Big series in baseball this weekend

If you read the headline, it's pretty obvious what I'm referring to, right? I mean, two division rivals, in a tense series that could determine the fate of the playoff race in the American League. The series began yesterday, with one team getting a late rally in a win. I'm obviously referring to the Yankees-Red Sox doubleheader, more specifically, game 2, correct? WRONG! I'm actually referring to a series that arguably has just as much importance as the Red Sox-Yankee series, the defending World Champion Chicago White Sox meeting the Minnesota Twins in Minneapolis, which the Twins started off right with a 7-3 win last night. Now, should any Red Sox or Yankee fan wander here, realize, I'm not angry at the team, the fans, or anybody like that. I point in 2 directions: ESPN and Major League Baseball.

First off, ESPN. 5 game series, and you're showing THREE of those 5 games, and I'm amazed you didn't find a way to get game 2 of that doubleheader last night. Meanwhile, my beloved Twins are on your network maybe once a month (and sometimes, even when they are on, I don't get to see them, living in the South and all). Plus, until last night, there was as little buildup to a series that featured 2 of the best teams in baseball I've ever seen. It's one thing to build up the Yanks and the Red Sox, but last night there were some good rivalry games going on, with possible playoff implications: White Sox-Twins, Cardinals-Cubs (remember, the Cubs had pwned the Cards), Dodgers-Giants, Padres-D-backs, Tigers-Rangers; yet all of those were shunned in favor of Boston-New York, chapter 231,107.

Now, onto you, Major League Baseball; you have 30 teams in the league. Can you PLEASE, for the love of all that is holy, give a litte love to the other teams in the league. I go to your website yesterday to catch Gameday, and all I could see was Red Sox-Yankees. Well, that and a little sidebar article mentioning the Chicago-Minnesota series may have some importance. Meanwhile, almost all of your articles featured on the main page mentioned Yanks-Sox.

As it is, there will be FOUR of the five Yanks-Red Sox games on national television. The White Sox and Twins will get one game tonight on WGN. That's it. One argument I've heard about the incessant Red Sox-Yankee love is that "nobody cares about the other teams." Well, here's the thing, from 1903-1978, the Red Sox and Yanks didn't meet in any playoff series. In 1978, the infamous "Bucky Dent" game took place, and handed the Yanks the American League East title. From 1979-1999, the two didn't meet in the playoffs. They finally met in the '99 ALCS, with the Yanks taking the series 4 games to 1, although many remember Pedro Martinez's dominance over Roger Clemens at Fenway Park in Game 3. Then, from 2000-02, the teams didn't see each other. Now, I'll give credit where it's due here...the two teams put on EPIC ALCS's in '03 and '04, with each side winning once. However, the White Sox won the World Series last year. IMO, the best idea is to promote them as your World Champs, promote the Twins and Tigers as challengers to the throne, and let Boston and New York speak for itself. Instead, the Tigers, Twins, and White Sox are somewhat ignored (the White Sox do get a lot of love, to MLB's credit), while everyone talks about Sox-Yanks. Eventually, if they keep this up, there will be backlash. Right now, there are many casual fans who can't tell the difference between the Red Sox and Yanks (the two teams with the highest payrolls in baseball), even though the Yanks have $74 million more at their disposal. Some of this may have to do with the fact you can't mention one of the teams without the other. It also may have something to do with the insane amount of bandwagon fans the Red Sox got in '04 (my brother is included in that group), which not only angered the long-time residents of "Red Sox Nation," but also angered a lot of fans of other teams, as the bandwagon fans are by and large much more obnoxious than their older contemporaries. In fact, some of these Red Sox fans make Yankee fans, the dregs of the universe (or New Jersey...just kidding, bosux and all the other Yanks fans I know that aren't complete cockbags), look like Kansas City Royals fans. In any event, at some point, the Yanks and Red Sox are going to fade and not be so good. And when that happens, what will Major League Baseball and ESPN do? If they're smart, they'll start promoting other teams. Of course, since we're talking about MLB, this will probably lead to contraction of the other 28 teams in the league.

10 Sports Moments often overlooked

Today on SonsoftheSportsGuy.com, our pal "BostonSucksMyBalls" mocked the overexposure of the Buckner play in the '86 World Series. His reasoning is, the game was tied, even if Buckner makes the play, they go to the 11th (and that's making the assumption Buckner beats Mets' speedster Mookie Wilson to the bag, which is unlikely). However, the debate turned to moments that have, for some reason or another, been overlooked by the mass media.

10. Chris Chambliss wins 1976 Pennant for the Yankees-I don't like the Yankees. Never have, never will. However, this play is one of TWO walk-off LCS homers (the other one was one that was beaten into our collective heads during the '04 ALCS, the Aaron Boone homer to win the '03 ALCS). This was the culmination of a great series between the New York Yankees and the Kansas City Royals. Game 5 was a classic, that saw a brawl between Graig Nettles and George Brett break out at home plate, a dramatic game-tying 3-run shot from Brett in the top of the 8th, but the most dramatic came in the bottom of the ninth, as Chambliss led off with a solo shot to win the game for the Yanks. In the celebration following, Chambliss was nearly torn apart circling the bases.

9. Jim O'Brien wins Super Bowl V for the Baltimore Colts-Contrary to popular belief, Adam Vinatieri WASN'T the first player to win a Super Bowl with a late field goal. In 1971, the Baltimore Colts faced the perennial bridesmaid Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl V. The game was not exactly super, as the teams combined for 11 turnovers, none more important than Craig Morton's pass being intercepted by Mike Curtis (off the outstetched fingertips of Dan Reeves) late in the game to set the stage for O'Brien's game-winning field goal with 4 seconds left.

8. Cleveland Indians defeat Boston Red Sox 8-3 to win 1948 American League Title-This, until 1978, was the ONLY one-game playoff in American League history. Both teams came into the game 96-58, with the Red Sox sweeping a pair from the Yankees to get here, while the Indians lost two straight to the Tigers. However, in a move that baffled everyone, Boston skipper Joe McCarthy started journeyman Denny Galehouse, who was roughed up by the Cleveland offense. Cleveland went on to win the World Series in 6 over the Boston Braves, their last World Series title.

7. Loyola-Chicago stuns Cincinnati to win 1963 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship-One of the forgotten classics of the NCAA Tournament, Cincinnati came into the game the 2-time defending national champion, looking for their third straight. Loyola was a heavy underdog coming into the game, but George Ireland's squad held tough, and a Vic Rouse basket with time running down handed the Ramblers the first (and only) title to a Chicago or Illinois basketball team. Lost in this is the fact that Loyola was one of the few teams that actually started more than 2 black players in a single game. Still, social ramifications aside, this is a game that has fallen through the cracks of history.

6. San Francisco Giants win 1962 National League Pennant over the L.A. Dodgers in 3-game playoff-Although the 1951 playoff between these two franchises gets most of the love, these two did move the rivalry to the West Coast, and in 1962, put on a classic pennant race for the California fans. It all came down to the third game of a 3-game playoff at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Like the 1951 series, the Dodgers went into the 9th inning holding the lead. And like the 1951 series, the Dodgers gave up 4 runs to the Giants in the 9th, scoring on 4 walks, 2 hits, and one error to clinch the pennant 6-4 in Chavez Ravine.

5. Broncos defeat Raiders 20-17 in 1977 AFC Championship Game with help from controversial call-The 1977 Denver Broncos were a solid, if not spectacular team with a great defense known as the "Orange Crush." They won the AFC West that year over the defending World Champion Oakland Raiders, who then defeated the Baltimore Colts in the AFC Divisional Playoffs to meet the Broncos (who defeated Pittsburgh 34-21 in the other divisional playoff) in the AFC Title game. With the Broncos nursing a 7-3 lead in the 3rd quarter, the Broncos recovered a fumble at the Oakland 17 and drove down to the 2. On the next play, Jack Tatum hit Rob Lytle, knocking the ball loose and giving Oakland the ball. However, the refs ruled the play dead before the fumble, and Denver scored to take a 14-3 lead. The Raiders never recovered, and Denver held on for a 20-17 win and its first AFC Title.

4. Avery Johnson hits late jumper to give Spurs first world title over the Knicks-In many ways, the 1999 NBA season is forgettable. It saw a lockout that nearly forced the cancellation of the season 5 years before the NHL did the same thing. It also saw scoring go down and the end of the Bulls dynasty. The playoffs were a little better, but the Knicks, the 8-seed from the East, won the Eastern Conference Finals over Indiana in 6 games, 2 of which had controversial refereeing from Dick Bavetta (ok, that was cheap, but I still hate the Knicks for that season. I loved those late '90s Pacers). They met the Spurs, who steamrolled the T-Wolves, Lakers, and Trail Blazers in a combined 12 games. The Spurs took the first two in San Antonio, then split the next two in Madison Square Garden. Game 5, much like its predecessors, was ugly. Late in the game, the Knicks clung to a 77-76 lead. With 2.1 seconds left, Avery Johnson launched a 20-footer from the right wing and nailed it, giving the Spurs their first title. This series also saw the explosion of Tim Duncan on the basketball scene, as he averaged 27.4 points and 14 rebounds a game.

3. Lew Burdette shuts out Yanks on 2 days rest to clinch 1957 World Title for Braves-The 1957 season was the coming out party for the Milwaukee Braves, who had fallen just short of the Brooklyn Dodgers in '56. The Braves featured a solid pitching corps of Bob Buhl, Warren Spahn, and Lew Burdette. Buhl struggled in the Series, going 0-1 with a 10.80 ERA in only 3.2 innings of work. However, Spahn was solid, and Burdette was amazing, going 3-0 with an ERA of 0.67 in the Series. His best performance was his last, Game 7 at Yankee Stadium. After shutting the Yanks out 1-0 in Game 5 at County Stadium in Milwaukee, Burdette was even more masterful, holding the Yanks to 7 hits in a 5-0 win, giving the Braves their first World Title since 1914, when they were located in Boston.

2. Mike Scott no-hits Giants to clinch 1986 NL West Crown for the Houston Astros-In 1986, Mike Scott, and his newfangled pitch, the split-fingered fastball, were taking over baseball. Along with 39-year-old Nolan Ryan, the Astros stunned baseball analysts by storming to a lead in the NL West, and on September 25, Mike Scott took the mound against the Giants with a chance to clinch the title for the Astros and set up an NLCS against the New York Mets. Scott was literally unhittable that night, as, for the first time in baseball history, a division or pennant was won thanks to a no-hitter. Scott pitched all nine-innings, walking 2, hitting 1, and striking out 13 in giving the Astros their first division crown since 1980.

1. Bill Mazeroski hits walk-off homer in Game 7 to win 1960 World Series for the Pirates-The 1960 World Series looked, on paper, like a mismatch. The out-of-nowhere Pirates, led by Don Hoak and Dick Groat, would take on the mighty New York Yankees, who had won 15 straight going into the playoffs. The first game, however, showed this series would be a little different, as the Pirates stunned the Yanks 6-4. The next two games, however, showed the world that the Yanks would not be easily deterred, as the Bombers destroyed the Pirates 16-3 and 10-0. However, the Pirates won the next two, 3-2 and 5-2, setting up a possible clincher in Game 6. However, Whitey Ford and the Yankee offense would have none of that, as they both dominated the Pirates en route to a 12-0 win, setting up the decisive game 7. The game started off well for the Bucs, as a 2-run Rocky Nelson homer and a 2-RBI single by Bill Virdon gave the Pirates a 4-0 lead. However, Moose Skowron and Yogi Berra hit homers in the 5th and sixth, staking the Yanks to a 5-4 lead. It got worse for the Pirates in the 8th, as a 2-out, 2-run double by Clete Boyer gave the Yanks a 7-4 lead. The bottom of the 8th, however, would prove to be disastrous for the Yanks. Gino Cimoli got a single to lead off the inning, then Virdon hit a sure double play ball to shortstop Tony Kubek. However, the ball hit a pebble, hitting Kubek in the throat and giving the Pirates men on first and second. Kubek was replaced by Joe DeMaestri. Dick Groat followed that up with an RBI single to cut the lead to 7-5. Bob Skinner followed with a sacrifice bunt to put men on second and third, then Rocky Nelson hit a short fly to right, giving the Pirates 2 outs and a man on 3rd. The next batter, Roberto Clemente, would prove to be the most important play of the game. He hit a slow roller to Skowron, but pitcher Jim Coates did not cover the bag, and Clemente beat Skowron to the bag, allowing Virdon to score and Groat to advance to 2nd. The next batter, former Yankee Hal Smith hit a 3-run shot to give the Pirates a 9-7 lead. The Yanks, however, refused to die, getting singles from Bobby Richardson, ex-Pirate Dale Long, and Mickey Mantle (all sandwiched around a Roger Maris foul-out) to cut the lead to 9-8 and put runners on the corners. Yogi Berra then hit a rocket down the first base line that Rocky Nelson grabbed and tagged first for the out. However, in the confusion, Mickey Mantle was able to get back to 1st, allowing pinch-runner Gil McDougald to score the game-tying run. That tie would last all of 2 pitches, as Bill Mazeroski hit the first, and to date, only walk-off World Series Game 7 homer in history. For the Series, the Yanks outscored the Pirates 55-27, outhit them 91-60, and still lost the Series. Sadly, this moment seems to be overlooked for moments like Kirk Gibson's homer, Carlton Fisk's homer, Reggie Jackson's 3-homer game, and even Joe Carter's walk-off homer (although his is overlooked), and ESPECIALLY the Bobby Thomson homer. '

This list is not out to antagonize anybody, it's to show that from time to time, moments that are great are overlooked, while other great moments are beaten into the ground.

My subhead may be coming true, after all

Barkley considering run for governor

Charles Barkley, perhaps running for governor in '10. As a Democrat? Oh, my. Personally, I think he may be in for a fight off the bat, especially if Lucy Baxley wins the election. If not, it'd still be hard for him to get the Democrat nod, and even if he won that, I think he'd be hard-pressed to beat Bob Riley. Oh, well, good topic for conversation, and he was able to throw in the obligatory "If not for Mississippi and Arkansas, we'd be last in everything" joke that has been around for about 100 years but apparently certain national outlets have just picked up on.

Ole Miss baseball fever: Catch it.

The Ole Miss Rebels, to my astonishment, won the SEC Baseball Tournament. With that, they were able to get to host a regional in Oxford on Saturday. While I am stunned (especially after our slow start), I find this season maybe more satisfying than last year's great run, simply because it was expected. This wasn't. More proof that Mike Bianco is a dang good coach. He simply refused to let the team make excuses for their poor play early on, and they rallied to end the season 27-9. Now, the fun begins. In this space, I will give what I've seen of the Rebels lately.

Hitting: Has been our strong point all year long. Our top 5 hitters, Justin Henry, Chris Coghlan, Zack Cozart, Alex Presley, and C.J. Ketchum are all hitting around .350, and all have OBPs well over .400. Logan Power is a typical 2nd hitter at the 6 hole, and our 7 and 8 hitters, Justin Brashear and Mark Wright are our two leading home run hitters with 11 and 12 respectively. We do have a bit of a hole with our DH spot, which we platoon with Evan Button against lefties and Cody Overbeck and Jon-Jon Hancock against righties. Still, a solid lineup that just destroyed the SEC's two best pitching staffs (Alabama and Vandy) for 18 runs in 2 games.

Pitching: Our Achilles heel at times (the Kentucky series) and our strength at times (SEC Tournament), we feature 3 freshmen starters and a redshirt freshman ace. Our stopper is Will Kline, who struggled early this season, but a shutout against Mississippi State in the Mayor's Trophy game in Jackson really turned him around. He has been our best pitcher lately. Our two starter is Brett Bukvich, who has at times has been our best pitcher (against Kentucky and LSU) and at times our worst (State and Tennessee). Our number three starter is Lance Lynn, who was a sixth round draft pick with the Seattle Mariners. He has been solid for the most part this year, but you can generally only count on him for six innings. Our other starter is Craig Rodriguez, a big lefty out of Texas. He started out fairly decently as our Friday night starter, but he was pounded by Kentucky, Arkansas, and State before shutting a pretty potent Vandy offense down in the Championship Game yesterday. Our bullpen, with Garret White, Cody Satterwhite, and Stoney Stone, has been shaky at times this year, but they have also pitched out of some major jams (yesterday is a great example).

Fielding: Solid...our defensive infield is among the best in the SEC. Coghlan and Cozart form the left side of the infield at 3rd and short respectively, while 2nd baseman Justin Henry is solid at turning double plays to our first baseman CJ Ketchum. The outfield is fairly decent, especially Alex Presley in center. Mark Wright doesn't have the greatest range in right, but he makes the plays he's supposed to. Logan Power is fairly rangy in left.

Outlook: While I am not too pleased with Tulane being in the regional, I think we can win this if we play up to our capabilities. The only question mark is will our pitching hold up enough to keep a 2004-esque disaster from occurring again, when we lost two straight while hosting.

Having said all of that, if we win the regional, I simply don't think we have enough pitching to survive a trip to Lincoln, where the homefolks will be thirsty for another trip to nearby Omaha. Still, hosting a regional and making a Super Regional would be one helluvan accomplishment for our team considering what they went through early on.

Happy Cinco de Mayo

This may be my last post for a while, so I figured I'd get one last thing out of the way...

Tomorrow marks the 15th anniversary of the death of one Roy Lee "Chucky" Mullins. Readers of my blog have at least heard of who this guy is, but his story is one worth retelling. Chucky, who was born on July 24, 1969, grew up dirt poor on the "wrong side" of the railroad tracks in Russellville. His father left him when he was 2, and he was raised by his mother and grandmother. At least until 1983, when within 4 months, both his mother and grandmother passed away. An orphan at 12, he called Carver Phillips, who ran the Russellville Park and Recreation Center, and asked Carver to take him and his brother in. Carver, who wasn't living the high-life either, asked his wife Karen what they should do. Eventually, they relented, and Chucky went to live with them. Chucky was still poor, but he did have one thing that would keep him off the streets of Russellville---football. Chucky had shown signs of greatness as a youngster, and by his senior year, he led Russellville to a 10-0 regular season and a #3 national ranking. However, true to form for many great Golden Tiger teams of the future, Greenville upset Russellville 21-20 in the state title game. After the season, Chucky was recruited by many D-IAA and D-II schools, but most D-I schools thought he was too small and too slow to play at that level. One of these non-believers was Billy Brewer, the head coach at the University of Mississippi. Brewer had been the head of the Rebels since 1983, and had finally gotten Ole Miss to respectability. Brewer saw Chucky on tape, and decided to allow the youngster a chance to visit the campus, knowing the kid probably had no chance of wearing the red and blue. However, as Brewer noted in "Undefeated," the more he saw of Chucky in the coach's office, the more he saw himself, and he decided (with the help of a couple of his assistants) to give Chucky a scholarship. He redshirted in 1988, and became the nickelback for the Rebs in 1989. His most memorable play of the season was a game-saving knockdown of a Georgia pass in a 20-16 upset in Oxford. At least until October 28, when the doormat of the SEC, the Vanderbilt Commodores, came into town for Homecoming. While the 'Dores had struggled that season, one of their bright spots was runningback Brad Gaines. Gaines, who was raised in a family of football players, led the SEC in receptions as a tailback in 1989, and he led the 'Dores on a drive to the 12-yard-line, where they faced 3rd and goal. Chucky came in as the nickelback. Vandy QB John Gromos dropped back, and found Gaines cutting across the middle. What he didn't see was a red-and-blue #38 behind him. Mullins made a great hit, knocking the ball loose. In the scrum of a play that was eventually ruled dead, Chucky still lay on the ground. When Ole Miss trainers came on to the field, they discovered that Chucky had lost all feeling. Then and there, their worst nightmare was confirmed...Chucky had broken his neck. After emergency surgery at Baptist Hospital in Memphis, Chucky lay in the bed, paralyzed from the neck down for life. After this, most would just hang it up and quit. Not Chucky...his appearance at the 1989 Liberty Bowl inspired his teammates to a 42-29 victory of Air Force in the proverbial "not as close as the final score indicates" game. During rehabilitation, Chucky would beg for a phone line to be put from the practice field in Oxford to his room at the Spain Rehab Center in Birmingham. That year, the Rebels outdid even themselves, going 9-2 and getting a Gator Bowl bid against Michigan. Despite a 35-3 loss, the Rebs had finished their most successful season since the John Vaught era. Meanwhile, the media attention given to Chucky before the game led to him receiving many visits from famous folks, including Walter Payton, Janet Jackson, and even President George HW Bush. The money raised by Ole Miss (and the SEC) during this time also allowed Carver and Karen to move to Oxford to take care of Chucky as he finished his degree. However, on May 1, 1991, Chucky collapsed and never regained consciousness. He was finally disconnected from life support on May 6, 1991. He is now buried in the Luketown Cemetery in Russellville, Alabama. His memory still lives on with the Chucky Mullins Courage Award, which awards the senior defensive back who most exemplifies Chucky's determination with his #38. His memory is also felt in Russellville, as the Chucky Mullins Center is now open to allow underprivileged kids in town to be tutored and given extra help to get them on the right track.

Jason Allen highlight video.

As you can see, former Muscle Shoals Trojan Jason Allen realizes how lucky he is that he won't have to see Ronnie Brown on the other side this coming fall. Nick Saban must have decided that since he had Brown on his own team, he could get away with drafting him.

States I've Visited

States I've visited map...where, and how I got there

AL: Have lived in Alabama from 3 days old to 18 years, 1 month old. I'm originally from Hamilton, moved to Curry (suburb of Jasper, which itself could be considered a suburb of Birmingham) at age 4, then moved to Russellville at age 7. Moved to Winfield at age 19.

AR: Went across the bridge to West Memphis on a field trip to the Inca exhibit at the Pyramid in '98. On same trip, our bus driver got arrested for extortion.

D.C.: Went here in the summer of '03 for a family vacation. Easily the coolest place I've ever been to

FL: Went to Perdido beach as an 8 year old, and then drove through the state, from Pensacola down to Ft. Lauderdale in '99 on a trip to the Bahamas. Why we didn't fly? My father (and me. And my brother) are terrified of heights.

GA: Went to my first Braves game (and Six Flags) at age 6. Have been to numerous quiz bowl tournaments here, mostly in the Atlanta area. Also drive to Braves games nearly every year, and to the ACE Quiz Bowl Camp.

IL: Went to Chicago for the 2002 American Scholastic Competition Network Tournament of Champions (we had won a couple of tournaments in 2002, and had come in 2nd God knows how many times with large fields).

IN: Drove through the state for said 2002 Tournament of Champions. Sadly did not pass through Milan, home of the 1954 state basketball champs that were the inspiration for Hoosiers.

KY: Drove the first time at age 14 on a family trip, since none of us had ever been. Most fun aspect of trip: The tour of the Louisville Slugger plant. Also drove through here for the 2001 Partnership for Academic Competition Excellence National Tournament and the 2002 Tournament of Champions

LA: Drove through the state for the National Academic Quiz Tournament High School National Tournament. Was only impressed with the city of Baton Rouge (ironic, considering my hatred for LSU, but that's another point for another time). Hated the hell out of the rest of the state, including New Orleans, which was vastly smelly and overrated when I went there. It was a Monday afternoon, though.

MS: Born in Amory. Went to Tupelo God only knows how many times as a young child. Drove through the southern part of the state on I-59 on the way to the 2004 NAQT National Tournament. Attend the University of Mississippi now.

NC: Visited Cherokee on trip through the Smokies in '98. Went the second time for the 1999 Duke Talent Identification Program National Recognition ceremony in Durham. That was the year both the men's and women's team choked in the Tournament...oh wait, that's every year. Never mind. Also drove through en route to D.C. in '03.

OH: Went to Bowling Green for the 2001 PACE National Tournament. It sucked balls. Of course, we also passed through Cincinnati (which actually impressed me, believe it or not), Dayton, Lima, Miami, Oxford, and God knows what other places in the middle of a terrible thunderstorm. Hated it, but blame it on Michigan's vicinity to area we were in.

SC: Went the first time for 2002 ACE Quiz Bowl Camp at Furman in Greenville. Came the second time for the 2003 NAQT National Tournament at Myrtle Beach, although we came a few days early and hit the town of Charleston, which remains my favorite Southern city. Seriously, it's worth it. Came back to the ACE Camp in '03, and bought a Furman University hat that I still have.

TN: Let's see...went to Opryland as a one-year-old, then went to Loretto to look at furniture with my parents as a 7-year-old (seriously, why couldn't they find a babysitter or drop me off with my grandparents?). Went back to Opryland as a 9-year-old, then went to the Smokies in '98, '99, and '05 Also went to Nashville a couple of times for tournaments at Ezell-Harding and Vanderbilt. Hit Chattanooga for the 2001 Dennis Haskins Open (which we won), 2001 Trevor's Trivia Tournament (which we came in 3rd), 2002 Muck and Moc Masters (where me, Chris Pace, Adam Pace, Josh Clanton, Jeremy Brownand Brandon Sykes got stroked by 50-year-old college kids). Hit up Memphis in '98, '02 (trip to St. Jude's for HOSA), and '05 (Jeopardy Tryout).

TX: Came through here for the 2004 NAQT National Tournament in Houston. Houston wasn't terrible, but it was vastly spread out. Found out just how big the state was when we saw the "El Paso-837 miles" sign on the Louisiana-Texas border.

VA: Came through en route to D.C. in '03. Also hit up Jamestown and Yorktown, which weren't very great, and Williamsburg, which was. Also bought a William and Mary T-shirt that I still wear from time-to-time here.