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.

Basketball and videos

 Well, talk about a day!

First on the docket was running the Instant Replay for the USD Toreros Women's Basketball game against Pepperdine at the Jenny Craig Pavilion.  Game time was two in the afternoon.  I got to the arena at 11:30.

Most people are reading this and wondering, why so early?  Well there is two reasons for being there two and a half hours early.  One, I haven't done this position in about a year.  Two, I did a little example video on how everything works.  That will be compiled with the other mini videos that I'm making for all the positions at the table and will compile them all into one video and then post it.

The game went very smoothly.  When USD wins by 25 points that helps.  Also, when the referees only come over one time for a clarification and no real reviews, it is a good game!

I also found out that I'll be working the scoreboard on Monday for Women's Volleyball (I promise to keep all comments to myself!).  The comment in parenthesis is an inside joke that a couple of people know about.  Also, the good ladies in the SID office must really trust me with stats, as they have asked me to come learn/do the stats for Women's soccer this coming Friday.  Of course in 2021, I won't be counting goals until there actually is a game.  In this time, a game on the schedule is just a suggestion.

After the game, I walked around the main portion of USD and asked folks the opening question on San Diego Street Talk.  Which is "what would be the worst movie sequel ever made, and why?"  I interviewed 12 folks.  The final video is coming in around the six and a half minute mark.

Alright, I'm going to head to bed now so that I can get up and enjoy Super Bowl LV.  My pick? The over (more than 56.5 combined points)!

Another game.... and another positive test....

 The USD Toreros were scheduled the byu Cougars.

Scheduled being the important term there.

I got an email around 11a this morning saying that the game was cancelled and the bosses would be in touch with a makeup date.  The way that the email was written I thought that it was a byu player that was the guilty party.  As I would later find out, no it was a USD player that was the guilty party.  STAY IN YOUR ROOMS TOREROS!!!!!!!

Today was the day where I was to get my truck back.  I took it in on Friday to get it fixed.  The front wheel bearings and brakes needed to get fixed.  So, I called yesterday and talked to my High School classmate who happens to own the place.  He said that the truck was ready.  I go in at like 11:30 and find out that nope, it wasn't ready.  No biggie, they were just waiting for the rotors.

So, while they were finishing up the truck, I went into work with Mom.

I knew they were going to need me as the office needed to get a new all-in-one printer.  Mom, her boss and I all went to Staples to get a good deal that they were having.  While at Staples, they also got Turbo Tax, a folder to hold the 2021 tax info and extra ink for the new printer.

We get back to the office and I begin doing my thing.  First I get the old rather large all-in-one out of the way.  It was being replaced as my mom's boss gets a lot of faxs and the old machine (which they got back in 2016) was not receiving faxes anymore.  So a new all-in-one it is.

I get the old one unhooked the telephone line from the old one, I unboxed the new one and got it out of the bag.  I place it in the spot and it takes about half of the space the old one did.  I hooked the telephone line into the new machine.

I then sat down and started doing the setup on my mom's work laptop while she was working on some paperwork on the other side of the office.  Once I got everything taken care of on her laptop, I began on her bosses laptop.  It was during this setup that they both went to the bank to do some (brace yourself) banking.

After I got all of that done, it was time for my mom and I to leave.  On the way home, mom and I stopped for lunch at Arby's.  We took our lunch over to the plane spotting parking lot at Lindbergh Field.  My family loves to go down to the airport and watch planes take off and land.

As mom and I left the airport, I called to check on my truck.  I was told that the mechanic was just about to torque the lug nuts down and take it for a test drive to make sure everything was good.

It takes about 15 minutes to get from the airport to the mechanic.  When we arrived, I noticed that my truck was still in one of the bays.  As I was paying (this is where the "Ouch" tag comes from) he was just then taking the truck for its test drive.  Maybe two minutes later he was back.

I got into my truck and started driving home.  Admittedly, I took a long cut to get home.  About a quarter of the way home I thought I had heard a noise from the left front wheel.  Keeping in mind, I had the front wheels worked on.  So, I went into a really quiet neighborhood to see if I could hear it there.  I didn't so I chalked it up to hearing it from someone else.

Once I got home, it was about 4p.  I sat down and started working on some computer work.  Really, just watching some YouTube videos on how to fix my valve cover gasket (another item that needs to be fixed, if I were to do it at the mechanic it would cost over $400 for labor).  For some reason, I fell asleep for a nap for about 30-45 minutes.  By the time I woke up, it was time for my Colorado Avalanche to hit the ice.  Actually the game had already started when I woke up.

So, I started typing this blog out while listening to the Birthday Boy Conor McGahey (tonight it was "Natural Disaster vs adjective).  The other birthday boy Marc Moser (the TV voice of the Avalanche) was not able to be viewed on NHL.tv this evening for some reason.  I eventually had dinner during the second intermission (rice with leftover meatloaf balls).  The game finished and as I was about to go back to watching YouTube videos on how to grow my channel, my main laptop decided that it wasn't going to play well with others.

So, I got my mini laptop out (the one that I usually work on at games) to finish this blog.  Well, since I haven't used the mini laptop for about a year, it was time for updates.  That took about an hour to get through.

So here it is midnight and I'm finally finishing this blog.  When it was looking like I was going to finish it around 9:30'ish.  Oh well.  Good night.

YouTube.com/c/ChrisDavisCDinSV

Twitter.com/CDinSV

The top team in NCAA Men's Basketball and the plan that wasn't to be...

Well as the Scottish proverb says "The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry."

This happened twice on Thursday.

I started out Thursday by playing a little NASCAR Heat 3.  Finished a couple of races and then it was time for me to leave the house for the day.

First stop was the chiropractor.  Been going to him since May of last year when I tweaked my back.  Things were aligned and so it was a quick visit.  Then I made my way over to Jenny Craig Pavilion to work the men's basketball game against Gonzaga.

Tip for the game was 6:00, but I got to my parking space for the night before 4:00.  So, instead of going in very very early, I sat in the car.  I'm glad I did as my sister (who is going after her bachelor's degree at UNLV) called me for some computer help.  We talked about her classes for a little bit and then got to her problem.  No biggie, just needed some help uploading a file to share with one of her classmates.  Got that all knocked out and then she had to go to get ready for her next class.

I went in around 4:45'ish, just as Gonzaga was arriving to the arena.

The plan was for me to go in and do a video for my YouTube channel on how I run the scoreboard as that was the position that I was working.  But by the time I got in, I didn't think the sound would be good as the music was already playing.  So, when I work the game on Saturday, I'll take my lapel microphones and hook them up and knock it out that way.  Look for that video and the one I'm going to do at the game tonight (Friday, Jan. 29) next week on the above mentioned YT channel.

As for the game....

The Toreros came out of the gate HOT!  But all streaks come to an end.  Just 2:30 into the game, USD was up five points.  The Blue and White held the lead throughout the game for a total of 7:28.  The top team went on a 15 point scoring run in the first half over a course of 5:46 seconds.  At the break they were up 40-29.  The second half was more of the same as the Bulldogs would win 90-62.  For those "Guys in the Desert" the Zags did not cover by just two points. 

Once the game was over, I checked my phone to see what messages I missed (unlike others that I know, I don't look at my phone during the game).  It was at this point that I found out an acquaintance of mine had passed away on Tuesday.  He couldn't have been more than 30 years old #RIPSeth

I don't really like to end things on a downer like that, so I'll leave you with this joke.  Where do cows go on Friday nights?  They go to the moo-vies!

Be safe everyone and remember to love each other!

Toreros getting disrespected

How in the heck?!?!?!?! Why is it that these ESPN "experts" with this bracketology having the San Diego Toreros as a 15 seed? Lets get this straight, they defeat Saint Mary's (currently ranked as a 9 seed in the West Region) in double OT. Then the following night they defeat a projected 7 seed Gonzaga. So how is it that after you defeat two teams that are a 7 & 9 seeds you get a 15 seed? HOW IN THE HELL???

They defeat Kentucky in Rupp Arena, have a top-35 SOS, finished 8-2 over their final 10 games, are an even 8-8 record on Road/Neutral courts. Grant you they are 92nd in RPI, and are 97th overall in SOS. But unlike alot of teams they are 4-6 games agaisnt the top 50 in the RPI.

Comparing the Toreros against the Gaels and Bulldogs

N-C N-C
Team SOS RPI SOS RPI
USD .5277 97 32 159
SMC .5091 38 31 16
GU .5301 30 12 27

Yes, I will grant you there is a big difference in the N-C RPI between SMC & GU but I don't believe that it should give the Toreros that big of a drop.

Your thoughts?