First Friday post

Seeing as it is Friday (and a gorgeous one at that) I'm in a more recreational mood. Couple that with the grand opening of the new Yankee Stadium on Thursday (which the Yankees lost 10-2 to Cleveland) I'm feeling like talking sports, or at least feeling nostalgic about some of the great sports venues I've been to over the years.

To keep this at llist east somewhat impartial, I will leave out the facilities of my alma mater, The University of South Carolina. With that said, if I had to rank my personal Top 10, it would go something like this:

10. Dodger Stadium (1990) - We were on a family trip to California, much like National Lampoon's Vacation, and while in LA went to see the Dodgers play the Montreal Expos. And in typical Borgert family fashion, we had seats way up in the upper deck along the left field line. As I recall, some fat kid sitting in front of us was being obnoxious while eating his ice cream. Ahh, memories...

9. Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum (1990) - On the same family trip out west, our first stop was to San Francisco. We decided to go see the A's (with the Canseco and McGuire) on a sunny Saturday afternoon. They were playing the Yankees, a team at just about the lowest point in its history. We bought scalped tickets, and just like at Dodger Stadium a few days later, we were way up in the top deck. In fact, we were at the very top. You could stand up and look over the top of the wall and see San Francisco across the bay. I got REALLY sunburned.

8. Atlanta Fulton County Stadium (1982) - At the height of Dale Murphy's fame, the Braves were playing Cincinnati on July 4th. We stayed at a dumpy hotel by the stadium, complete with kids playing catch in the hallway at 2 AM, much to my father's chagrin. The game itself was a blowout for the Braves, on their way to a division title. I remember dad trying to get Tom Seaver's autograph for my younger brother, Derek, only to be rebuked. That was the start of a bad day for Derek, as his favorite player, Johnny Bench, ended up not in the lineup that day. Plenty of waterworks when all was said and done.

7. Tiger Stadium (1975) - This was my first major league baseball game. The Tigers were playing Boston and we knew a player with the Red Sox, Bernie Carbo. I was able to go down to field level to see Bernie, got an autographed baseball and generally had a blast. Of course, the old stadium on the corner of Michigan and Trumball is now a thing of the past.

6. Indiana Assembly Hall (1989-1991) - Going to IU for my first two years of college, Assembly Hall was pretty much the heart of the school, town and, to some degree, the state. This was also probably the last of the vintage Bobby Knight teams, usually battling with Michigan State, Ohio State and Purdue for Big 10 supremecy... back when that really meant something. I can still remember IU beating the Steve Smith-led Spartans in 1991 and the gym just rocking to its foundation.

5. Fenway Park (1997) - Even as a Yankee fan, it was cool going to see a game a Fenway. It was an interleague game against the Florida Marlins during the year of their first World Series championship. I was with my brother and another of his teammates from Clemson and we got down to field level to meet up with another ex-Tiger, Billy McMillon, who had just been called up by the Marlins. I remember Marliins manager Jim Leland puffing away on his cigarettes while they took batting practice. The seats were cramped and the hot dogs terrible, but the atmosphere was fantastic... vendors selling street food up and down Lansdowne Street, the Green Monster (still just green at this point), the beer. It was a memorable trip.

4. Michigan Stadium (1989) - My freshman year at Indiana, the Hoosiers played Michigan in Ann Arbor, so I road-tripped up with some guys in my dorm. It was Bo Schembechler's last year as head coach at Michigan and, despite IU having an All-American running back in Anthony Thompson, the Wolverine's trounced IU. We were staying with the sister of one of my friends, who lived right by the stadium. I recall walking over there the morning after the game, finding one of the gates open and walking into the massive stadium as it sat empty, save for the flock of birds who were flying around inside while I stood mid-field and soaked in the history.

3. Frank Howard Memorial Stadium (1994) - Now I said I was not going to mention any of The University of South Carolina facilities, but I didn't say I wouldn't mention USC games. I was working for a newspaper back then and had a photo and press pass for the Clemson-Carolina game that year. I spent the first half down on the field taking photos, including being right by the goal post as the Tigers came running down The Hill. The second half, I was in the press box. Now that's all well and good, but what made it significant was right after I sat down to my free lunch in the press box, Frank Howard (you know, the guy the stadium is named after) was escorted in and sat right next to me. We chatted a bit, including me getting his prediction for the Alabama-Auburn game which was being played later that afternoon. After all, he was an Alabama grad. The Gamecocks ended up winning the game in convincing fashion and 14 months later, Coach Howard passed away. The more I think about it, the more I realize how that was a once-in-a-lifetime moment. Did I mention USC won?

2. Sanford Stadium (1993) - "Lay down you Dawgs!" My senior year at Carolina we opened at Georgia. It was Labor Day weekend, hotter than hell and I was hungover after spending Friday night visiting some of Athens' finer drinking establishments (Tops & Tails was one in case you are interested). The game itself was very tight throughout, and it came down to a goal-line stand in the closing seconds. After being stuffed on the first attempt to punch the ball in, and with the clock running down, Carolina QB Steve Taneyhill (complete with the long hair hanging out the back of his helmet) handed the ball off to Brandon Bennett. He cleared the top of the pile and stuck the ball in for the game-winner with no time left. I think that night, the beers we consumed in downtown Athens tasted extra sweet.



1. Yankee Stadium (2001 & 2008) - Yep, I had to end this with an homage to the old stadium. The first time I went, it was an interleague game against the Braves on a warm, sunny Saturday in June. The Braves crushed the Yankees, but the beers were going down so easy that none of us really cared. In retrospect, the numerous 20oz Heinekens we drank after the game at Stan's, a bar right across from the stadium, were probably ill-advised. The last visit to Yankee Stadium came last August. Derek came through tickets thanks to having played ball with Ken Singleton's son at Clemson. I suppose the Orange-clad community in Pickens County does have its uses. We had great seats behind home plate and this time avoided over-imbibing on those pesky Heinekens. Yanks beat Kansas City in extra innings, although we didn't stay till the end because we had dinner reservations. I know, it's a piss-poor excuse.

Fish Tacos, the new "power lunch"

It was a pretty good day, thus far. I had a meeting with my first prospective client, which is always a positive. He seemed to like what I was saying, so now it's a matter of him reviewing what I proposed with his business partner to decide if they want to use my services or not.

The best thing, besides the possibility of getting paid to do work, is that he agreed with the idea that quality writing/written communication services, business or otherwise, are hard to come by. You better believe I'm keeping my fingers crossed...

On my way back, I did stop and have a grilled tuna taco for lunch. Hot damn, those things are tasty. And I didn't even wash it down with a beer, which must say something about my self discipline.

Bloggers-block...

Ugh, I want to make this a daily activity (writing on my blog) so it especially sucks when I can't think of any specific topic to write about.

OK, I can do this. Just take deep breaths. Hey, I got it!

When I was a kid I was a voracious reader. My next door neighbor growing up worked at the Greenwood County Library, so I was constantly going up there to root around through the stacks. I especially remember trying to get my hands on anything that had to do with monsters, dinosaurs and anything that you might see on the old "In Search Of..." TV show.

I've matured in my reading habits since then, well kind of anyway. I still dig a good scary story! But I digress. I had gotten away from reading after I graduated from college. For several years, I'm sorry to say, I didn't even so much as pick up a book. I can't pinpoint why, but it just happened. I finally got back in the habbit about seven or eight years ago and have been reading ever since.

I go in phases as to what I an reading, but for the last year I have been focused primarily on historical nonfiction. I really have enjoyed reading up on early American history. I went from David McCullough's 1776 to If By Sea by George Daughan to now, finally, McCullough's excellent John Adams. It's been a great refresher course on American history. Given the tummult of our current economic and political environment, it's good to have some historical perspective on what led to the founding of our nation and its tenuous early years.

In fact, as we have been transfixed by the pirate activities off the coast of Somalia, I cannot help but be reminded of the Barbary Pirates and their actions in North Africa back in the early 19th century. I won't go into the details of what happened back then. Just look it up... you know, Google it... and you'll be surprised how history comes around.

By the way, I still think it was cool that the Navy Seals took out three of them with three shots. Damn, they're good!

Maybe a little about my new business...

Perhaps I should at least share a few tidbits about my new company. The company, Don't Shoot the Messenger Communications Services, is a marketing and communications firm. OK, it's actually a one-man band, me, that is focused on providing copy writing services to small-to-medium-sized businesses.

How did I arrive at this new career?

It hearkens back to my days as a journalist. I had always enjoyed and was good at writing. So, when I left software sales, the thought occurred to me that starting my own business might not be such a bad idea. Being my own boss and doing something I enjoy doing made perfect sense to me.

Most importantly, it seemed there was a real need for good writing out in the marketplace. I had noticed through my years in sales that most "business writing" was long-winded, unimaginative and redundant. Why not take my journalistic skills and penchant for creativity and apply them to business writing?

So, despite the daunting economic conditions we are currently facing, I decided to press forward. Thus, Don't Shoot the Messenger Communications Services was born. My goal is for the company to provide everything from website content to corporate literature, including product literature and business profiles.

Much like my blog, Don't Shoot the Messenger Communications Services is a work in process. I'm still in the process of getting a business website set up, creating a company logo and printing business cards. But where there's a will there's a way.

One small step...

OK, here is goes. I am now jumping head-first into the blogosphere (did I spell that right?). What has brought me to this point? Long story, but to cut to the chase, as I start my own marketing & communication business, one consistent piece of feedback I have received is start writing... and get it out there for public consumption.

So what am I going to write about?

I'm left asking myself that very question. The simplest way to start would be to write about myself... but isn't that a bit to self-aggrandizing? How about writing about my businesses? Well, I'm no Ron Popeil or Billy Mays (or even the ShamWow guy), so that seems like a bad idea too.

I guess this blog is going to be a work in process. I'm going to write about the things that interest me and, as time goes by, I suspect I will find my voice. Sports, movies, music, television, current events... it's all fair game. And as there are certainly hordes of people out there just waiting to read and comment on what I have to say, I'm sure I will get plenty of feedback and inspiration.

I've got a few things to work on now, but I will be back soon. I leave you with this to hold you over...