Feb. 14, 2010
3:12 PM -- Frantic first half. Hopefully Rod and or Aaric can have a really big second.
I am liking what we are doing with Mike Cunningham on the sideline and will possibly do more of it in the future. I think Bonner is doing a decent job as well.
OK - time to get back to work!
10:16 AM -Just got done with the morning run and the IPOD list will come at the end of this post. The plan for the day is to meet up with Mike and Fred in the lobby at 11:30 . . . take them to get a Primanti Bros. sandwich (it's one of Pittsburgh's local culinary claims to fame) . . . drop them back off at the hotel . . . and then head to Palumbo Center where I will eat my Primanti before setting up for the game.
Pittsburgh is a pretty small town and easy to get around in so we are just blocks from the sandwich shop and the Palumbo Center.
I will give a full update on these unique sandwiches later.
One quick note - when we were meeting for dinner last night we saw Jerrell, Parrish and Kimmani in the lobby. The team had just gotten back from their meal at Max & Erma's and I wanted to get a report on how much damage they did to the sundae bar. As we were talking Jerrell lit up and burst out with . . . "What time is the dunk contest?" One of the other guys said, 9:00 PM and with that they were up and shuffling to the elevators.
Here is the IPOD list from a 35 minute treadmill workout:
Matthew Sweet "What Matters", Van Halen "Dreams", Buffalo Tom "For All to See", The Sheila Divine "Sideways", Snow Patrol "You're All I Have", Muse "Starlight", Veruca Salt "Seether", Nirvana "Smells Like Team Spirit", U2 "The Unforgettable Fire", Better than Ezra "Desperately Wanting", The Posies "Ontario", Eric Johnson "Desert Rose".
Feb. 13, 2010
11:28 PM -Thanks to Kevin for starting up this blog. I had an unorthodox trip. Since Steve Degler can't make the trip I was able to enlist the services of my fiancee' Suzanne and dear friend Mike Cunningham to head out on a good, old fashioned roadtrip with me.
Mike did color for me on the internet broadcasts for six years of La Salle football and was in the habit of making an annual trip to Western PA be it for Duquesne, Geneva, St. Francis or some other team. We always enjoyed the roadtrips so, when I mentioned that we would need help, he was ready to jump right back in. Mike was also kind enough to jump in the car with me when I had to trek to St. Bonaventure on the same day as the game last year - so I a thankful that he cares enough about the team and doesn't mind keeping me company in these situations.
Suzanne, has been a great help to us in a variety of capacities over the years including doing the scorebook among other things so it was a no-brainer to have them both come along.
We will have some sort of interesting line-up involving the two of them tomorrow and I am grateful that they are right there along side me with their own small commitment to Explorer Athletics.
Given that, we drove out separately from the bus. After having a lunch at Fathead's (highly recommended by strength coach Brian Bingaman and our new neighbors Geoff and Jen Hayn) on the South Side, I dropped Suz and Mike at the Andy Warhol museum and picked up faithful fans/supporters Mike Furey and Fred Dixon who flew in today and are staying at our hotel.
I took them to practice and then came back to enjoy some time in the lounge with them before Suz, Mike C. and I headed back out for dinner. It was tough getting a cab so we just got back into the hotel now.
No spades tonight. Not much else to report.
4:58 PM -We are over at the Palumbo Center for practice. We checked into the hotel and had a brief stay. I'm rooming with trainer Dan Kontos, which is my third different roomate of the season. Dan's a good dude that works real hard for the program, especially in years like this when the Explorers have been bit by the injury bug...on numerous occasions.
The end of the bus trip was through a little bit of snow but the sun was shining once we entered the Steel City. Hopefully that is a sign of good things for tomorrow for La Salle.
2:05 PM
Just started our second movie of the trip - Couples Retreat. That followed Hurt Locker, an army movie based in 2004 Iraq. Very powerful for sure.
Sean Neal and Courtney Charles (manager) did a great job as usual with the logistics of food distribution. The guys have breakfast sandwiches when we boarded this morning and hoagies on the bus for lunch. It's hard to go hungry on these trips, but unlike the players, I don't nearly burn as many calories as they do.
We're slated to arrive in the next few hours. Then we have practice at the Palumbo Center and off to Max and Erma's for dinner. Until then...
Kevin
