Bisons Basketball Travel Log
On the road with "The Voice of the Bisons" Jonathan Seamon
Throughout the 2008-2009 basketball season Jonathan Seamon will be keeping a blog of his travels with the men’s basketball team. Jonathan has served as the radio announcer for the Bisons since his first days on the Lipscomb campus in 1973. After graduating in 1977, Jonathan returned to the Lipscomb campus in 1979 working as Director of Sports Information and Public Information. In 1987, Jonathan was appointed Assistant Athletic Director before becoming Assistant Vice President for Athletic Administration in 1989. In 1991, Jonathan assumed the daily operations of the Lipscomb Athletic Department, being named Director of Athletics, a position he would serve in until his retirement in 2000. In 2000 Jonathan was honored by the NAIA by being inducted into the NAIA National Hall of Fame. Since leaving Lipscomb Jonathan has served as the Family Life Minister at Brentwood Hills Church of Christ. He was inducted into the Lipscomb Athletics Hall of Fame in 2002.
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2009 - 9:25 A.M. - KENNESAW, GEORGIA
Last week was President’s Day…but today is really George Washington’s birthday!
I was up at about 7:30 this morning…usually at home I am up around 6 am on Sunday…since I have to be at BHCC before our 8 am service begins. So with the time change…I was really up at 6:30….and my internal clock woke me up about an hour before…but it was nice to roll over an get another little nap!
A light breakfast…about 8:30 this morning…Coach had asked me lead the devotional/communion service scheduled for 8:45 AM. Rob Murphy’s parents joined us for the devotional…and Grant Sanderson (coach’s youngest boy) led a song while Clint Sanderson had our opening prayer.
I shared some thoughts from Ephesians about preparing us all for “service†and the unity that comes in the body---as we all serve together. I talked about our influence on others…and the community where we live.
The Basketball team had a service project this past fall…and I know the coaches are doing more to help our young men---know that there is more to life than basketball and the importance of serving others.
I shared with them the words of the song…God of this City by Chris Tomlin:
[Verse 1]
You're the God of this City
You're the King of these people
You're the Lord of this nation
You are
[Verse 2]
You're the Light in this darkness
You're the Hope to the hopeless
You're the Peace to the restless
You are
There is no one like our God
There is no one like our God
[Chorus]
For greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this City
Greater thing have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this City
[Verse 1]
[Verse 2]
There is no one like our God
There is no one like our God
[Chorus]
For greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this City
Greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done here
There is no one like our God
There is no one like our God
[Chorus]
Greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this City
Greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done here
There are some great things to be done in our city…and I know that the church, Lipscomb and our athletic programs…will lead the efforts as we follow GOD. There is no one like our GOD!
Following the devotional….the team had a film/tape session….I got in about 15 minutes on the bike…and then came back to the room to do a little work, etc.
The bus leaves for pre-game at 10:40….and then we will come back—rest, back up and load the bus to go over to the gym to get ready for what is Senior Day at Kennesaw State. It is there final home game.
The Bisons need to jump on them early…and not let up.
Immediately after the game the team will bus back to Nashville.
By the way Trevor Garrett…was early for breakfast….he said he woke up a lot last night…fearful that he would over sleep…for you see he slept through dinner last night….
Here the re-cap of the events last night….
About 7:15 PM I headed to the bus…talking on the phone to an old friend that lives here in Kennesaw. I was finishing up the conversation as the bus pulled out and headed toward I-75 South…and I asked, “Where is Trevor?†Ryan Daly always makes sure that we have all the players…but it up to those of us in the front of the bus to make sure that the support staff is on the bus. Coach Sanderson and Coach Pete….were meeting us to eat…Coach Jay was responsible of getting Clint and Grant on the bus…so that left, Benjamin, Anthony and I for making sure that we had Trevor.
We forgot him.
We tried calling but no answer. Coach Jay tried…Benjamin tried…no luck
Grant Sanderson spoke up, “Don’t worry, he won’t notice itâ€.
Trevor was sleeping away. His alarm didn’t go off and his fellow staffers…left him asleep.
Rob Murphy was sitting in Trevor’s seat….and Benjamin said…that the problem---we thought Murphy was Trevor. Rob said, “Yes I am smiling just like Trevor†and then Michael Teller said it best, “And Rob really looks like Trevorâ€!
Waiting to be seated…Coach Sanderson wanted to ask some questions about the A-Sun standings…but then he said, “The person with all the answers isn’t hereâ€! He later said, “Trevor is just not dependable---we can’t bring him on trips anymore! Ha! Ha!
We brought Trevor back his dinner…and later he came down to the room to relive the experience….and Coach says he’ll have to run tomorrow….and it will be a long time before we let him live this event down…or let him forget it!
Now that is one…You can Put it in the book!!!
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2009 - 5:52 P.M. - KENNESAW, GEORGIA
It is always good to wake up after a great Bison Victory. Last night the Bisons---jumped out to an early lead---and then did not bend in the second half, when the Mercer Bears cut the lead to 5 points---the Bisons got some big 3’s on their way to an 88-67 victory.
This morning the Bisons were up early…breakfast around 8:00 AM and we were on the bus heading to practice by 8:30 AM. We were scheduled for about a 30 minute workout at the Mount de Sales School---near the Mercer Campus. It was a little chilly in Macon this morning…and the Gym had not heated up yet when we arrived for our practice.
The team stretched…and then went through a walk through…going over several things that the Bisons will have to do tomorrow against Kennesaw State. We have a lot of people fighting sickness and little injuries…so a light workout might have been just what the doctor ordered!
You might also say that our practice has gone to the dogs! There was a dog in the gym…chasing tennis balls before we started practice….and then he sat in the stands during our workout.
After practice we headed back to the hotel for showers, to pack and to check-out. That allowed me to get in a 12 minute bike ride…before we headed north to the Atlanta area.
The Bisons had a full day ahead of them.
Reviewing video clips on the bus ride. Doing some prep work for tomorrow’s game---and even a nap or two. We were headed to Matt Shaw’s house. Matt (a red-shirt) is from the North Cobb area and he had gone home this weekend sick…and will rejoin the team tomorrow.
But today, his parents were having the team over for lunch. Steve and Sally Shaw put on a spread for us! The team relaxed…eat…and enjoyed a great break at Matt’ home. Signee Milos Kleut (MeLosh Claught) is an exchange student that lives with the Shaw’s---but he was not there this morning, he was taking a test. His team lost a game last night…and they play again this afternoon.
After the meal, I got my nap in…during the 30-45 minute bus ride back to Georgia Tech…where we were headed to watch several innings of the Bisons game with the Yellow Jackets. Lipscomb got a homerun in the 1st to take 1-0 lead….but a couple of errors in about the 3rd or 4th inning---allowed Georgia Tech…to take the lead. They were leading 9-2 when we left in about the 6th inning. Lipscomb had lost the season opener to the Jackets yesterday.
Meanwhile, the Lady Bison softball team was playing at Georgia State…and the Lady Bisons were getting ready to tip at 4:30 PM Eastern time at Kennesaw State. Several of the players went to that game…I elected to stay at the hotel and watch my TAR HEELS blow a 16 point second half lead on their way to an overtime loss to Maryland in College Park.
I should have gone and watched the Lady Bisons.
We head to dinner at 7:30 tonight. Smokey Bones will be the spot!
Tomorrow morning…coach is planning a devotional here at the Kennesaw Country Inn and Suites about 9 am in the morning. With a 3 pm game…we will have our pre-game meal around 11 am. We usually get to the gym early…for extra shooting on an afternoon game. Immediately after the game, we will load the bus and head back to Nashville.
Just two regular season home games….then the A-Sun Tournament! March Madness is just around the corner.
I understand that visitation for Jim Wood is tomorrow afternoon and evening at Woodlawn…and then visitation—Monday--- at The Granny White Church of Christ at 10 AM with the funeral service at 11:00 AM.
Shaun Senters is not on the trip. His mother had surgery in Knoxville yesterday and Shaun is there with his family…where he should be. Those of you that know me…know that after I worked at Lipscomb fulltime for 20 years….leaving in 2000 to become a full time member of the staff at the Brentwood Hills Church of Christ. From 1984-2000 I was working full time at Lipscomb and Part-time at Brentwood Hills….and from the beginning of my ministry at Brentwood Hills….I have used the phrase “Journey to the Sonâ€. Today the Shaw’s had several scriptures and sayings written on their walls. I feel in love with this one…. FAMILY…a Journey to foreverâ€! Brentwood Hills’ folks will see that one in print in the very near future!
These Lipscomb Travel blogs are also posted on the Brentwood Hills web site (www.brentwoodhills.org) as part of my “Jonathan’s Journeyâ€. Lipscomb season ticket holder Tommy Clevenger…takes pleasure in writing to “point-point counter point†emails for my posting…I thought I would share his latest with you:
Please pardon me sending you an e-mail regarding your Journey, but I just must comment.
It is always with pleasure and anxious anticipation that I read your Journey. Having it two days in a row was blissful. However, the true joy is learning new things about you and looking deep into your soul. I treasure the story of your introduction with Coach Dugan and all the other spouses...."and his friend...". I have locked that in a special place to be resurrected and used as needed. As Lewis Grizzard once said "I don't believe I'd a told that"!
It was also heartwarming to read of all you old men sitting around telling tales of your youthful adventures. I called your Mom to check them out. She said that when you first started covering sports you just wrote a few things on parchment (she said your spelling even then was shaky) and then a boy in a toga carried it to the town square and read it. She was really proud of how far you have come. She even told me where "Put it in the book" came from, but that's for another time.
That was great news about Reed. I had read the blog yesterday with tears in my eyes. I've never written on their blog, but with Keeley's request I just had to. If others have been reading but not corresponding, I hope they'll blog. What a neat gift for them to look back on.
I also just thought of Dick and Jan's request for the young man at Lipscomb. If some of your readers haven't remembered to support him, I hope you will remind them of the need to do so. Thanks!
Well, go back to watching sports and surfing the internet. Thanks again! Go Bisons!
PS: Wednesday night Barbara said she hated to see the road trips end. It is so quiet and peaceful at the house, she said, and so good to be able to sleep in silence. Oh well, we all have our burdens I suppose.
Tommy Clevenger
Tommy is a great friend…and great Fan of Lipscomb Athletics. His email talks about Ryan and Keeley White’s little boy Reed. You might remember that I got a call just before we went on the air with the South Carolina Upstate game from Spartanburg---that their infant child was going to have a heart transplant that evening. The Whites have twin boys---Braden and Reed---and yesterday after 100 days Reed came home from the hospital and the family spent the first night together! Prayers answered!
I have shared a lot of old baseball stories with Trevor and Benjamin this afternoon…I regret I have not kept up with how many bus trips I have made in my career. For several years I went on every Basketball and Baseball trip---many of them on buses or vans.
Today’s favorite story---ask Andy Lane about his pet---“black rubber snakeâ€!
Benjamin is checking some A-Sun scores…Campbell came back to beat Upstate and North Florida is about to upset Stetson….the A-Sun Tournament is going to be wide-open. Make sure you purchase your tickets!
Also, make sure you listen in tomorrow afternoon…as the Bisons try to win for the first time at Kennesaw State….as we go for our 6th straight win…and then get your purple and gold ready for Thursday and Saturday. Big games with Jacksonville and North Florida this week and we need to---
PUT IT IN THE BOOK!!!
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2009 - 3:47 P.M. - MACON, GEORGIA
Game Day Practice….about 11:30 AM we loaded the bus for the 10-15 minute drive to the Mercer campus from our hotel. ipods…books…newspapers…and computers…cell phones all part of the bus trip for some of the support staff.
Inside the arena…greetings and handshakes with the host school coaches. This was my first time to talk to first year Mercer Coach Bob Hoffman. Our path first crossed in the old NAIA days when he was coaching at Oklahoma Baptist. He has been to several colleges and some minor league professional teams---before landing here in Mercer last summer.
His team has done well this year. Knocked off several big name schools during the pre-conference schedule and now they have won five in a row. Two of the hottest teams in the Atlantic Sun will lock horns tonight for the CSS game of the week.
Speaking of the CSS game…Matt Stewart (play by play) and Sonny Smith (color) were at shoot around today! What a blast. Matt and I were working on our game notes…and laughing the entire time…as Sonny told story after story. He has coaching stories a mile long---from Milligan College to Pepperdine to Auburn to East Tennessee State---and now following several years of working in TV with the Atlantic Sun….it is fun to talk to him about our league.
He always has a few Wimp and Scott Sanderson stories.
As soon as our practice was over…the Belmont women were taking the floor. They play Mercer tomorrow afternoon. Outside of the arena….our Bus driver and Belmont’s driver were exchanging notes, stories, etc. Turns out---they have been friends for years.
1:20 PM EST---back at the hotel…time to go ride the bike---as I continue to rehab the new knee! We leave for pre-game meal at 2:50PM.
I got about 25 minutes in on the bike—then some stretching. Meanwhile Coach Jay Walton was getting in a good workout! We walked up the street for another great pre-game meal…a lot peanuts, great rolls---and chicken or steak at Logan’s Roadhouse.
Bus leaves at 5:30 for the arena…tonight is a 7 PM Eastern tip…with the game on CSS and a lot of other media outlets as Trevor explains in this email:
NASHVILLE, TENN. – Tonight's men's basketball game at Mercer will be broadcast on a tape delay on Cox Sports Television tonight at 10 p.m. Comcast/Charter Sports Southeast, ESPN360.com and the Bright House Sports Network will carry the game live at 6 p.m.
With the addition of CST, tonight's game will reach over nine million households in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia.
Matt Stewart and Sonny Smith will be on the call in this week's Atlantic Sun Game of the Week.
Related Links:
Additional TV Info: http://www.lipscombsports.com/news/default/1/4581/
CST Coverage Chart: http://www.coxsportstv.com/UserFiles/Files/Affiliate%20List_Nov17.pdf
Of course…you can listen in around the world…here at www.lipscombsports.com
Tonight will be a big night for Athletic Director Philip Hutcheson. He is being inducted in to the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame. This is a special honor for Philip. I know that Fessor Boyce and Ken Dugan are members of this Hall of Fame…we might have other people that are members of this Hall. We have a lot of people associated with Lipscomb in different Hall of Fames. Several of us are honored to be part of the NAIA Hall of Fame.
I have had the pleasure to attend many of these Hall of Fame ceremonies. I was honored to be asked by Coach Dugan to accompany him and sit with him on stage in Knoxville when he was inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame. Earlier, Coach had been inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame…at Opryland Hotel…and none of the wives were in attendance---except for Diane(coach’s wife)---and she didn’t want to go through another experience like that---so I was asked to sit on stage with coach.
Diane was at the event sitting at a table with their children, my wife Barbara, Andy Lane and others---while Coach and I entered the room with the spotlight following us to the stage.
The announcer introduced each member of the Hall of Fame Class….and their spouses. To this day whenever we talk about this event…we all get a good chuckle….when we recall the announcer saying,
“Coach Ken Dugan and his Friend Jonathan Seamonâ€---by the time we got to the stage Diane and the entire table was laughing uncontrollable! Just this last week at the Jeff Forehand and Friends Luncheon, Andy Lane and I were talking about Philip’s induction---and it triggered this memory and of course Andy busted out laughing!
I am sure tonight will be a great evening for Philip, his family and the university!
Meanwhile, here in Macon, Georgia….a streak will be broken…Mercer has won five straight games and the Bisons have won four straight….let’s hope the Bisons can extend their streak! It will soon be time to head to the gym…so we can…
Put it in the book!!!!
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2009 - 10:43 A.M. - MACON, GEORGIA
It is Friday morning….and we are about 45 minutes from loading the bus and heading to practice at Mercer. The Lady Bisons…who suffered a loss at the hands of the Lady Bears are loading the bus and heading up the road toward Kennesaw, Georgia—where they will play tomorrow afternoon.
Our travels began yesterday when we loaded our WISE COACH and pulled out from the Allen Arena loading dock at 2 PM. The team had practiced at 12:30 and then packed and loaded the bus for the trip to Georgia.
I had taken a lot of bus rides in my 30 plus years of traveling with Bison teams. I have learned to make them my “office†on the road! Technology has changed over the years. In the early years---a pen and a legal pad was all I needed to some work.
Now I must have files, my cell phone, my cell phone internet connection to my laptop. Yesterday for nearly 2 ½ hours I was on my computer answering and sending emails, talking on the phone, listening to the TODAY SHOW that I downloaded on my iTouch that morning and the podcast of the Lipscomb-Mercer game from earlier this season---and watching a movie on the bus monitors. Multi-tasking at its best!
We stopped for a rest break just across the Georgia state line. The team had snacked on fruit, energy bars and Gatorade along the way. However, we were all preparing for a great meal at one of our favorite Italian Restaurants at the Kennesaw exit. I think their rolls rank up there with the “sweet rolls†at our favorite eating establishment in Deland, Florida.
Traffic was very heavy going into the Kennesaw area…and that continued through Atlanta. The rest of the way to Macon, I listen to a couple of podcast of sermons and yes took a nap!
After checking in the LaQuinta Inns and Suites----we turned on ESPN for a while---and then Benjamin found a very interesting program on the History Channel about the building of Boston, the Masons and Benjamin Franklin!
I worked on my game prep---answered a couple of phone calls, did some paper work, etc. Benjamin fell asleep early---I then watched the late news---including highlights of the Lady Bisons’ game. I have to let Benjamin get to sleep first…before I start my snoring!
I woke up at my regular time…but I was able to go back to sleep and get a little extra sleep before I got up and began doing a few things this morning. We were to gather at 8:30 in the Breakfast area. Both teams were there together eating. Coach Sanderson was preparing food to take back to his room. Two of his boys (Grant and Clint) are on the trip….and he told me they were sleeping so good---he hated to wake them up…so he took them breakfast back to their room! How many times have us dads done things like that for our children…and we happy to do it! I always enjoyed taking my boys with me on trips like this when they were young…and I am sure he enjoys it now! Now, for the past six years---I have enjoyed taking my boys along to HELP me on the trips!
We spent a long time a breakfast….long conversations with Coach Bennett. Coach has been a friend for many years…and we enjoy talking about the present team…and the old times…and a lot of great stories. He and Al Austelle (former assistant baseball coach) both came to Lipscomb at the same time…and we have a lot of great stories to share.
This morning, after Craig Hartline (the Voice of the Lady Bisons) joined us at the breakfast table---we got to telling old broadcasting tales….and how technology had changed over the year. My first broadcast nearly 40 years ago, were “Little League†baseball games and men’s slow pitch softball tournaments! The old days of tape delay and then the early days of live sports broadcasting baseball games from remote college fields that didn’t have telephone lines or press boxes!
Our first broadcasts were not on the radio. We just sent the feeds back to campus and they were played in Alumni Auditorium, the Student Center and Bison Square. For some of those first broadcast they would take an overhead projector and draw and project a scoreboard on the screen.
You know you are getting old…when you start laughing at those old stories!
As we were leaving the breakfast area---Craig got a phone call that our friend Jim Wood passed away early this morning. I then got this email from Phil Ellenburg:
Friends:
Our brother and friend, Jim Wood, passed away around 2:00 this morning. Marge and Bill were at his side. Arrangements are still being finalized, but tentatively, visitation will be held at Woodlawn on Sunday afternoon and evening and the funeral will be Monday at 11:00 at the Granny White Church of Christ. We know Jim is in a much better place, but please continue to remember Mrs. Wood, the boys and the rest of the family as you lift them up in prayer to the Father during this difficult time.
Thanks.
Phil Ellenburg
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2009 - 9:11 A.M. - FUQUAY-VARINA, NORTH CAROLINA
We loaded the bus shortly after 1:30 yesterday (Sunday, Feb. 8) to head to the airport to catch our Southwest flight to Raleigh, NC.
Our flight was delayed about an hour…and we finally left about 4:30 p.m. Nashville time….arriving in Raleigh about 5:45 p.m. Nashville time. The extra time at the airport…allowed me to get most of ‘prep’ work done…and my score sheets ready for Monday’s game.
After loading our luggage on the bus in Raleigh…we had about a 30 minute bus ride to our hotel here in Fuquay Varina. We are about 15-20 minutes away from Buies Creek…the home of Campbell University.
Last night, dinner was brought into to the “breakfast†area here at the Holiday Inn Express. Fried Chicken and Bar-B-Q and all the fixings from Smithfields---a local North Carolina restaurant chain. They have some of the best “Hush Puppies†I have ever eaten!
The rest of my evening…consisted of some emails and work…that I needed to send back to the office…and watching the Maryland-Georgia Tech game.
I was up early this morning…working on the computer…while Benjamin was sleeping. I learned at breakfast…that Shaun Senters was up early out working in the hallway---sometimes it is just hard to sleep when you travel…and of course we have the time zone change…that has some impact.
The health inspector also showed up at breakfast. He made the hotel breakfast attendant take down all the hot food that was on the buffet. Apparently the hotel was missing the required paperwork to serve food plus the hot food was not properly covered.
The team will meet at 11 a.m.…and we will load and leave for practice around 11:30….our shoot around time is noon…and then we will have our pre-game meal around 3 p.m…and about 5:30 head over to the new Pope Convocation Center/Gore Arena for tonight’s game with Campbell - a team that is hot.
The Camels…had won three in a row…and were leading Belmont by 18 with about 3:30 to play last Friday night…when the Bruins hit 3’s and the Camels missed 11 free throws…and Belmont came back to win. I am sure Campbell will be seeking to rebound tonight.
The Bisons…after dropping two in Florida…need to rebound tonight also. We need to begin this week with a win on the road…and then come home for the second edition of the “Battle of the Boulevardâ€!
I am looking forward to seeing their new arena at practice today. It looks great on TV. However, I will miss playing in Carter Gym…basically…because we had a great record in that old gym!
Remember to log on tonight…we will be on the air about 5:45 p.m. Nashville time…with the tip set for 6:00 p.m. Go Bisons…let’s have a big night…and
Put it in the Book!
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2009 - 8:00 A.M. - ORLANDO, FLORIDA
4:00 AM. Tuesday (2/3) morning…a wake up call...and our day begins! It was a short night, following another disappoint—heartbreaking loss for the Bisons.
Our Monday (2/2) had begun with the Groundhog seeing his shadow and the prediction of six more weeks of winter. That came on a morning…that it was in the mid 70’s and a few scattered rain showers on the Florida gulf coast. Back home it was a little colder---with the threat of cold rain or light snow.
The Bisons were up for breakfast at 9:30 AM and then on the bus at 11:40 AM for a noon practice at Florida Gulf Coast University. A school that began in 1997---and started intercollegiate athletics in 2000---and are in their second year of competing at the NCAA Division I level. The school has over 10,000 students and a beautiful campus. Their athletic facilities are first class, including the 5,000 seat Alico Arena.
All of the players were on the bus ready to go well before the 11:40 AM departing time. (If we are leaving at 11:40--- you need to be in your seat ready to roll by 11:30) Usually the players are calling or texting their teammates to make sure that everyone is on the bus on time. You don’t won’t to be late or last!
The only person missing this morning was Coach Pete. This trip—he doesn’t have a roommate or buddy to check up on him. Trevor did call him…and yes he had the time wrong---he thought we were leaving at 11:50. The players were giving Coach Sanderson a hard time---wanting him to jump all over Coach Pete. There is a big clock on the bus…and it was still on 11:40…when Pete stepped on the bus!
Saved by the Bell or the Clock!
My afternoon was spent in front of my computer answer emails and working on a couple of church projects. I had done most of my prep work for the game during the Super Bowl and during the morning practice. I enjoy sitting at the scorers table during practice…working on my notes…and listening and watching practice. It helps give me a lot of insight into the upcoming game.
Our pre-game meal changed from the original plan of walking to Ruby Tuesdays---to boarding the bus for a 5 minute ride to a local restaurant. We arrived just before 3 pm—they had our salads on the table…and in less than 30 minutes we were in an out and headed back to the hotel! A shot nap, review of notes, change of clothes and we were ready to board the bus again at 5:30 for the short 10 minute trip to FGCU.
My pre-game ritual…includes checking out the broadcast position---making sure that we where we are supposed to be---getting game notes or other information---and then sitting up the equipment. I try to get Benjamin to climb under the table to plug up the wires (it is good to have young guys traveling with)…and I check out the rest of the equipment and make sure that the phone wire is working, etc. Coach Sanderson and I usually find a semi-quiet place in the stands or down a hallway to do a short 5 minute interview that will be used in the pre-game.
Since we are playing our commercials from on site this year---I then load the interview into my iTunes on my computer---and it is place in the list of commercials. That makes it a lot easier than having to wire another tape recorder into our broadcast board.
Usually we are in the arena at least an hour an half before tip off. I like having at least an hour to settle in and make sure everything is in place. Usually I have spend another couple of hours---pulling together stats, notes and other information that will be needed for the broadcast. I write down a lot of stats or notes….many I never use…however you never know when you might need one of the facts…so you want to be prepared. I have found that if most of my notes are on my ‘flip chart’ (a chart I use with both rosters and notes to help call the game) and my score sheets…it is a lot easier than flipping through pages of information provided by the team’s media relation department.
Most schools---provide us with a computer monitor with live stats (not the case last night---instead we were given paper copies at each timeout) and I still use a system of keeping score that I was taught about 30 years ago. I have made some adjustments and improvements over the years…but I have found that if I keep score…I am able to stay on top of the flow of the game…and I know which players are scoring, fouling, etc.
Depending on how things are going…sometimes…I will take a moment to call home and check in before we go on the air…that was the case last night…just a quick call to check with Barbara and to let her know we are about to go on the air. Now that we are playing through the second round of the A-Sun…I often listen to the audio of the first game…for several reasons…to refresh my mind on how that game went…and to listen to the names of the players…to help me remember the flow of that game and to prepare for tonight’s game. It is my way of looking a game film.
Last night was a tough game. We were up 6 points with less than 5 minutes to play…and we got outscored and outplayed down the stretch. Down by one with 22 seconds to play…we got two chances to get a shot off…but couldn’t score to take the lead and we lost by 3 points. This has become a season of last minute losses.
We head home for a week of practice---before going back on the road to take on Campbell University next Monday night.
We loaded the bus at 5:15 AM---and we were scheduled to pull out by 5:30 AM this morning. Everyone was loaded early…Pete was there on time! We actually pulled out early and made it to the Southwestern ticket counter ahead of schedule. The team is booked in a group---while Trevor, Benjamin and I have separate tickets. Trevor checked us in last night…to get our A-numbers for lining up for our hunting license for a seat. It usually gets us ahead of the team and near the front of the line.
There was some rain in the sky this morning…and a bumpy flight 25 minute flight to Orlando. I read a chapter or so in my Jim Nantz book—then I took a short power nap---just before we landed back here in Mickey Mouse Land!
Here in the Orlando Airport…we have found nice comfortable chairs, with electrical outlets…so we can plug in our computers and go to work! The players rushed to get some food…and Benjamin was nice enough to go to McDonalds for the two of us. Many of the players are being called one by one for the coaches to go over film clips from last night’s game.
Yes, as soon as the game was over last night the coaches started working on grading the film and preparing for our next game with Campbell. There is no down time---it is a continuous season…going from game to game….practice to practice.
I checked in with Barbara when we landed here…it was about 6:40 AM in Nashville and Bethany was heading out the door to school. Their day was beginning in Nashville…and our three hour layover was beginning here in Orlando. We fly out about 11:55 eastern time and arrive home sometime after noon.
Some will study, some will sleep, some listen to music…and some of us will do some work…and we will all be glad to be back home…before we do it all over again next weekend!
By the way Benjamin has been doing some homework…I am glad that he is trying to keep up with his work while we travel. However, this has not been his day. He knocked over a cup of coffee at the entrance to the security checkpoint in Fort Myers…and it went everywhere! A few other little things have happened to him this morning and he declared---he was having a bad day—and he wanted to go back to bed! And Trevor told him too bad he wasn’t back in the dorm…because---it was still early in Nashville and he would still be a sleep!
Hopefully his day will get better! We could all use a better day…and some better games! As for this trip…it is just about time...to…Put it in the book!
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2009 - 6:13 P.M. - FORT MYERS, FLORIDA
Super Bowl Sunday!
We are in Florida. We will drive through Tampa…but we will not be stopping for the Super Bowl! Instead we will be in our Hampton Inn hotel room in Fort Myers watching the pre-game activities—as we get ready for the Super Bowl.
Our day started about 9:30 this morning with a devotional in Coach Sanderson’s room. Coach Jay Walton shared a devotional talk today…using the story of Jacob and Esau. I had the privilege of sharing a few comments and scriptures just before we had communion.
Following the devotional…I printed out some stats for Coach Sanderson and I…then loaded our bags on the bus…before heading to breakfast. By 10:30 am we were on the bus and ready to head south. However, before we pulled out—Coach had a team meeting on the bus.
We were scheduled to practice about this time…however, after the overtime game last night the coaches decided that it would be best for the team to rest…and mentally get ready for tomorrow’s practice and game with Florida Gulf Coast.
The team is like a family. And coach has always been good to include myself…and my boys (both Justin and Benjamin) in this family. We are all part of the team. We all feel the loses…and we all enjoy the wins. The people on that bus this morning…are the heart and soul of this team…and they believe…and they know they are preparing for the final month of the regular season.
Our bus then pulled out the Holiday Inn parking lot and we began the nearly 4 hour trip to Fort Meyers. It is straight down I-4…through Orlando…to Tampa…and from their a switch to I-75 for the remainder of the trip.
One rest stop along the way…then we stopped at a Mall---as Birthday Boy Benjamin put it…it would have been a perfect place for his mother…plenty of place to shot…great places to eat…and right on a body of water!
The weather was perfect as Trevor, Coach Jay, Benjamin and I enjoyed some seafood at a local grill…eating outside…enjoying the Florida weather. During the meal, I talked to Barbara and she said was nice in Nashville---with the temperature in the 60â€s! Everyone had meal money…getting to choose where they wanted to eat. We spend a little over an hour at the mall---then loaded the bus and headed to the hotel.
The afternoon included a film session, a little nap ( I slept through most of the President’s interview) , some prep work for tomorrow’s game, etc. Meanwhile, the NFC won the coin cost for the 12th straight time…but this year for the first time they could defer to the second half…so the Cardinals kicked off to the Steelers…and they are moving the ball down the field! Big Ben puts them on the board first!
However, the TD has been challenged! The TD was reversed! And now the Steelers are going to settle for a field goal….so it is 3-0 instead of 7-0---a great way to start the Super Bowl.
Benjamin is celebrating his 21st Birthday…he has been getting phone calls, text messages, emails and Face Book messages and a video! Adam Brown---who grew up with Benjamin at Brentwood Hills---and who is now a student at Harding University—sent Benjamin a Face Book birthday video.
What happened to an old fashion Birthday Card?
Time to enjoy the game…so…
Put it in the Book!
SATURDAY, JANUARY 31, 2009 - 10:12 P.M. - DELAND, FLORIDA
We wrap up the first month of the year on the road in Florida. The Sunshine state was living up to its name today…it was sunny, breezy and cool. This morning it was in the 30’s when we got up…but by the time we went out of the hotel for our 10 a.m. shoot around it was feeling great! So good, that by pre-game time at 3 p.m. ---Trevor was in his shorts!
The team was up by 8:30 for breakfast…and then a scouting report and meeting before we loaded the bus and head to the Edmunds Center for our shoot around. Basically that means practice. The Bisons go all out during the hour. Coach Sanderson was not totally pleased with the effort this morning. It is a hard message to get across…that what you do in practice is usually very close to what you do in the games. According to Coach, the last couple days of practice have been good.
We hope that carries over to the game tonight.
Saturdays on the road…mean…food, practice, naps, a lot of basketball on TV, more food and the game! I did get in a few minutes in the workout room to ride the bike…as I continue to work out my “new kneeâ€. Plenty of basketball---Pitt and Notre Dame---Wake and Georgia Tech---and UNC and North Carolina State….and that didn’t include the South Carolina-Kentucky game which I didn’t watch this afternoon---some great games.
Several of the players got in some naps also…and a couple told me they were in deep sleep! Those are some great naps!
Pre-game meal was at the Main Street Grill…a place we have eaten on several of our trips to DeLand. The highlight of the meal…the cinnamon buns—sweet rolls. They are great and everyone loves them!
Tonight we tried to keep a streak going and break another streak. The game went into overtime…but Stetson outscored us in OT (21-17) to win the game 85-81. It snapped a two game winning streak for the Bisons…and it extended our NCAA era losing streak in the Edmund Center…to 0-6. Stetson leads the series 8-5.
This was tough lost. We got down 13 in the first half and came back to cut the halftime lead to 7 points. A great start to the second half…got the Bisons back in the game---a game that saw the score tied 12 times and the lead change hands 13 times.
Senor Michael Lusk hit the 3-pointer to send the game into overtime. Mike hit six threes tonight on his way to 22 points to lead the Bisons. Tomorrow we begin the final month of the regular season.
The Bisons have changed their plans for tomorrow…after a long game…the legs need rest! We are going to cancel our morning practice…have a devotional in Coaches room at 9:30—then eat breakfast and board the bus and head out of town. We are about 3 hours from Fort Meyers. We will get there in plenty of time to settle in to watch the Super Bowl.
Meanwhile the Lady Bisons (many of who came over to the game tonight) will fly back to Nashville tomorrow. We hope Coach Bennett is feeling better---he became ill and missed the game today. The women played at 2 p.m. and lost 63-46.
We tip it off Monday night at 6 p.m. Nashville and our coverage begins at 5:45.
Benjamin will be a year older when we begin the broadcast. He turns 21 tomorrow! He was born on a Wednesday in 1988 between a couple of games…as I did a broadcast a couple of days before he was born and another one a couple of days after his birth!
Happy Birthday Benjamin…it is time to put your first 20 years….in the book!
Put in the Book!
FRIDAY, JANUARY 30, 2009 - 10:46 P.M. - DELAND, FLORIDA
When we left you last the Bisons were on a bus heading from Spartanburg, SC to Nashville on Martin Luther King Day. It had been a disappointing loss. Our 5th loss in a row. Both games on that trip were ours for the taking…and we lost them the final seconds.
During this losing streak---our play was getting better.
At home we picked up two wins—beating Mercer and Kennesaw State.
Now, the Bisons hope to keep that streak alive as we head to Florida for a two game swing from coast to coast. Saturday night we are part of a twilight doubleheader…the Lady Bisons play Stetson tomorrow afternoon…and the Bisons play the Hatters at 6pm Nashville time. (our coverage begins at 5:45 pm on the internet) We will practice here in Deland on Sunday---then drive to Fort Meyers in time to catch the Super Bowl before playing Florida Gulf Coast on Monday Evening.
Today’s trip….got off to a slow start.
We were scheduled to board our bus at Allen Arena at 2:15 p.m. for transfer to the airport. However, our bus was late not arriving until after 2:45 p.m.---and our flight was scheduled to leave at 3:55 pm. We loaded the bus in record time…and after finally making it through the school zone at the high school—we were on our way to the airport.
Trevor, Benjamin and I have tickets that were booked separate from the team. So, Trevor had gotten our Southwest boarding passes on line last night. We were numbers 31, 32 and 33 to get on the plane. Yes—I was number 32---and that does happen to be my favorite number –hopefully a good sign for the trip!
The wand was ready when we got to the security check point---however, this time it went quickly and smoothly…and we were in and out in a flash. From there it was on to gate 20…and we got there at least 30 minutes before we had to board the plane. It was a full plane---and we were a little late pushing away from the gate. However, it was a good flight…and nice to be on Southwest...where diet cokes and peanuts are still free.
Oh no, I forgot and ate the peanuts. I hope they were ok.
After arriving in Orlando we moved on to the A terminal baggage claim area and from there to the bus loading area. However, Coach Pete didn’t get the memo and when he turned around everyone was gone and he was not sure where to go. He and about 5 other players were a little late finding the bus.
Cell phones are great!
Our bus driver in Orlando…is based out of Hanes City…and believe it or not…was in Nashville and at Lipscomb last week…as he drove the Mercer Team to Nashville to play the Bisons and Belmont.
It was about 7:20 P.m. EST when the bus pulled out of the airport parking lot. We drove about 10 miles to the Florida Mall and then we took a tour of the Mall parking lot. We drove to the back of the mall---by Macy’s and Nordstrom and M & M World…before we finally arrived at Buca di Beppo for dinner. Everyone was hungry and it was great.
Jay Walton met a former college teammate and he had dinner with us…and we heard some great Mississippi State stories.
After dinner…we were back on the bus and headed to Deland, Florida.
I went to sleep watching a podcast of the CBS Evening News from last night. I had already watched the Today Show and the NBC Evening news from this morning and last night. The video podcast are great. I had also listened to the podcast of the Kennesaw State game.
It was about 10 p.m. when we arrived at the hotel (Holiday Inn, Deland, FL)---the Lady Bisons are here also. They wrap-up their trip with tomorrow afternoon’s game.
Getting late…and we have to be up at 8:30 for breakfast….so it is time to…
Put it in the book!
SUNDAY, JANUARY 18, 2009 - 7:54 P.M. - SPARTANBURG, SOUTH CAROLINA
Before I went to bed last night---I did set a wake-up call. I planned to get up at 8:00 am…and get ready before getting Benjamin up….about 5:30 am—I looked at the clock and thought it said 9:30…I jumped up—since we were scheduled to leave for church at 9:40….then after I got my glasses on—I saw that it was just 5:30 am.
So, I could go back to sleep.
I learned later that Benjamin had gotten up about 4:30…to get a drink of water…and then before he could go back to sleep—he had to put on his “noise cancelling†headphones.
Spartanburg is a noisy city.
9:00 am EST---Benjamin went to Coach’s room to pick up our breakfast---we enjoyed it while watching, “Meet the Pressâ€---as Washington prepares for a big week!
9:40 am EST---Several of us loaded the bus and headed toward the Central Church of Christ…for their 10:00 am morning worship. We had directions and a GPS…but the building was off the main road…by I-85…and yes it took a couple of U-turns before we made it to the building. However, our driver did a great job finding the building.
One of the blessings of traveling and visiting different churches---is that almost everywhere you go you find people with connections to Lipscomb University. This morning their were several graduates of Lipscomb…even a couple that remembered that I was one time in charge of security at Lipscomb…now that is dating them and me! They used to live in Greensboro, NC and knew my brother (Michael) and his family.
The minister was Ernie Thigpen---his mother Mary and his late father Ernest were leaders at Carolina Bible Camp young in the mid-60’s when I was a young camper. They along with several other adults help influence and mold my life…and encouraged me to be involved in Christian Camping. Lord willing, this summer I will attend camp for my 46th straight year.
Just before worship began this morning---Mary Thigpen---as I knew her (she is now remarried after the death of her husband) walked up to me to welcome me and introduce herself. When I told her who I was (I know it is shocking that I have changed over the years) she hugged me and we both had flash backs to the 60’s and Carolina Bible Camp.
Our two states (North and South Carolina) shared camp together for just over 10 years— before the leaders of the church in South Carolina started Palmetto Bible Camp. Those two camps have served thousands of young people---and spread the value of Christian Camps to other areas of the country and the world.
It was great reunion this morning.
Many of the members were glad to see us this morning…and some are planning to be at the game tomorrow afternoon. Since tomorrow is a holiday for many (MLK Day) we are playing an afternoon game with tip set for a 1:00 pm tip-off--Nashville time. Our coverage will begin at 12:45 pm.
The team is getting ready for a team meeting at 12:45 pm. I am back in my room listening to the 10:30 am service from Brentwood Hills---listening to Walt Leaver’s sermon (www.brentwoodhills.org). I enjoy staying in touch with home, by listening to our services when we are on the road.
The Bus will leave at 1:15 pm EST (that means you need to be on the bus by 1:05) to go to practice. We will eat after practice. The USC Upstate campus is about 10 minutes from our Hotel.
Our afternoon…would have been a little different today---if the Titans had won last weekend…but that is enough on that subject.
1:15 pm EST we are all on the bus headed to practice. There is something about the coaching staff and the support staff—we often discuss our snoring habits! Coach Pete and Coach Jay—have been accused of snoring…and I don’t have to tell you any more about my snoring. So, today our short trip to the USC Upstate campus included Coach Shaun sharing that he had to get up and go out in the hall last night due to Coach Pete’s snoring…but then the new revelation of the trip!
Trevor Garrett---who rooms with Coach Jay—said his snoring didn’t bother him---BUT he was sure that the last two mornings Coach Jay had been talking in his sleep! Trevor threatened he was going to get out his tape recorder and tape a conversation to post on the web site!
At practice…Coach Sanderson stopped by the scorers table…where I was working on my game notes…to tell me how much he enjoys coaching this team. They listen, they execute and they want to get better. They are just so close! I thought they had that much needed victory yesterday. It left us all down…but they bounced back with a good practice today…and I know they will be ready to play again tomorrow afternoon! He really does enjoy this team…they are a great group to be around and I know that he enjoys coaching them!
3:30 pm EST---we arrive back at the hotel…and go directly to the 299 sports restaurant with about a dozen TVs so we can watch the NFL playoff and enjoy lunch. They had only one lady to take our orders…so Coach Shaun…got a piece of paper…and became a waiter! I think he forgot to turn my order in…and if hadn’t been for our bus driver…I might still be waiting on my chicken sandwich! Come to think of it---I didn’t have anywhere to go---so I just enjoyed the company, the football and glass after glass of ice tea!
Back in the room…Benjamin and I fell a sleep watching the Cardinals game…I woke up for the final two minutes and the post game celebration.
6:50 PM EST---Benjamin is still asleep and I am heading to the exercise room. I have been doing some exercises for my knee…not as many as I should…so today it is back to the bicycle! I got 25 minutes in…and over 3 miles…as I finished the post game show on FOX and the beginning of the Steelers-Ravens game!
7:25 PM EST---Back in the room and Benjamin is still asleep. I need to wake him up or he may never get to sleep with my snoring tonight! By the way, it will soon be time to eat again! We are scheduled to meet in Coaches room at 8:30. As I have share before…most of our trips…consist of eating, sleeping, practicing, eating, sleeping and games!
Tomorrow…we will have a pre-game breakfast here at the hotel…a team meeting…back and check-out and head to the gym about noon. The Hodge Center where we play is one of the smallest in the A-Sun—it seats just over 1,500. The smallest gym was at Campbell—but this year they opened a new convocation center. Campbell’s Carter Gym held just under 1000 people…I loved the old gym…but I look forward to seeing and playing in their new facility.
A lot of history in The Hodge Center…USC Upstate…was known as South Carolina-Spartanburg up until 2004, when the state legislature changed the name of the school. They were a member of the NAIA—winning a Basketball National Championship in 1982. Back then they were known as the “riflesâ€---in honor of a local militia unit that played an important role in the Revolutionary War. When the school changed its name in 2004—they also changed their nickname to the Spartans to continue to pay homage to the militia unit know as the Spartan Rifles---though the nickname has been modified to emphasis the Spartans.
Tomorrow a herd of Bisons will stampede The Hodge---and I hope that the Spartans don’t have any “rifles†or “sharp shootersâ€!
After the game tomorrow…we will load the bus and head to Nashville. I saw on the weather today…that snow is predicted for the North Carolina mountains…and snow is predicted for here on Tuesday…so hopeful our bus driver, Tim will safely get us home in our Wise Coach!
Almost time to eat again…so lets “Put it in the bookâ€!
SATURDAY, JANUARY 17, 2009 - 10:46 P.M. - SPARTANBURG, SOUTH CAROLINA
8:15 a.m.---I wake up and get up first. I was the last to sleep last night…a tradition in our room…since both of my sons know that I snore…and they want to be sleep before I lay my head on my pillow. But that is fine, because I usually sleep less than either boy. So, I am up and have my shower before I get Benjamin up and send him to Coach Sanderson’s room to pick up our breakfast. We are having McDonald sandwiches before we load the bus and head to “shootaround.â€
9:00 a.m.---Benjamin picks up breakfast. We get ready…watch the news and then get ready to head to the bus.
9:35 a.m.—Benjamin, Trevor and I are first to the bus —Thomas Pfaff was right on our heels…as everyone had to be on the bus—ready to pull out by 9:45 am.
10:00 a.m. –we arrive at the Memorial Center for our ‘shootaround’. Coach Sanderson came over to visit while the players were stretching. We were sitting in the new “high priced†seats…about 20 comfortable seats right on the court on the press road side. ETSU has removed part of the press table…to put in these new soft seats. Trevor and Benjamin watched the entire practice from these seats. My conversation with coach centered on the “cold†arena. I am not sure they had any heat on in the gym. Some said it was part of the state’s budget cuts!
It was still cool when the Lady Bisons tipped off at 1:30 and I thought it was still nippy when the Bisons started playing at 3 p.m. Nashville time.
11:00 a.m.---we are back in the room. (the hotel at ETSU is just across the street from the arena)---and we had an hour before our pre-game meal at noon. The Lady Bisons had a pre-breakfast before heading to the gym for their game. Meanwhile, Benjamin started packing up and watching ESPN Game Day from the UNC campus in Chapel Hill. During this part of the broadcast---ESPN did a feature on Coach Don Meyer. Coach is now the winningest coach in college basketball. They did a great job on a feature about the accident…his cancer and then his coaching. After the interview—Bobby night had some great comments about Coach Meyer and his passion for the game. It was a nice feature.
12:00 noon—Pre-game meal at the hotel. That meant we could just the elevator down to the banquet room…and we didn’t have to load the bus and go anywhere for the pre-game meal. That gave us more time to rest in the room before leaving at 1:30 for the arena…and we arrive just in time for the Lady Bison tip.
The Lady Bisons struggled and lost for the second time on this road trip. They had lost at USC Upstate on Thursday…so after the game they load the WISE Coach and headed back to Nashville. Their game ended about 3:10 EST time---so we had about 50 minutes before our game would begin.
4:00 pm---The Bisons jump out to a 13-2 lead…and went on to lead by 15 points at half time. But ETSU battled back in the second half…to send the game into overtime. The Bucs were down four points in the overtime…but came back to win the game by 3 points. A disappointing fourth straight loss…and our seventh straight loss to East Tennessee State.
After the post game…we loaded the equipment…got on the bus and headed to I-26 and our bus trip to Spartanburg, SC. On the bus we enjoyed what Benjamin called our best post game meal…Marco’s Fresh Baked subs and chicken. It did hit the spot. After dinner---I have been typing the travel log…and watching last night’s NBC Nightly News and another episode of THE OFFICE!
I then started listening to the Lipscomb game with Campbell…and I feel a sleep and got a nice nap on the bus…as we arrived in Spartanburg at 9:00 pm…just in time to rush to our room to watch the Carolina—Miami game! The Tar Heels were struggling in the first half…but a 14-0 run to end the half and now they are up by 19 in the second half.
10:00 PM EST---a quick team meeting to announce that breakfast will be brought in at 9:00 am and the bus will leave at 9:40 to head to the Spartanburg Church of Christ. I got on the web…found some directions and the nice lady at the front desk said we were about 10 minutes from the building. The morning service begins at 10:00 am. We practice tomorrow at 1:30.
Time to catch the rest of the Carolina game…and let Benjamin get to sleep first…because it is about time to ‘Put it in the bookâ€!
FRIDAY, JANUARY 16, 2009 - 10:50 P.M. - JOHNSON CITY, TENNESSEE
U-turns….
11:25 am CST---my cell phone rings. It is Andy Lane---and before I can answer the phone it goes to my voice mail. I had my arms full loading my truck with my brief case and our radio equipment.
Once I was in my truck—I returned the phone call to Andy Lane. He was wondering if I had forgotten the Jeff Forehand and Friends Luncheon…that I was schedule to MC and ask questions to Lipscomb baseball coach Jeff Forehand, Middle Tennessee baseball coach Steve Peterson and Belmont baseball Coach Dave Jarvis. I thought the luncheon began at noon…just like the Fastbreak Club…however these events begin at 11:30.
Andy was getting a little concerned.
However, it is just a few minutes from Brentwood Hills to Lipscomb and I would be there in plenty of time…since the program wouldn’t begin until about 12:05. (I forgot—parking is an issue on campus---and I had to drive around hunting for a parking space—but we made it in plenty of time.)
It was an enjoyable time. I enjoyed interviewing the coaches and they had some great answers! It is hard to believe that we are just about a month away from the first baseball game of the year. As Coach Forehand pointed out…we hope it won’t be 6 degrees on February 20th!
During the luncheon the Bison Basketball team was busy on the court. They were getting in an hour practice before we loaded the bus and headed to East Tennessee.
I should thank Andy and Coach Forehand for the invitation to be part of the luncheon. I also need to thank Greta Harber and Sherry Phillips. They made me a plate, so I could eat after the event. Sherri Eubanks always does that for me at the Fastbreak Club…I have found that when I have to speak or interview folks I do better not to rush and eat before the event begins. Today it was another great meal from the Dairy King and Jeff Jones.
1:20 pm CST I went to the Athletic Office to check with Sherri Eubanks about the departure time for a couple of upcoming flight future road trips. I wanted to make sure that I could schedule a couple of meetings, etc around getting to the airport on time. While there, former Bison Greg Eubanks said he had been reading the travel blog. Thanks for reading. Monday night at the Belmont game---Bruins play by play announcer Kevin Ingram also mentioned he read the travel log…and enjoyed our conversation on the plane to Jacksonville.
1:35 pm CST I moved my truck to the lower level of the parking garage and loaded my gear on the bus. We are scheduled to pull out for East Tennessee at 2:00 pm…and we always try to be on the bus 15 minutes prior to departure. You don’t want to be late or last getting on the bus!
I had plenty of work for the next three hours as we headed to Knoxville. I made several phone calls and answered and sent emails during the trip. I usually get a lot of work done on bus rides and plane flights.
This trip I also got to break in my new iTouch that the family gave me for Christmas. Benjamin downloaded a season of “THE OFFICEâ€â€¦I downloaded several podcast including NBS Nightly News, The Today Show, PTI and Mike and Mike in the Morning. I also have all of the podcast of the Bison games. I listen to them to work on improving our broadcast. For years I have listen to my game tapes and to other broadcasters---seeking ways to improve.
By the way watching the news on the iTouch was neat.
6:05 pm EST we arrived at Ruby Tuesday. A great meal and then we were back on the bus for about a 90-100 mile trip to the hotel in Johnson City.
U-turn number one.
One of the players realized ( I won’t name him—we’ll keep that a secret) that he left his phone in the restaurant---so we had to make a U-Turn just before we got back on I-40 and head back to Ruby Tuesday!
After the pick-up we were back on the road…and before you knew it we were arriving in the Johnson City area. Finding the Carnegie Hotel on State of Franklin Street can be a little confusing. The bus driver mentioned at dinner that he had put the information in his GPS…but he was having some problem with the street address.
U-turn number two.
It did appear that we missed a turn or a street…and we had to make another u-turn…however we arrived safely and made it to our rooms at about 8:30 pm EST.
The team had a meeting schedule for 9:00 PM…scouting report and ETSU film. Coach Sanderson is very open and has always welcomed me to these types of team meetings. It is great to hear the scouting report and to see the game clips. I learned a lot tonight and hopefully it will be reflected in our broadcast on Saturday.
I really enjoy being around the players. We have a good group of guys. The coaches and the players are a close bunch—a real family.
10:00 pm---after the team meeting it was time for a diet Mountain Dew…a little snack…and then I went to work on my game prep. I have my score sheets ready…and I will have more work to do tomorrow when I get the game notes and the stats. Phone calls back home, emails and Podcast downloads have been keeping me busy tonight. It is almost time to call it a night…we load the bus around 9:30 am for a 10:00 am shoot around---the women play at 12:30 pm Nashville time and the Bisons play at 3:00 pm Nashville.
Til then….Put it in the Book.
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2008 - 11:36 P.M. - BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA
Those two words mean a lot to the college basketball world. Assembly Hall---Bobby Night throwing a chair across the floor—five National championships…and before today only 19 non-conference losses in the 17, 357 seat arena.
That number now stands at 20 after Lipscomb defeated Indiana---74-69---for the Bisons most prestigious victory since moving to the NCAA Division I!
Lipscomb owned the first five minutes of the game---leading 10-5. But then Indiana went on a big run, the Bisons went 6 minutes without scoring and were down by 21 points. Flashbacks to other games against SEC, Big Ten, Big 12 and ACC opponents started flashing through my head…and I wondered if we were going to be down by 40 at halftime.
But, the Bisons started coming back---and we cut the lead to 10 at halftime. We knew we were within striking distance.
A 13-0 run to start the second half---put the Bisons back on top---creating a back and forth game that kept the Bison fans on the edge of their seats…and the Indiana fans standing and cheering until the final horn and a Lipscomb Victory!
The players never gave up. The coaches worked hard to the end. Everyone deserved the win…and 365 days…since we last beat a non-conference opponent (Marshall)---the Bisons were making history!
For the broadcast team, our day started about 5:45am this morning, when we got up in Mocksville, North Carolina---and headed out to Charlotte, NC for the US Airways flight to Indianapolis. It was raining…and a little foggy in Charlotte when we took off. However our plan was on time…and we were next to the last two people to board the plane. We had factored in plenty of time…however…we had a long walk from the parking garage…then a long line to get our tickets and check out bag…and a supper long line at the security check point (The knee---check was not to bad this time)---and of course we had the longest walk to our gate 23 on concourse E!
However, it was a smooth flight…great landing. I got a lot of prep work for the game done on the flight—along with a nice nap. It is about an hour drive from Indianapolis to Bloomington. A neat college down….with an old square and courthouse! Decorated with white lights for the holidays---and all of the ‘Indiana Red’---gave it a festive atmosphere.
We arrived in time to check in the Hilton Garden Inn…about the time the team was coming back from shoot around. I talked to Coach Sanderson to check in with him…and then the boys and I grabbed a little lunch…so they could get back to the room to catch part of the Titans game. (They were in Indianapolis playing the Colts---and it was not a good day for the Titans, they were shutout 23-0.)
A fan bus from Nashville was due to arrive about 3 pm---for a Game Day Rally with in the hotel. The bus was running about 20 minutes late. However, we they arrived the ‘LU Bison’ was on the street corner to welcome them to Bloomington. Benjamin had the honor to wear the mascot outfit for the “pep rally†event. Nearly 100 fans from the Indiana area also joined our Nashville faithful----to listen to Athletic Director Philip Hutcheson---Head Coach Scott Sanderson---and a scouting report from Pete Froedden. A lot of great fellowship followed….and the children enjoyed buying ‘Bison items†and getting their picture made with the Bison.
It was good to see some old friends, including former Bison Wade Tomlinson---who was a teammate of Philip Hutcheson in the late 80’s and early 90’s. Wade was a guest on our halftime report…and his interview can be heard if you listen to the podcast of today’s game.
After the game---Coach Sanderson---was emotional and excited about the comeback---and the play of the team. This is a benchmark win for this program. We had come close last year with Purdue---and two years ago we gave Kentucky a run---but this year we got the win. A historical victory over INDIANA!
I am sure the bus ride to Nashville---for both the fan bus and the team bus---was filled with joy! This game will be replayed and talked about for a long, long time!
.
I will say—the Indiana fans and workers that we talked with today were super nice. They were very cordial and helpful. Even after the game---one of the student workers---remarked, “You will want to take your name plate to remember this winâ€. I thought that was very thoughtful. He went on to say, we are having a tough year---but we will be back.
Tom Crean will rebuild the program. He knows he has a young team. But, he didn’t make excuses in his postgame interview. He said, if you let a team shoot over 50 percent, you don’t play good defense and you get out rebounded---you are going to lose. He said he was not sure he had been in a game that one team go up by 21 with a big run…and then see the other team go on a big run to cut the lead---he was gracious in defeat and had nice things to say about the Bisons.
Coach Sanderson and the team can enjoy this win….I am sure they will remember it for a long time…however, I am sure that tomorrow they will begin working on Saturday’s game with Florida Gulf Coast.
Our two Indiana boys—Michael Teller and Adnan Hodzic had great games. Michael hit a career high 19 points…,including the first 5 points of the second half to lead our comeback. Adnan also finished with 19 points---this victory will be one they will enjoy telling their grandchildren about!
Benjamin said the biggest stat of the day---the Bisons are now 1-0---when he dresses up as the Bison Mascot! We might have to see if we can find a big set of headphones for that Bison head!
We will fly back to NC in the morning---complete our holiday vacation…and then we will be courtside on Saturday in the friendly confines of Allen Arena. Despite a great win on the road to day…it will be good to be home for the next three games.
Text and phones calls have been coming in from all over---from folks listening to the game…and other that got to see it on Big Ten TV---My friend Peter Powell…who handles the football media relations for David Lipscomb High School…and the PA voice for Belmont…texted me to say, “Great win tonight. Can’t wait to read about this one in the Travel Log. You can definitely “put this one in the books!.â€
Peter is right…this one goes in the “History Bookâ€---a great moment in Bison Athletics---and yes you can---“Put it in the bookâ€!!!!!
MONDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2008 - 12:43 P.M. - NORTH CAROLINA
The boys and I are spending the off day in Mocksville. We worshiped with my home congregation---the Jericho Church of Christ---the oldest Church of Christ in North Carolina. They have the traditional worship times---10:00 a.m. for Sunday school and 11:00 a.m. for worship. After worship my mother’s family, the “Forrest Familyâ€â€”had their Annual Christmas Dinner. I spent the afternoon visiting with relatives…while Justin and Benjamin…eat in a hurry and hustled back to the house to watch the Titans and the Steelers! What a victory for the Titans!
Sunday night we went to church in Thomasville, North Carolina. About 25 years ago, Brentwood Hills started supporting the church in Thomasville. For about 15 years, I visited with that church every summer and for eleven years we conducted a summer VBS for the church. The Thomasville church has been self supporting for several years. However, we stay in touch and every chance I get I try to stop by and visit with the church.
More football, game prep, emails and a few projects around mom and dad’s house has taken most of our Monday morning. We have been outside picking up pecans---and Benjamin wants his granddad to show him how he makes his famous “Pecan Piesâ€! Benjamin wants to carry on the tradition.
We will head to Burlington about 2:15 this afternoon…to get ready for tonight’s game with Elon. The team will fly out of Raleigh in the morning—many going separate ways to spend a few days at home for Christmas. The boys and I will head east on I-40. We will be in Nashville for a couple of days---then head back to Oak Ridge to Barbara’s folks on Thursday afternoon and then we will make the trek back here to North Carolina on Friday for Christmas with my family here in the Tar Heel state.
Sunday we will fly into Indiana to meet the team---and MC a Pep Rally at the hotel prior to the game with Indiana. A lot of basketball, travel and holiday fun! Hope we play well tonight---and get a road win! We need to “Put it in the Bookâ€!
Trevor’s Update
The team began Sunday morning with a nice breakfast in the hotel lobby. Then the majority of the team attended the Mebane Street Church of Christ. It was a fairly small church about 15 minutes from our hotel.
Everything flowed along smoothly until the closing announcements when then “Elon basketball team†was thanked for attending services and to go get a win over Lipscomb Monday night. Everyone laughed at the mistake and the gentleman making the announcements corrected himself. Most sports teams are very superstitious, so some of the players were petrified that this could be a bad omen.
The team had Subway catered and had a little downtime – enough to see the first half of the Titans game – before making the short drive to Elon for practice. Coach Froedden, the biggest Titans fan on the trip, was very unhappy with our practice time.
Sunday evening the team went to the Outback across from our hotel for dinner. The players were given the choice of the “Outback Special†steak, ribs, or chicken. It’s birthday week for the Bisons with four birthdays in a week span, the Outback crew brought desserts for the birthday guys and sang their extremely short birthday song. Since everyone was pretty full, the desserts got split between everyone on the team.
In one of Jonathan’s early postings he mentioned that all we do on the road is travel-sleep-eat-go to the gym-eat-sleep – go to the gym-eat (or something close to that). It’s very true.
Monday morning we ate at the hotel before heading to the gym for shoot-around. The coach staff seemed very pleased with the performance in practice and shoot-around over the last two days. Then it was back to the hotel for an hour or so nap before going to eat a pregame meal at Sal’s Italian Restaurant. It was one of the best pregame meals so far this year.
Now it’s time to get ready for the game. Tonight will be a short night. I probably won’t make it to sleep trying to wrap up the post game information and preparing the weekly conference reports, but for those that do get to sleep, the wakeup call is 3 a.m. The bus leaves the hotel at 4 a.m. for the hour drive to the Raleigh airport. Players and staff are flying directly to their homes for the Christmas holidays. Michael Teller and Adnan Hodzic are on the first to fly out. They leave for Indianapolis at 6:05 a.m. For those of us going back to Nashville, we will get to hang out at the airport for our 7:55 a.m. flight.
The team will have two and half days off before reassembling in Nashville Friday for an afternoon practice. Merry Christmas everyone!
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2008 - 10:06 P.M. - NORTH CAROLINA
Game day. Justin, Benjamin and I are about 120 miles from the RBC Center where the Bisons and N.C. State will play today. I am sure the team is sleeping in…followed by a pre-game meal…with a plan to be at the RBC Center about 12:15…so that the team can have plenty of time to get use to the surroundings.
I’ll let Trevor fill in the details.
Meanwhile, here in Mocksville…we got up about 8 am to get ready to make the trip to Raleigh. Very foggy this morning as we headed to town---to get gasoline---stop by the post office and a quick stop at Burger King, before heading east on I-40 for Raleigh.
Mom and Dad are both traveling with us…and it is a little tight with five squeezed in the car. Justin, Benjamin and their grandmother are side by side in the backseat! After 2 ½ hours they will all be ready to get out of the car.
Mom and Dad can’t walk very far---so we were fortunate that the media parking was close---and that they could use an elevator to get to the playing floor. The Lipscomb seats were floor level, just behind the bench. They had great seats and enjoyed the game.
We had several “purple†shirts scattered through the sea of red. The RBC Center seats about 19, 700---and the attendance today was listed just over 10,000---some of those could have been not shows…and it was hard to tell how many were there with the fans setting in three levels throughout the arena.
After the game I got to spend a few minutes with my friend Dennis Conner, one of the ministers at Brooks Ave. Dennis and I grew up together here in NC…attending Carolina Bible Camp every summer with Geoffrey Sikes (Minister at Madison Street in Clarksville, TN) and we all attended Lipscomb together in the mid 70’s. It is great to see some of the churches and Lipscomb Alumni in the cities that we are playing---coming out to support the school. Some of the folks from Raleigh home to make the short trip to Elon on Monday…and they are making plans for the Campbell game on February 9th. (Buies Creek is a short drive from Raleigh)
During his pre-game interview, Coach Sanderson reflected on the life and the influence of Barry Brewer. This was the first game for the Bisons since Barry passed away. The team is wearing a patch on their uniforms for the remainder of the 2008-09 season to honor Barry. The patch is inscribed with a large “B†and ‘Barry Brewer’ in smaller print.
As most of you know, I had the pleasure of serving the University as Athletic Director during the 1990’s. I was very involved with Dr. Steve Flatt and Dr. Carl McKelvey in the hiring of Scott Sanderson. I remember that immediately after introducing him---that Barry Brewer took Scott under his wing to welcome him to the Lipscomb family. I remember Barry sharing with me about their friendship. From day one---they became dear friends---and especially during those first few years---Coach Sanderson had no better friend than Barry Brewer. That friendship grew during the years. Coach told me today that the Lord knew he needed a friend when he moved to Nashville---and God placed Barry Brewer in his life.
Barry will be missed…but not forgotten. His spirit was with us today and will be with us in the days to come. Barry loved Lipscomb! I know he loved to go recruiting with Coach…and when he couldn’t go he would call him late at night to make sure that he was not falling asleep while driving.
Coach will miss those calls.
Barry loved to talk sports. He used to call me to go over the list of recruits or to talk about how the team had played the night before. Benjamin and Tyne (Barry’s son) were Mustang football teammates—and Barry and I loved to talk football every chance we got! I will miss his smile, his positive attitude---and his passion for Bison Athletics!
After the game, the team left for Burlington, North Carolina…about an hour west of Raleigh. The team will worship with a Mebane Street Church of Christ in the morning…practice tomorrow and rest up for Monday night’s game with Elon.
Game time is at 6:00 p.m. and our coverage on the Lipscomb Sports Network will begin at 5:45 p.m.
Our broadcast team left after the game to drive back to Mocksville. Since we missed the team meal at the Golden Corral last night---we stopped in Winston-Salem to enjoy the buffet at the GC! We’ll attend worship services at the Jericho Church of Christ…and attend a family reunion Christmas dinner…before getting in front of the TV to watch the Titans!
By the way the 78-58 loss today---leave the Bisons 1-4 on the road this year---as we began another 3 game road trip…as we are in the middle of playing seven of eight games on the road. Our bench was short today…as coach put it…we had about as many players in suits and ties on the bench---as we did in our road black uniforms. We had nine players that could play today…and only eight saw action….and Jordan Burgason left the game with a twisted ankle…and we will have to wait and see how he responds tomorrow…to know what our numbers will be Monday night.
It started raining during the game…and we drove in rain most of the way home tonight. The rain is moving out…and colder air is moving in for the next couple of days…but no snow predicted!
That’s it for today… Put it in the Book!
Trevor’s Update
The team’s day started out with a pre-game breakfast at 10 a.m. in the lobby of the Embassy Suites we were staying in. The food was great!
We checked out of the hotel before heading to the RBC Center for the game because after the game we traveled an hour west to Burlington, N.C. where we will spend the next three nights.
A few of the guys got shakes from the Steak and Shake next to the hotel when we arrived. The team had wings, chicken tenders, and potato skins for dinner a little later during a film session in Coach Sanderson’s room.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2008 - 11:53 P.M. - NORTH CAROLINA
The team flew to Raleigh, North Carolina this morning to prepare of Saturday’s game with N.C. State University. I elected to drive to North Carolina with my sons Justin and Benjamin and to spend a few extra days with my parents—commuting back and forth to the games.
We left the house today—about 2:15 North Carolina time…and we had to make a “shopping-return’ stop in Lebanon. We arrive here in Mocksville, North Carolina—my hometown—about 9:15 local time. Justin ended up driving all the way in a fine car provided by Tennessee Car and Van.
I sat in the back seat---doing work that included a lot of emails, phone calls and stuffing the Christmas cards that I had addressed on the Jacksonville trip! Tomorrow they will be mailed!
Trevor Garrett sent me several emails and updates…and since he is traveling with the team…he can had some “team flavor†to his blog throughout the weekend.
We were somewhere around Knoxville when my lifelong friend, Dennis Conner called me from the Golden Corral in Raleigh. Dennis is one of the ministers at the Brooks Ave Church of Christ---and a group of their members were meeting the Bisons to eat with them tonight. Saturday we expect several from that church and others to be at the Lipscomb-N.C. State game.
We still have about a 2 ½ to 3 hour ride to get to the RBC Center for the 1 pm Nashville tip. We try to arrive about two hours prior to tip…to record interviews, set-up and get ready for the broadcast. Mon and Dad and my older brother Michael and some of his family are planning to go to the game.
You might think with me being a North Carolina native---I might be a N.C. State fan! However, my blood runs “purple and gold†and “Carolina Blue and Whiteâ€---not N.C. State “red†or Duke “blueâ€! I am a BIG North Carolina Tar Heel fan! The only time I ever pull against the Tar Heels—when they are playing Lipscomb!
A few years ago our softball team came to Chapel Hill to play Carolina…and Frank Bennett brought the Lady Bisons to North Carolina to play. We made a day out of that game. We loaded up the van and all of the men and boys here for Christmas---went to watch the Lady Bisons in the afternoon and then we got to see Carolina play that evening! A great outing!
My younger brother, Patrick, is a graduate of N.C. State. He lives in Florida and will not arrive in North Carolina for Christmas until later next week. So, a win over the Wolfpack on Saturday would be a great Christmas present….for me!
It is great to get spend a few extra days with family. Often during the holidays…we have traveled together to Bison games or holiday tournaments. When the whole gang can’t go—then usually my boys and I will take off and go to the game…that will be the case next weekend when we leave the Christmas Celebration to travel to Indiana.
Speaking of travel…it won’t be long until we need to head to Raleigh. Be sure to listen in to the broadcast! Since we are not traveling with the team---I’ll have to let Trevor share some of the happenings away from the court when he edits and post my blog….so until next time you can…
Put it in the Book!
Trevor’s update:
The Bisons didn’t get to sleep in the first day after exams. Friday started with an hour practice at 8 a.m. and then it was off to the airport.
We arrived at the airport about 9:45 for an 11:30 flight. The team had paper tickets because Southwest does not do ticketless travel for groups. Because of the snow across the county, many flights were cancelled or delayed so the team had to wait in line behind the rebookers to get their boarding passes.
I was lucky because my flights are booked separately from the team so I was able to check-in from the office and go directly to the gate. Most of the team got to the gate as we were about to board the plane.
While we arrived safely, the flight was anything but normal. It was the roughest flight I’ve ever been on. There were a few times that it felt like the plane dropped a couple hundred feet. We arrived to the Raleigh area in a little over hour, but then circled for about twenty minutes before landing. I counted seeing the same school three times.
The team watched video of NC State when we got to the hotel and then had some downtime before heading to dinner at the Golden Corral.
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2008 - 9:03 P.M. - JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA
Friday night the Bisons enjoyed a “China Buffetâ€! Coach Jay is in charge of sitting up the meals and he does a great job. Last night---I ate with Coach Sanderson. It is always good to visit with him and talk about a variety of things…including how things are going at Brentwood Hills and he brought me up to speed on how things are going at Woodson Chapel. He was telling me about some exciting things that they are doing…including a class that reviews and goes over the sermon. He said it has been a great class for building a relationship with their preacher---and for getting the class to commit to “getting involvedâ€!
That got me thinking…we sort of do that with a group of men that I meet with on Monday Mornings at 6:30 am at Brentwood Hills—called “Monday Morning Quarterbacksâ€---but I might need to expand this to a Sunday class—that reviews and goes over Walt Leaver’s sermons!
Last night could have been an early night to bed…but I watched Ball State get beat and I listened to part of the ETSU-Mercer game (ETSU won big) on the computer. I also worked at downloading some programs that I needed and other computer work. Meanwhile, Trevor and Benjamin were watching some videos on the internet…and then they made the walk across the parking lot to the “Gate Gas Station†for a late night snack.
This morning…I was up before Benjamin and I headed down for a cup of coffee and a bagel before heading to the exercise room…for my third straight day on the bike. Coach Jay was getting a morning workout….and I spend about 20 minutes on the bike, etc.
Game days that feature an afternoon game…usually allow the players to sleep in a little. No Shoot around today…we walked over to Ruby Tuesday’s for our pre-game meal and then we will leave for the Gym about 1 pm…allowing us to watch most of the Lady Bison game. While walking to the pre-game meal we wished Adnan Hodzic HAPPY BIRTHDAY---today was his 20th birthday!
At half-time of the women’s game, Coach Sanderson and I stepped outside to record our pre-game interview. Something we would have not been able to do in Nashville today! It was in the 30’s back home and a pleasant 68 here in Jacksonville.
Lady Bisons will go home 0-2 in the Atlantic Sun…and the Bisons got off to a slow start---and we just never could get over the hump; so the team opens the A-Sun schedule 1-1 with our first conference trip of the year.
Back at the hotel, the team gathered in the lobby to watch the SEC Football championship and to eat dinner together. Later they would have a team meeting. Trevor, Benjamin and I walked over the “Gate Gas Station†to get a little dessert (candy bar or cookie) before heading to the room to watch the last bit of the Florida/Alabama football game; the Kentucky basketball game and to get ready for the Oklahoma/Missouri game!
Along the way we will pack-up our equipment and be ready to load the bus at 7:30 in the morning for a 7:45 departure to the airport. The Lady Bisons were able to fly home this afternoon…but we have to wait until the morning. Trevor has us signed in…we will check bags and print our boarding passes at the airport.
The Bisons have only one home game during the month of December---Tuesday night as they host SIU-Edwardsville at 7:00pm. Joins for “Christmas at Allenâ€! I think the jolly old man in a red suit will be in attendance!
Road trips are team building. Coach Sanderson told me today he thought the team had come closer together---as a unit—this trip. That will be important for the rest of the season.
The trips can be fun…but it is always good to go home.
Put it in the book!
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2008 - 2:25 P.M. - JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA
How do you sleep when you travel? I know it depends on the hotel, the bed, etc. Our accommodations here in Jacksonville are great here at the Hampton Inn. However, if you listened to the game last night—you know I am suffering from a “bad coldâ€---so I woke up a few times during the night---with a stopped-up head! However, my roommate (Benjamin Seamon) slept right through it all…now if his older brother Justin had been on this trip—it might have been a different story---but we will save that for another time.
I usually get on up early…while Benjamin sleeps…since the team was not going to meet to eat until 9:30 am…and then team meeting at 11:15 and on to practice at noon. I headed down to breakfast early…and this trip is a little different since the Lady Bisons are here playing doubleheaders. Coach Bennett and the Lady Bisons were eating earlier…because they have an earlier practice time.
Coach Bennett and I have been friends for years---I have watched him as he has built the Lady Bison program. During my years at Lipscomb---I had the pleasure of traveling with him and the team. One Thanksgiving weekend--- Coach Bennett and I were the only men that traveled with the Ladies to Midland, Texas for a three game tournament at Wayland Baptist. That tournament put the Lady Bisons up against some of the top women’s programs in the NAIA…and despite some tough loses…it was one of those stepping stones in the building of the program.
This morning Frank was asking me about my “knee rehabâ€â€¦and we discussed his “hip replacementâ€---as we both accept the aging process. I told him…that when the shot went down last night…at the buzzer…he was the first person I looked at…and my thought was…â€there is nothing he can do…but walk to the other end of the floor and shake the hand of the North Florida coachâ€! It was a disappointing lost.
Breakfast---a glance through the USA Today---Sports Center on the TV---and different conversation at each table in the breakfast area---including the sharing of dreams and nightmares from the past night of sleep!
Players were off to look at clips---I headed to the workout room for another 12 minute bike ride…to help loosen and strengthen my knee.
The Ladies were off to practice…the men gathered for a team meeting at 11:15 to be followed by a trip to Swisher Gym on the Jacksonville campus…for practice. Coach Jay Walton stressed that the day between games on our conference trips is very important…not a physical day…but a mental day! The coaching staff burned some midnight oil---breaking down film---reviewing stats and preparing a scouting report for the team meeting and the practice.
Today technology plays into the scouting report---more than ever! Phone calls, text messages, emails—and digital video to break down—with edits on the computer. You used to have to take a video tape and mark clips or take a couple of machines and make some rough edits on the road---now you can download the opponents last game of the internet---and on the computer break down clips along with clips from your own game! You not only have to be a coach…and know your X’s and O’s---you have got to be a computer whiz!
A short bus ride to practice…Swisher is an old gym…that gives you a feel like McQuiddy…they recently put in a new floor and did some other renovations. Jacksonville plays a lot of their games at a down town city arena (that is where they played Belmont), however there is some event going on there this weekend---so our game is being played on campus.
Back at the hotel the team got ready for lunch and study hall. Several staff members went to Zaxbys to get lunch…and the lobby breakfast area became a lunch gathering place---and Study Hall! For the rest of us…back to the room…a little work…some more emails…and if we are lucky a NAP! Dinner will be next.
I tell people that traveling with an athletic team consist of: Practice—eating—sleep—shoot around---eating—games—sleep—and traveling! And for some of us…we add in hours of extra work from home and prep work for the games.
It is not a vacation or a site seeing trip. It is all business. However, we have a lot of fun along the way.
Put it in the book!
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2008 - 11:11 P.M. - JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA
Benjamin Seamon and Trevor Garrett---were in the High Rise Dormitory Lobby…ready and waiting when I arrived to pick them up for our morning trip to the Nashville International Airport. Cold and rainy---and more cold weather is predicted…so the 70 degrees in Jacksonville sounds warming!
We were heading out to the airport with plenty of time---so park, check luggage, clear security and make it to our Southwest Gate---partly because today would be my first flight since having my knee replaced in August!
Instead of sugarplums in my dreams---I had nightmares of the “wanâ€!
We pulled up to the curb at Southwest. I dropped off Trevor and Benjamin---and the luggage and then I parked the car in long term parking. (What is wrong with this picture---two young guys sitting in the airport---old man who had his knee replaced just over three months ago…walking a half mile in the cold!)
Trevor likes to get good seats on the plane….so he had printed out our boarding passes on Wednesday…so it took just a few minutes to check in our luggage and head to the screening area!
There I would be faced with my first “wan†treatment since having my knee replaced! It took awhile to the bags and the computers and yes one of my bags had to be sent through the x-ray machine twice! I immediately set off the machine---I told the guard about my knee…and he said---you know the routine!
I really didn’t---but he put me in a glass holding area; then another guard came and told me not to touch my bags or belongs---he would have to move them to another room…where I would have the “wan†treatment!
Benjamin stood and watched---and I am sure he was snickering under his breath! It takes a few extra minutes—but I was cleared and sent on to our gate.
While walking to the gate---we ran into Perry Moore. I told Trevor that in the late 70’s and early 80’s he was Mr. Bison Basketball Stat Man! He worked for me for several years doing Bison stats and helping with our conference stats. He also wrote our first computer Stat program. Now he is a professor at Lipscomb---and he is Trevor’s academic advisor.
And he continues to be a big Bison fan…along with his wife and sons.
On the plane, we were sitting behind Kevin Ingram, the voice of the Belmont Bruins. Kevin also works for 104.5 The Zone and he does the sideline reporting for Vanderbilt football. That is a job I had back in the early 80’s. I was working the sidelines the last time Vanderbilt went to a bowl game. However, I didn’t get to enjoy the bowl game---it was a New Year’s Eve Bow game---and my younger brother was getting married that evening in North Carolina…so I was unable to roam the sidelines for the bowl game.
Kevin and I discussed that bit of Trivia…and it was Paul Kennedy who filled in for me. None of us had any idea that there would be so many years between bowl games for the commodores.
Craig Hartline, the voice of the Lady Bisons traveled with us today…and he was in charge of the rental car. He didn’t have the reservation or the name of the rental company…so we made our rounds to almost every rental company…before we found his reservation!
Weather is nice here…got here in plenty of time to work on our game material…head to the pre-game meal and then on to watch the Lady Bisons and the University of North Florida. A tough night for the ladies…losing on a buzzer beater!
The Bisons---dominated the boards---shot better---good defense—especially in the first half on their way to a conference win over North Florida! Not much time to celebrate…we play Jacksonville Saturday---after they beat Belmont, winning their first game of the year.
Back here at the hotel…I got in a little bike riding for my knee…a post game snack…some ice for the knee…Benjamin is trying to get to sleep…so my snoring won’t bother him (with my cold…it could be a long night for him!)
Put it in the book!
