled to burning up in cycle with the ibuprofen I'm taking. Plus, my body just aches... At least I can still eat. My kids had problems keeping food down the first couple of days. There's always a "silver lining!" :-)

I did get to catch up on the Project Greenlight shows that I "DVR'd" while on vacation. I can't understand why that show isn't more popular. I love watching how movies are made, and I love watching someone potentially get their "big break." Too bad the movies themselves haven't been so hot, although I thought The Battle of Shaker Heights was a decent flick. This time, they're shooting a horror flick called Feast, on a very limited budget. I think they'll have to take the approach that some things are scarier unseen, like the old Hitchcock movies, or films like The Blair Witch Project. If they don't have at least a measure of commercial success, I fear Project Greenlight will go away, which is a shame.

It's Been Awhile

Wow, it's been awhile since I've posted... In the last 30 days, I've had a group of 19 new-hires that I've been supervising, and I've been putting together the youth soccer league for this season. With 22 teams, 16 mini-academy players, and over 30% growth from last season, organizing teams, getting coaches, ordering jerseys, making the schedule, getting referees, etc. has kept me pretty busy in the evenings. Plus, we just got back from an much-needed 11 day junket to Walt Disney World on Monday! The season kicks off on Saturday, so hopefully, things will settle down a bit. I'm coaching two soccer teams, plus helping coach my son's and my daughter's baseball/softball-teeball teams. My wife is still tutoring, and doing Scouts for both. Whew, we are too busy!

Disney was a blast. I highly recommend that as a vacation destination for anyone; but especially for families with kids under 12. Don't misunderstand me, Disney is great for kids and adults alike, but it's even more magical for the younger kids. I didn't go for the first time until I was 19. If we could afford it, I'd go back every year. It's not so much about the rides or other attractions, but the level of thought, detail, and imagination that's put into EVERYTHING that's so amazing. I find it inspiring. Had I gone as a child, I truly believe I might've taken my life a different direction, career-wise.

Anyway, I digress. I hope to once again start posting some regular updates. My son's first travel team game is this Sunday, so if he does well, I'll certainly have some bragging material (he scored 6 goals in practice the other night)! It's all in the genes (or is that jeans?!), you know! Seriously, I enjoy writing about my opinions and my "life experiences," and with two wonderful and talented kids, two good jobs, and a myriad of hobbies, I think I can find stuff to write about...