Yikes.... that was tough, but we are one day closer to the DAYTONA 500

 Greetings,

So I worked my first USD Soccer match today.  My initial reaction is OY! or YIKES! if this was a regular season, it could be long.... But this is a short season, so it might not be that bad.

From my not very educated knowledge of collegiate soccer is they need more speed!  The Toreros are lacking in that aspect of the sport.

Now, as for my purpose at the match.  I was learning how to do the stats.  I had never stated soccer before.  Yes, of all the sports that I've done stats for, I've never (prior to today) done soccer.  In retrospect, it is very appropriate that today is Lunar New Year.  So I started a new journey at the beginning of a new year!

I picked up the program very quickly as it is not that hard to figure out.  Once I got home from the match, I texted a good friend that is an SID at a local university and asked him why hadn't told me how easy stating soccer was?  His response was "Hahaha. Easiest of all." Yeah, it is.  In just a month on March 20th, I'll be doing the hardest of all the stat programs, Football.

On the journey home, I stopped at the grocery store to pick up a few things for the weekend.  I got a couple of salads, some strawberries and blueberries, some sunflower seeds (cause what's a salad without them?) and both fried and grilled chicken for the weekend.

Once I got everything ironed out after dinner, I recalculated and formatted my hockey power ranking sheets.  With all of the COVID rescheduled games, I needed to reformat the spreadsheets.

Now, I am getting ready to go to bed.  When I wake up in the morning, it will be time to go work a pair of NAIA Basketball games as the San Diego Christian College Hawks host William Jessop University.  The Warriors will invade the Kroc Center tomorrow (later today) with a 10:30a women's game, followed by a men's game.

If you are looking for me on Sunday, it won't be hard to find me.  Look in the living room, it is not Valentine's Day as many think.  It is DAYTONA 500 Day!  Along with Singles Awareness Day.

On Tuesday, it is looking like I'll do my first men's soccer game.

Off to bed to get ready for the final two games of the week.  It's been almost like "normal" times this week.  Six games across six days and a trip up to Burbank for good measure.

Third time is a charm.....right????

 Well, back on Thursday I was thinking I was going to be doing three games in three days.  What was I thinking this is 2021 and we are still dealing with Covid-19.  Fool!

So just as you can guess, I didn't have three games in three days.  Not even close.

The game that I thought was going to be on Friday is actually today (Sunday).  I was leaving the house I called my contact at the game.  He answered and let me know that the game was actually going to be on Sunday.  So, I got off at the next off ramp and came back home.  Watched TV and enjoyed the fact that I didn't have to drive 45 miles in the rain!  I live in San Diego, just by living here you can guess if I like rain or not...spoiler alert, I hate rain!

So on Saturday (yesterday), USD was scheduled to play Loyola Marymount University or as we call it here in Southern California LMU.  I woke up to an email from my new boss saying that LMU had a positive test and the game would be called off for today.  I emailed him back saying OK.  Now, because I'm kind-of superstitious I have to wear the same thing if one of my teams is on a winning streak.  Well, that is where we are with the Colorado Avalanche.  The Avs played a game last Tuesday (beat San Jose 7-3) the same day that USD women's team lost to Saint Mary's.  So, the Avs played again on Thursday also against San Jose.  The same day Gonzaga and USD were on the court (check out that blog here to see how that went).  Well, Colorado was nice enough to wait until I got into the truck before they scored and they did so three times on the way home for a 3-0 win.  With all of that said, I couldn't screw up a winning streak by changing something up (See even Kevin Costner in Bull Durham knows).  So, I wore the same outfit that I wore on Tuesday and Thursday; blue jeans, sleeveless undershirt, light blue USD polo shirt, my light blue sweater and my Nike shoes.  I wore this as Mom, Dad and myself went to Point Loma Sea Foods (if you live in or near San Diego, you really should go and have some great Sea Food there is you already haven't) and then watched airplanes (can say multiple cause we saw three) takeoff from Lindbergh Field.  We came home and I watched the Avs take down the Minnesota Wild (or as I refer to them, Mild) 5-1.

Looking ahead to today, I have an issue.  The Avs are playing Minnesota again tonight, but the game that was supposed to be played on Friday is being played today at 2p in East Carlsbad/West San Marcos.  I really wouldn't mind wearing a hoodie with USD on it....but I don't want to mess with Colorado's winning streak. Dilemas Dilemas.

So, I think I will wear the hoodie and not the polo shirt and sweater and just hope that the Avs can take care of business like they should be able to.  If I screw up the streak, I'll take responsibility before the game even faces off.

Until next time.

Oh, and tell me in the comments if you would be interested in seeing me go around San Diego and asking random people their thoughts on different questions on YouTube.  I'm thinking of calling it Street Talk.  Let me know.

Talk about a fun ride

Well, the ride is over. Both the 2009 base & softball seasons are over as the baseball team got swept by Long Beach and the softball team lost thier final two games of the year as well.

But looking at the big picture, the big ride is pulling back into the station. After a 12 year run (with a slight pause for dramatic effect) my ride with the Grossmont College athletic teams has come to an end. Hopefully it will again only be a hiatus of two years and then I can come back, but if it is truly the end what a blast it has been.

My first event at Grossmont was a football game, we won, and they have been doing that alot over the past twelve years (including three trips to the state championship, winning in 2005 and along with it the National championship). The basketball teams have done well as well. Both the Men's and Women's teams have been competitive (and really isn't that all you can ask for?).

Baseball has done the traditional Grossmont "thing", which is start out hot, get your hopes up. Lead the PCC for the first third to half of conference, and then the pitching goes to hell, and the bats go cold. They usually make the state playoffs but never get to the second round.

Softball has never been lower than third in the last twelve years (and was only third twice, otherwise they have been 1st or 2nd), including being back-to-back PCC Champions. Granted it isn't as impressive as TDSUN's 22 straight outright or shared conference titles, but you have to enjoy the small steps. With them making it to the 2nd round of the playofs this year was just (sorry I'm going to use some "colorful" language here) fucking great to see. And to outlast TDSUN in the playoffs was beyond great it was f'ing fantastic.

Of course there are the down moments as well....who can forget the football season when the "mighty" Griffins lost to "lowly" COD by a very unfavorable 66-28 margin. Or the Women's Basketball team that went 2-30 my first year at GC (that was not pretty at all!).

So this fall, when the Griffin football, and women's volleyball teams hit the field or court I'll keep my eyes open, but it will be from 237 miles away! Go Griffins and now....Go Runners!