Athletic antiphon

Seasons over, now what?

It's always sad in a way when it all comes to a close. All of our home events are done for the academic year. The only thing currently running (pardon the pun) is track. That doesn't mean everyone in the athletic department races toward the door, not returning until August.

As for me, during the month of May, I do a little professional spring cleaning, tying up loose ends, etc. It is at this time I'll do year-end wrap-ups, etc., and get to work on the fall media guides. Plus, I finally have some time to read up on some of the trends in sports information. I get to step out of the forest, so to speak, and take a look at it.

In June, I'll take a few days off here and there and my days on campus will be shorter. I ride my bike to work during this time (the kind you peddle), so it's kind of like a long break while out to get some exercise.

July is my favorite month. I attempt to force myself to stay away from here. I watched the original buildings go up, went to school here, and have worked here for nearly 11 years, so, this place has had that gravitational pull on me which at times seems inescapable.

I'm usually back for good during the second week in August. This may sound defensive, but I always get that "wow, what a great job you have to take a good part of the summer off." Well, I deserve it, darn it! This Saturday, May 10, will be my first full day off since March 2, not that I'm keeping track or anything :) Once I hit the ground running in August, I will not have a full day off until November...yes, that means all weekends.

I enjoy what I do; I guess I better! I enjoy my time off more than most because in July, I leave here guilt-free. And, when it's time to come back, I'm ready for it.

Bring on the summer!

Ranger Bear in Lighthouse Run Mascot Race

You heard it here first. I have learned, from a very creditable source, that Ranger Bear will be a participant in the nationally-acclaimed mascot race as part of the Lighthouse Run in downtown Racine Saturday, June 21. Here's some background: http://www.lighthouserun.com/html/mascot_race.html

My sources also tell me Bucky Badger will be in the event this year as well.

Ranger Bear has not confirmed this in his blog (must be tough to type with those big claws).

I tracked down Lighthouse Run event coordinator Pete Henkes, who admitted that Ranger Bear "had serious interest" in the event.

Ranger Bear: We'll be rooting for you!

Fields are floating

If you scroll down, in a post some time ago, I predicted April 12 would be our first spring home event. The GLVC had us playing baseball at home in early March originally! Well, turns out April 12 may have been a stretch.

You know that baseball/softball saying "ducks on the pond." Over here, we now use that term in a literal sense. Or, are those Canadian geese?

A blog on blogs

  I was watching TV this morning and saw a bunch of high school cheerleaders beating the you-know-what out of a fellow cheerleader. This wasn’t faked and it wasn’t funny. In fact, it was horrific. You may have seen the edited for TV version. Anyway, the girls who did this filmed it and put it on You Tube.

That is one example of something that had no editing. It’s frightening. You can already see the socital breakdown caused in-part by the internet. I don’t dabble into things like Facebook or some of those other sites out there which can be highly detrimental and have a domino effect on society in general.

Okay, enough of the philosophical stuff. Weblogs, or blogs as we call them, are in vogue these days. You’re reading one now, thank you. On the athletic website, we have student-athlete blogs which are submitted to me. I edit them and post them.

Here is where you’ll find them:

http://www.parksiderangers.com/sports/2007/12/4/BlogIndex.aspx?

Most of the blogs I get I need to edit, not for grammatical reasons necessarily, but for content. If I have to edit it, is it really a blog? If our university webmaster edits this (which she doesn’t – thanks for trusting me, Beth), are these really my thoughts? Can I really say what I truly feel on all issues? Not in this forum! But, if I had my own web page, away from the university, could I be politically incorrect without any consequences?

I don’t have a point to make here. I just want to create some thought. I do want to mention, when you read something on the internet or see a video, consider the source, the motive, and ask is it artificially created to benefit a company or a cause. Is it publicity for publicity’s sake? An unethical way to draw attention to something that you normally wouldn't be drawn to?

By the way, can you read between the lines and see the point I’m making? Do I really have one? Is it contradictory? Do I WANT to say more?...yah, I guess I do.

UW-P football, hockey to make things busy for me

Oh boy, here we go. With UW-Parkside starting varisty football and men's and women's hockey next year, my life is going to be very busy. On a personal level, I hope I get some help to keep up with these premier sports.

I don't know if our new 20,000-seat football stadium will be ready in time for Opening Day on August 30. That will make it worse, having to go to an alternate facility to run my sports information doings. The hockey I'm not worried about facility-wise, because, as you may have seen on Highway E just west of Highway 31, ground has already been broken.

There is no NCAA II hockey, so we will have to play up at the Division I level. Our home opener against Wisconsin ought to be fun, but scary at the same time. On the women's side, the schedule hasn't been made out yet.

Looks like I've had my last true summer vacation with the addition of these new sports (by the way, this is an April Fools joke - some will only read the beginning and believe it). I'll have to cut back on my sleep. Here's to baseball Opening Day and a Brewer division championship!

Dave Williams leaving? April Fools Day!

             As I returned from lunch one day a couple of years ago, I walked into my office to find my desk turned completely upside-down. And, my fake tree was tied up with phone wire. Who could have perpetrated such a thing? After simple deduction, the answer came to me – it had to be Dave Williams.

            That’s part of what our soon-to-be former athletic director brought to the table. He kept things loose in the athletic department. You had to be on your toes, in more ways than one.

            Unfortunately, I had better things prepared for this blog. I was hoping Dave would stick around until at least April 1^st. Why? Because April 1^st is his birthday. April 1 is also April Fool’s Day (fitting?), so I was set to orchestrate a giant prank on him, but, it won’t come to fruition now. His starting date at MWSU is April 1. I was going to post some sort of a bulletin in this space, so you can join in on the fun too. But, he escaped, again.

            On a personal level, Dave will be missed. On a financial level, his leaving is good for me. It’s like getting a raise. No longer will my diet Pepsi supply dwindle. Did I have one or two cans of soda from that initial 12-pack I put in my fridge in my office? Geez, now I can drink all 12 if I so choose (honestly, as I'm writing this, he came into my office and took a  soda).

            So, for my counterparts at Missouri Western State, a bit of advice from someone who has worked with Dave Williams for 10 years:

            ·        Don’t have diet Pepsi around; you won’t have it for long.

·        Change the locks on your office door.

·        Ask Dave “what happened?” in late September after the Brewers win the division, eliminating his Cubs (what’s that, 100 years now?).

·        When you see that big white car in the parking lot with Wisconsin plates, note that it has over-inflated tires. Do a good deed and let all the air out.

·        Never bring up the 1998-99 basketball season at UW-Parkside when he was the top assistant coach (we were only a heart-breaking 24 wins short of an undefeated season).

·        Don’t play golf against him unless you are really good. And, make sure your bag is securely fastened to the cart. He has this habit of loosening the straps so that when you drive off, your clubs stay behind.

·        Steer clear of him on Monday mornings from September to December. He’s a Bears fan and is not a good loser.

On a serious note, I’ve been fortunate in that every job I have ever had, I’ve always had a boss that I have liked. Dave is certainly one of them. I can’t speak for everyone in the athletic department, but I can’t help but wonder who will be next athletic director. This is a major decision and it needs to be done right! I hope the “system” brings us an athletic director who will not only propel Ranger athletics to a higher level, but will give us someone easy to work with, and a good friend…like Dave is.

Any guess as to when the first UWP home spring event will be?

I recall our previous baseball coach, Tracy Archuleta, saying "Wisconsin winters are overrated." He was here during a mild streak. This year, it's the real deal. So, while Coach Archuleta is now playing home games in February in a warmer climate, our baseball and softball field is engulfed by Mother Nature's tarp.

We always seem to have home games scheduled in March (like that's going to happen). So, as the calendar moves forward and I post the "PPD" on the website, or change the site of the baseball/softball game, a question arises: WHEN WILL UW-PARKSIDE HOST A BASEBALL OR SOFTBALL GAME ON CAMPUS IN 2008?

Our Facility Director predicts a year will come when the entire home slate is wiped out (anyone want to foot the bill for the 'RangerDome'?). Here's my best guess. I'm putting it out there so that I can be accountable, and take all the credit, when my prediction comes true.

I predict the first outdoor Ranger sporting event in 2008 will take place when the softball team hosts Kentucky Wesleyan April 12.

Now, it's time to make your guess.

Here's the baseball schedule:
http://www.parksiderangers.com/schedule.aspx?path=baseball

Here's the softball schedule:
http://www.parksiderangers.com/schedule.aspx?path=softball&schedule=53&

If you guess right, I'll make sure you are acknowledged at that sporting event...even if it's in 2009!

Spirit Week is here

We can't celebrate a Packer Super Bowl victory, spring is NOT just around the corner, the basketball teams came up short on last week's road trip and the weather flat out sucks. Thank God Spirit Week is here. We need a little shot in the arm around this time.

Back in the day, it was called Winter Carnival. "Spirit" Week had a whole new meaning then. The current version is run by Tyson Fettes an elected Burlington political figure and a student on campus. He's the guy who runs around flanked by a dozen people at a time...he's important enough to be assassinated, while the rest of us just get killed. Anyway, Tyson and his crew did a great job last year and I expect even better things will come about this year. Here's a few of the things which are on tap:

Tuesday, Feb. 5 - 8 p.m., in the cafeteria, Yell Like Hell. The prize is $100 for the winning organization. Bring your vocal chords.

Wednesday, Feb. 6 - noon, in the cafeteria, Pep Rally. Both the women's and men's basketball teams will make an appearance, along with the UW-P cheerleaders and dance team. Free popcorn and green (what other color did you expect) slushies.

Thursday, Feb. 7 - FREE tailgate party and face painting at Ranger Hall. Then everyone heads over to the women's game at 5:30 and the men's game at 7:30 p.m. vs. Quincy, and yes, it's FREE for students. The games are on statewide TV, so make some noise and wave your FREE rally towel. A comedian will perform after the men's game and there will be FREE pizza as well.

Friday, Feb. 8 - Stratigically, nothing is planned. Good day to recover from the week and rest up for the games on Saturday.

Saturday, Feb. 9 - Women's game at 1 p.m. and men's game at 3 p.m. vs. SIU Edwardsville. The Cougars will move on to NCAA Division I next year, so let's give them a proper send off...like with a pair of losses! FREE t-shirts for students who attended both Thursday and Saturday's games.

I have been informed the crazier you dress up for the games, the better. There's a lot more going on, but my fingers are getting sore from typing - it's been a long day. Just check out the posters in the hallway. If you don't have a good time at the games, well, you're just not trying!

Alumni Day is Saturday, Jan. 26

Wow! There's cars in the parking lot this morning. The students must be back. After a month of relative quiet, the campus is now bustling. As much as it's relaxing to stroll into work wearing sweats with few people around to break my focus, it's good to have the campus alive again.

Speaking of people returning to campus, Saturday, Jan. 26, alums (I'm one of them!!) will return. It is Alumni Day at the basketball games that afternoon. The women's game is at 1 p.m. with the men's game at 3 p.m. Lewis will be the opponent, so the games should be very competitive.

Alums will get free food and beverages through halftime of the men's game. They will all get a prize just for showing up and will be in a drawing for even more prizes. Plus, they all get in free by calling 262-595-2443 with an RSVP. Of course, they get their families in free of charge too. What a deal! Everything is free! Here's a hint fellow alums: wear green or UW-Parkside stuff...it may work to your advantage (shhhhh!).

I wonder if I am eligible for some of those prizes?

Romo was recruited by Rangers

Here's a little-known fact. Did you know Tony Romo was recruited by UW-Parkside? Back in my days of working in the media, I was covering a Burlington High School basketball game, which Romo was playing in (in my humble opinion, I thought he was better at basketball than football as a prep). After the contest, I saw Mark Olsen, who was an assistant basketball coach at UW-P at the time. Mark is now our golf coach. Anyway, Coach O was hanging outside BHS' lockerroom waiting for Romo to emerge. Turns out he was attempting to talk Romo into playing basketball and golf at UW-P.

Romo wanted to play more than one sport in college, but ended up settling for football at Eastern Illinois, where, the quarterback coach, Roy Wittke, is a high school classmate of mine - small world. (My claim to fame is that I was the first person ever to interview Romo for both a newspaper and TV.)

I guess Romo made a good decision to go to Eastern Illinois rather than come here. But, just like you students, he's now on vacation too!!